The passage below is accompanied by a set of questions. Choose the best answer to each question.
Stories concerning the Undead have always been with us. From out of the primal darkness of Mankind’s earliest years, come whispers of eerie creatures, not quite alive (or alive in a way which we can understand), yet not quite dead either. These may have been ancient and primitive deities who dwelt deep in the surrounding forests and in remote places, or simply those deceased who refused to remain in their tombs and who wandered about the countryside, physically tormenting and frightening those who were still alive. Mostly they were ill-defined—strange sounds in the night beyond the comforting glow of the fire, or a shape, half-glimpsed in the twilight along the edge of an encampment. They were vague and indistinct, but they were always there with the power to terrify and disturb. They had the power to touch the minds of our early ancestors and to fill them with dread. Such fear formed the basis of the earliest tales although the source and exact nature of such terrors still remained very vague.
And as Mankind became more sophisticated, leaving the gloom of their caves and forming themselves into recognizable communities—towns, cities, whole cultures—so the Undead travelled with them, inhabiting their folklore just as they had in former times. Now they began to take on more definite shapes. They became walking cadavers; the physical embodiment of former deities and things which had existed alongside Man since the Creation. Some still remained vague and ill-defined but, as Mankind strove to explain the horror which it felt towards them, such creatures emerged more readily into the light.
In order to confirm their abnormal status, many of the Undead were often accorded attributes, which defied the natural order of things—the power to transform themselves into other shapes, the ability to sustain themselves by drinking human blood, and the ability to influence human minds across a distance. Such powers—described as supernatural—only [lent] an added dimension to the terror that humans felt regarding them.
And it was only natural, too, that the Undead should become connected with the practice of magic. From very early times, Shamans and witchdoctors had claimed at least some power and control over the spirits of departed ancestors, and this has continued down into more “civilized” times. Formerly, the invisible spirits and forces that thronged around men’s earliest encampments, had spoken “through” the tribal Shamans but now, as entities in their own right, they were subject to magical control and could be physically summoned by a competent sorcerer. However, the relationship between the magician and an Undead creature was often a very tenuous and uncertain one. Some sorcerers might have even become Undead entities once they died, but they might also have been susceptible to the powers of other magicians when they did.
From the Middle Ages and into the Age of Enlightenment, theories of the Undead continued to grow and develop. Their names became more familiar—werewolf, vampire, ghoul—each one certain to strike fear into the hearts of ordinary humans.
Human beings conceptualise the Undead as possessing abnormal features.
The statement says that people gave the Undead attributes that defy the natural order, such as shape-shifting and drinking blood, to mark them as abnormal.
The claim, then, is that human beings conceive of the Undead as having abnormal features.
The statement is about how humans imagine these creatures; it does not speak of deifying them, of rejecting the natural order, or of their natural attributes being changed.
Hence, Human beings conceptualise the Undead as possessing abnormal features.
The passage discusses the evolution of theories of the Undead from primitive thinking to the Age of Enlightenment.
The passage traces how stories of the Undead changed: vague terrors in primitive times, more definite shapes in organised societies, supernatural attributes, links with magic, and then familiar names from the Middle Ages into the Enlightenment.
So it is about the evolution of theories of the Undead from primitive thinking to the Age of Enlightenment.
The link with Shamans and magic is only one stage, failure to comprehend the environment is not the theme, and the transition in human thought is discussed only through the Undead.
Hence, The passage discusses the evolution of theories of the Undead from primitive thinking to the Age of Enlightenment.
the transition from the Middle Ages to the Age of Enlightenment saw new theories of the Undead.
A statement whose falsity would agree with the passage is one the passage rejects; the exception is the statement that the passage affirms.
The passage says that from the Middle Ages into the Age of Enlightenment, “theories of the Undead continued to grow and develop”. So new theories did appear in that transition, and denying it would conflict with the passage.
Humans did not stop believing as they grew sophisticated, the Undead took on more definite shapes, and the magician relationship was “tenuous and uncertain”, so the falsity of those statements fits the passage.
Hence, the transition from the Middle Ages to the Age of Enlightenment saw new theories of the Undead.
Mankind’s early years were marked by a belief in the existence of eerie creatures that were neither quite alive nor dead.
The statement says that from the earliest years of Mankind there have been “whispers” (stories) of eerie creatures that were neither quite alive nor quite dead.
The valid conclusion is that the early years of Mankind were marked by a belief in such creatures.
The other readings take the whispers literally, as sounds made by the creatures, or claim we can understand their lives, which the statement does not support.
Hence, Mankind’s early years were marked by a belief in the existence of eerie creatures that were neither quite alive nor dead.
Zombie cells may contribute to age-related chronic inflammation: this finding could help scientists understand more about the aging process and why the immune system becomes less effective as we get older. Zombie or “senescent” cells are damaged cells that can no longer divide and grow like normal cells. Scientists think that these cells can contribute to chronic health problems when they accumulate in the body. In younger people, the immune system is more effective at clearing senescent cells from the body through a process called apoptosis, but as we age this process becomes less efficient. As a result, there is an accumulation of senescent cells in different organs in the body, either through increased production or reduced clearance by the immune system. The zombie cells continue to use energy though they do not divide, and often secrete chemicals that cause inflammation, which if persistent for longer periods of time can damage healthy cells leading to chronic diseases.
Identify the odd sentence out and key in the number of that sentence as your answer.
The last paragraph of the passage refers to “middle-class, white, professional men”. Which one of the following qualities best describes the connection among them?
Study the following sets of concepts and identify the set that is conceptually closest to the concerns and arguments of the passage.
According to the passage, who or what was an “alienist”?
“Conversely, when a defendant struck officials as unlike themselves, whether by dint of disease, gender, confession, or race, the precariousness of judgments about mental state was exposed.” Which one of the following best describes the use of the word “confession” in this sentence?
According to the incentive or moral hazard argument, which one of the designs below is most consistent with the claim that some inequality can raise growth?
Which one of the options below best summarises the passage?
The primary function of the three-part case for a positive income inequality–economic growth link in the first half of the passage is to show that:
The passage refers to "democratization". Choose the one option below that comes closest to the opposite of this process.