Paragraph Comprehension
Short reading passages followed by questions on what was stated or implied.
~22m
Practice this sectionPractice Questions
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According to this passage:
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The author of this passage would agree that:
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According to this passage:
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According to this passage:
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According to this passage:
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According to this passage, it's reasonable to assume that:
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According to the above passage, a BTU:
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According to the above passage:
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Electricity is the most inefficient and costly way to heat a home. One kilowatt-hour of electricity creates about 3,400 British thermal units (BTUs). (BTUs are a standard heat measurement.) The price of electricity per kilowatt-hour is between $0.10 and $0.25 or between $29.35 and $73.13 per million BTUs. In contrast, fuel oil, which produces 140,000 BTUs per gallon, costs about $8.33 to $13.89 per million BTUs. Natural gas, which produces 100,000 BTUs per therm, can be purchased for $5.00 to $22.50 per million BTUs. Oak firewood, which produces 26,000,000 BTUs per cord, costs $5.77 to $13.46 per million BTUs. Choosing the right heating method for your home, based on the cost of fuel, may be more expensive at installation but will be cheaper in the long run. The title of this passage should be:
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On June 22, 1944, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed into law one of the most significant pieces of legislation ever produced by the United States government: The Service members' Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the GI Bill of Rights. By the time the original GI Bill ended in July 1956, 7.8 million World War II veterans had participated in an education or training program, and 2.4 million veterans had home loans backed by the Veterans Administration (VA). The
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You can put up to $3,000 a year into an individual retirement account (IRA) on a tax deductible basis if your spouse isn't covered by a retirement plan at work or as long as your combined incomes aren't too high. You also can put the same amount tax-deferred into an IRA for a nonworking spouse if you file your income tax return jointly. The maximum amount that a married couple could possibly save in a tax-deferred IRA during a year is:
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Which of the following statements isn't true?
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The author of this passage believes:
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The etymology of the word or name, Alabama, has evoked much discussion among philological researchers. It was the name of a noted southern Indian tribe whose habitat when first known to Europeans was in what is now central Alabama. One of the major waterways in the state was named for this group and from this river, in turn, the name of the state was derived. According to some investigations, the tribal name Alabama must be sought in the Choctaw tongue, because it isn't uncommon for tribes to accept a name given them by a neighboring tribe. The state of Alabama was named after:
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Each of the 94 federal judicial districts handles bankruptcy matters, and in almost all districts, bankruptcy cases are filed in the bankruptcy court. Bankruptcy cases can't be filed in state court. Bankruptcy laws help people who can no longer pay their creditors get a fresh start by liquidating their assets to pay their debts or by creating a repayment plan. Bankruptcy laws also protect troubled businesses and provide for orderly distributions to business creditors through reorganization or liquidation. Which of the following statements isn't supported by the above passage?
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The U.S. Department of Justice has prepared a report about hate crimes in the United States between 1997 and 1999. In 60% of hate crime incidents, the most serious offense was a violent crime, most commonly intimidation or simple assault. The majority of incidents motivated by race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability involved a violent offense, while two-thirds of incidents motivated by religion involved a property offense, most commonly vandalism. Younger offenders were responsible for most hate crimes. Thirty-one percent of violent offenders, and 46% of property offenders were under age 18. Most property offense hate crimes were motivated by:
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The U.S. Department of Justice has prepared a report about hate crimes in the United States between 1997 and 1999. In 60% of hate crime incidents, the most serious offense was a violent crime, most commonly intimidation or simple assault. The majority of incidents motivated by race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability involved a violent offense, while two-thirds of incidents motivated by religion involved a property offense, most commonly vandalism. Younger offenders were responsible for most hate crimes. Thirty-one percent of violent offenders, and 46% of property offenders were under age 18. The majority of hate crimes during this period can be classified as:
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What uniform change is happening?
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Why is the idea of limited liability helpful to business owners?
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What does the writer say about different kinds of people working together?
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According to this passage, navies
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How much of our communication with other people is with words?
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What area were the Romans and Carthaginians fighting over in 265 B.C.?
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How must strategic planners choose appropriate goals?
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The traditions of Freemasonry have evolved over many centuries and from many sources. These traditions are a powerful force that cements a Lodge and Freemasons into one sacred band. They can be modified-- but only slowly--to fit the needs of the organization. As individual Freemasons become aware of the traditions, they soon learn that they are part of something larger than themselves. The traditions of Freemasonry teach new members that
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What happened to the Italian convoy?
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A major part of safe driving is driving at the right speed. But what is the "right" speed? Is it 20 miles per hour, or 45, or 60? That question may be hard to answer. On some city streets and in heavy traffic, 20 miles per hour could be too fast, even if it's within the posted speed limit. On an interstate highway, 45 miles per hour could be too slow. Of course, a good driver must follow the speed limit, but he must also use good judgment. The "right speed will vary depending on the number of cars, the road surface and its condition, and the driver's visibility. The general theme of this passage is that a good driver
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About three-fourths of the Earth's surface is covered with water. Of these 336 million cubic miles of water, most (97.2 percent) is found in the oceans and is salty. Glaciers at both poles contain another 2 percent of the total amount. Less than 1 percent (0.8 percent) is available as fresh water for people to use--and much of that is not near the people who need it the most. The amount of fresh water available for people to use is
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Nucleic acids are found in all living organisms, from viruses to man. They received their name because of their discovery in the nuclei of white blood cells and fish sperm by Swiss physiologist Johann Mescher in 1869. However, it is now well established that nucleic acids occur outside the cell nucleus as well. Nucleic acids are found
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Which kind of pneumonia is the most deadly?
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Because the temperature of ocean water changes more slowly than the temperature of air, oceans affect the world's climate. As ocean water moves past land masses, it affects the climate by warming the air in winter and cooling it in summer. The key idea in this paragraph is that
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Lasers and incandescent lights are different in an important way. Incandescent light from light bulbs emits light of different wavelengths and moves in many directions. On the other hand, laser beams are monochromatic, consisting of a single wavelength. They can travel great distances without spreading. Any comparison of laser and incandescent lights must include a discussion of
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An important stage of personal time management is to take control of appointments. Determined by external obligation, appointments constitute interaction with other people and an agreed-on interface between your activities and those of others. Start with a simple appointment diary. List all appointments including regular and recurring ones. Now, be ruthless and eliminate the unnecessary. There may be committees where you can't productively contribute or where a subordinate may be able to participate. Eliminate the waste of your time. Effectively managing your appointments allows you to:
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According to this passage:
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The author of this passage would agree that:
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In privatization, the government relies on the private sector to provide a service. However, the government divests itself of the entire process, including all assets. With privatized functions, the government may specify quality, quantity, and timeliness requirements, but it has nC. ntrol over the operations of the activity. Also, the government may not be the only customer. Whoever the government chooses to provide the services would likely provide the same services to others. This paragraph best supports the statement that:
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The success or failure of a conference lies largely with its leader. A leader's zest and enthusiasm must be real, apparent, and contagious. The leader is responsible for getting the ball rolling and making the attendees feel as if the meeting is theirs and its success depends on their participation. A good, thorough introduction helps establish the right climate. A good title to this paragraph would be:
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Cloud seeding is accomplished by dropping particles of dry ice (solid carbon dioxide) from a plane onto super-cooled clouds. This process encourages condensation of water droplets in the clouds, which usually, but not always, results in rain or snow. From this passage, it's reasonable to assume that:
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To write or not to write -- that is the question. If assigned a writing task, there's no option. However, if someone is looking for a specific answer, find out if they need a short answer or a detailed one. Can the requirement be met with a telephone call, e-mail, or short note, or is something more necessary? A former CEO of a major corporation once commented that he had looked at 13,000 pieces of paper in a 5-day period. Think how much easier and more economical it would be if people would use the telephone, send an e-mail, or write a short note. The main point of this passage is:
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According to this passage:
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The author is speaking of his travels in:
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The author of this passage would agree that:
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The Tao-te-aching (The Way and Its Power) is the basic text of Taoism, a Chinese religion and philosophy. The Tao-te-ching is composed of 81 short chapters or poems that describe a way of life marked by quiet effortlessness and freedom from desire. Taoism teaches that this can be achieved by following the creative, spontaneous life force of the universe, called the Tao. The book is attributed to Lao-tzu, but it was probably written in the third century B.C. The Tao-te-ching
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History tells us that Christopher Columbus once saved his own life because he knew from his almanac that there was going to be an eclipse of the moon. In 1504 Columbus was marooned in Jamaica with no food and unfriendly natives confronting him. The explorer threatened to turn off the light in the sky if the natives refused to give him food. Columbus kept his word; the natives gave him food. The main idea of this paragraph is that
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One implied warranty required by state law is the "warranty of merchantability." This means that the seller promises that the product will do what it is supposed to do. For example,
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To get full value for your energy dollars, first arrange for an energy audit of your home. An audit will reveal such things as energy-sapping drafts, insufficient insulation, improper weather stripping, and a need for storm windows and doors. Installing storm windows may be energy-saving but should be preceded by
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According to the passage, the settling of the American West
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The most disadvantaged type in both countries was the single-parent, female-headed household, of which 38% in Canada and 61% in the United States were in need. Moreover, 44% of single females living alone in Canada and 51% in the United States were in housing need. By contrast, male single parents experienced about half the housing need of their female equivalents. You can conclude from the paragraph that needy male single parents in housing need in the United States numbered approximately
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In 1973, when the OPEC nations embargoed oil exports to the United States, their action signaled an unprecedented rise in oil prices. In feet, crude oil prices quadrupled, sending oil-dependent countries into a recession. One of the results of the oil embargo was that
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Although they last no longer than a fraction of a second, voltage variations can cause problems with sensitive electronic equipment. Variation in voltage causes digital clocks to blink and timers to be thrown off schedule. Computers are especially
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In 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the resolution entitled the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This resolution stresses personal, civil, political, social, cultural, and economic rights of people. In so doing, the article promotes
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Any discussion of distinctive military capabilities would be incomplete without looking at their relationship to the Joint Service vision of the future. JV 2020 guides all the Services into the next century with its vision of future war fighting. JV 2020 sets forth four overarching operational concepts: dominant maneuver, precision engagement, focused logistics, and full-dimensional protection. Each of these operational concepts reinforces the others. The aggregate of these four concepts, along with their interaction with information superiority and innovation, allows joint forces to dominate the full range of military operations from humanitarian assistance through peace operations to the highest intensity conflict. The document discussed in the above passage is primarily about:
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Genetics is a branch of science dealing with heredity. The field is concerned with how genes operate and the way genes are transmitted to offspring. Subdivisions in the field include cytogenetics, which is the study of the cellular basis of inheritance; microbial genetics, the study of inheritance in microbes; molecular genetics, the study of the biochemical foundation of inheritance; and human genetics, the study of how people inherit traits that are medically and socially important. Genetic counselors are primarily concerned with human genetics. They advise couples and families on the chances of their offspring having specific genetic defects. In the passage above, cytogenetics is defined as:
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According to the passage above, genetics:
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According to the passage above, it's reasonable to assume that genetic counseling:
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According to the passage:
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High-school and college graduates attempting to find jobs should participate in mock job interviews. These mock interviews help students prepare for the types of questions they'll be asked, make them more comfortable with common interview formats, and help them critique their performance before facing a real interviewer. Because they're such a valuable aid, schools should organize mock job interviews for all of their graduating students. The above passage states that mock job interviews:
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High-school and college graduates attempting to find jobs should participate in mock job interviews. These mock interviews help students prepare for the types of questions they'll be asked, make them more comfortable with common interview formats, and help them critique their performance before facing a real interviewer. Because they're such a valuable aid, schools should organize mock job interviews for all of their graduating students. From the above passage, it is reasonable to assume that:
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According to the above passage, due process:
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According to the above passage, it's reasonable to assume that the 5th Amendment:
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The author of the above passage would agree that:
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According to this passage:
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According to this passage:
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According to this passage:
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According to this passage, torn flags should be:
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According to this passage, guilds:
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Which of the following statements is not supported by the above passage?
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An ex-post-facto law is a law applied retroactively. Usually it makes an act illegal that was legal at the time it was performed. The U.S. Constitution prohibits ex-post-facto criminal laws, although the British Commonwealth allows them. According to this passage, it can be assumed that:
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According to this passage:
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Good leaders get involved in their subordinates' careers. People merely obey arbitrary commands and orders, but they respond quickly and usually give extra effort for leaders who genuinely care for them. An often neglected leadership principle in today's environment of technology and specialization is knowing the workers and showing sincere interest in their problems, career development, and welfare. Leadership is reflected in the degree of efficiency, productivity, morale, and motivation demonstrated by subordinates. Leadership involvement is the key ingredient to maximizing worker performance. A key leadership principle that's often ignored is:
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According to this passage:
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DNA, a nucleic acid contained in all living material, orders every cell to reproduce in a certain manner. In feet, DNA molecules determine both the form and function of all living cells. DNA is
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Garbage has become an alarming problem--and it won't go away. State landfills, as they are presently designed, are quickly filling up. Consequently, since 30% of trash being dumped can be recycled, it is time for communities to set up recycling programs. Not all trash needs to be dumped. We know that
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Sometimes a state legislature asks the voters to approve or reject a proposal called a referendum. The proposal may be a constitutional amendment, a plan for long-term borrowing, or a special law affecting a city. In effect, the question is "referred" to the voters. The Constitution of the United States was submitted to state conventions for approvals. From the definition above, you can say that it was
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Some pollutants that render air unsafe to breathe cannot be seen or smelted. Nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, and radon gas are examples. Other pollutants, such as formaldehyde, can be smelted at high levels only but are still unsafe to breathe even at lower levels. You can conclude from the paragraph that formaldehyde
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According to this passage:
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According to the passage above, which of the following is not an operational concept?
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Linewatch operations are conducted near international boundaries and coastlines in areas of Border Patrol jurisdiction to prevent the illegal entry and smuggling of aliens into the United States and to intercept those who do enter illegally before they can escape from border areas. Signcutting is the detection and the interpretation of any disturbances in natural terrain conditions that indicate the presence or passage of people, animals, or vehicles. The operation that's designed to detect changes in the natural environment, which may indicate passage of illegal aliens is called:
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Wales was in ancient times divided into three parts nearly equal, consideration having been paid, in this division, more to the value than to the just quantity or proportion of territory. They were Venedotia, now called North Wales; Demetia, or South Wales, which in British is called Deheubarth, that is, the southern part; and Powys, the middle or eastern district. Roderic the Great, or Rhodri Mawr, who was king over all Wales, was the cause of this division. He had three sons, Mervin, Anarawt, and Cadell, amongst whom he partitioned the whole principality. Wales was divided into divisions because:
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The fierce and warlike tribe, called the Huns, who'd driven the Goths to seek new homes, came from Asia into Southeastern Europe and took possession of a large territory lying north of the River Danube. During the first half of the fifth century, the Huns had a famous king named Attila. He was only 21 years old when he became their king. But although he was young, he was very brave and ambitious, and he wanted to be a great and powerful king. As soon as his army was ready, he marched with it intC. untries, which belonged to Rome. He defeated the Romans in several great battles and captured many of their cities. The Roman Emperor Theodosius had to ask for terms of peace. Attila agreed that there should be peace, but soon afterwards he found out that Theodosius had formed a plot to murder him. He was so enraged at this that he again began war. He plundered and burned cities wherever he went, and at last the emperor had to give him a large sum of money and a portion of the country south of the Danube. A good title for the above paragraph would be:
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The fierce and warlike tribe, called the Huns, who'd driven the Goths to seek new homes, came from Asia into Southeastern Europe and took possession of a large territory lying north of the River Danube. During the first half of the fifth century, the Huns had a famous king named Attila. He was only 21 years old when he became their king. But although he was young, he was very brave and ambitious, and he wanted to be a great and powerful king. As soon as his army was ready, he marched with it intC. untries, which belonged to Rome. He defeated the Romans in several great battles and captured many of their cities. The Roman Emperor Theodosius had to ask for terms of peace. Attila agreed that there should be peace, but soon afterwards he found out that Theodosius had formed a plot to murder him. He was so enraged at this that he again began war. He plundered and burned cities wherever he went, and at last the emperor had to give him a large sum of money and a portion of the country south of the Danube. After terms of peace were offered, Attila resumed the war against Rome because:
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In the military, as in all professions, the issue of competence is directly relevant to professional integrity. Because human life, national security, and expenditures from the national treasury are so frequently at issue when the military acts, the obligation to be competent isn't merely prudential. That obligation is a moral one, and culpable incompetence here is clearly a violation of professional integrity. Part of the social aspect of professional integrity involves the joint responsibility for conduct and competence shared by all members of the profession. Only fellow professionals are capable of evaluating competence in some instances; hence, fellow professionals must accept the responsibility of upholding the standards of the profession. Fellow military members can spot derelictions of duty, failures of leadership, failures of competence, and the venalities of conduct that interfere with the goals of the military mission. Often, the obligations of professional integrity may be pitted against personal loyalties or friendships; and, where the stakes for society are so high, professional integrity should win out One word that best describes the primary theme of the above passage would be:
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In the military, as in all professions, the issue of competence is directly relevant to professional integrity. Because human life, national security, and expenditures from the national treasury are so frequently at issue when the military acts, the obligation to be competent isn't merely prudential. That obligation is a moral one, and culpable incompetence here is clearly a violation of professional integrity. Part of the social aspect of professional integrity involves the joint responsibility for conduct and competence shared by all members of the profession. Only fellow professionals are capable of evaluating competence in some instances; hence, fellow professionals must accept the responsibility of upholding the standards of the profession. Fellow military members can spot derelictions of duty, failures of leadership, failures of competence, and the venalities of conduct that interfere with the goals of the military mission. Often, the obligations of professional integrity may be pitted against personal loyalties or friendships; and, where the stakes for society are so high, professional integrity should win out Professional competence is:
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The author of the above passage would agree that:
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Black Americans served in every major U.S. military conflict from the Revolutionary War onward except the 1848 Mexican War. However, they were almost always restricted to segregated, black-only units--usually with white officers--until after the Korean War. President Harry S. Truman issued an executive order in 1948 that mandated "equality of treatment... in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin." By October 1953, the Army announced that 95 percent of black soldiers were serving in integrated units. By when was segregation of black soldiers effectively ended?
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A stranger meets you and shows you a wad of cash he has just "found." He says he wants to split it with you, but says that, in order to show your "good faith," you have to put up some of your own money. When you agree to give him your money, the stranger finds a reason to leave for a while. Do you see him again? Probably not--you have just been conned. The main theme of this passage is
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