Reading Passage Question
Suspicious as they are of American intentions, and bolstered by court rulings that seem to give them license to seek out and publish any and all government secrets, the media‘s distrust of our government, combined with their limited understanding of the world at large, damages our ability to design and conduct good policy in ways that the media rarely imagine.
The leak through which sensitive information flows from the government to the press is detrimental to policy in so far as it almost completely precludes the possibility of serious discussion. The fear that anything they say, even in what is construed as a private forum, may appear in print, makes many people, whether our own government officials or the leaders of foreign countries, unwilling to speak their minds.
Must we be content with the restriction of our leaders‘ policy discussions to a handful of people who trust each other, thus limiting the richness and variety of ideas that could be brought forward through a larger group because of the nearly endemic nature of this problem? It is vitally important for the leaders of the United States to know the real state of affairs internationally, and this can occur only if foreign leaders feel free to speak their minds to our diplomats.
Until recently, it looked as if the media had convinced the public that journalists were more reliable than the government; however, this may be changing. With the passage of time, the media have lost luster. They—having grown large and powerful—provoke the same public skepticism that other large institutions in the society do. A series of media scandals has contributed to this. Many Americans have concluded that the media are no more credible than the government, and public opinion surveys reflect much ambivalence about the press.
While leaks are generally defended by media officials on the grounds of the public‘s ―right to know,‖ in reality they are part of the Washington political power game, as well as part of the policy process. The "leaker" may be currying favor with the media, or may be planting information to influence policy. In the first case, he is helping himself by enhancing the prestige of a journalist; in the second, he is using the media as a stage for his preferred policies. In either instance, it closes the circle: the leak begins with a political motive, is advanced by a politicized media, and continues because of politics. Although some of the journalists think they are doing the work, they are more often than not instruments of the process, not prime movers. The media must be held accountable for their activities, just like every other significant institution in our society, and the media must be forced to earn the public‘s trust.
“Suspicious as they are of American intentions, and bolstered by court rulings” - is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.
This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 7 comprehension questions. The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed for the purpose of testing candidates’ abilities in understanding, analyzing, and applying information or concepts. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.
Solution and Explanation
- Based on the information in the passage, with which of the following statements would the author most likely agree?
[A] Feeding the public misinformation is warranted in certain situations.
[B] The public has a right to know the actual state of foreign affairs.
[C] The fewer the number of people involved in policy discussions, the better.
[D] Leaders give up their right to privacy when elected.
Answer: A
Explanation: Before attempting to find a response that he would agree with, review the author's primary points. (A) brings up the author's second main point: "Leaders frequently say one thing in public and something entirely different in public dialogue... " He then goes on to explain why this happens—fear of media leaks—and expressly criticizes them. The author must therefore concur with (the claim)'s that it is occasionally acceptable to spread false information.
- Implicit in the author's argument that leaks result in far more limited and unreliable policy discussions with foreign leaders are the idea that:
[A] leaks should be considered breaches of trust and therefore immoral.
[B] leaks have occurred throughout the history of politics.
[C] foreign and U.S. leaders discussed policy without inhibition before the rise of the mass media.
[D] leaders fear the public would react negatively if it knew the real state of affairs.
Answer: D
Explanation: Review the author's thesis in paragraph 2 that leaks hurt discussions with foreign leaders. What is the author assuming in this argument? The author makes the case that foreign leaders do not want their personal opinions to be made public; as a result, he must also presume that these leaders have some type of justification for doing so. (D) offers a potential answer for the question.
- What is the main idea of the passage?
[A] to argue that the media is acting against the national interests.
[B] to convince that journalists are attempting to enhance their own prestige.
[C] to discuss the negative effects that media ―leaks‖ have on foreign policy and the media‘s credibility.
[D] to criticize politicians for being dishonest in public.
[E] to suggest that the media needs to be regulated more strongly and effectively.
Answer: C
Explanation: C is the most consistent with our passage summary above. The passage discusses the effects of media leaks on the foreign policy. It also describes how the media’s credibility has decreased. Hence, C is the correct answer.
- Based on the passage, when the media now challenge the actions of a public official, the public assumes that:
[A] the official is wrong.
[B] the media are always wrong.
[C] the media may be wrong.
[D] the official and the media may both be wrong.
Answer: C
Explanation: Review what the general population believes about the media in paragraph 4 again. The author contends that the public has an equal amount of skepticism for both the government and the media, noting that historically when the media questioned the government, the public always assumed the media was correct, but that "this may be changing," suggesting that the public may now consider the possibility that the media, rather than the government, is incorrect. While the incorrect response Answer - Options obscure this, (C) encourages thoughtful deliberation.
Suggested GMAT Reading Comprehension Questions
- Because his Soul is Deathless and his Spirit is Irrepressible.
- When Literary Periods are Defined on the Basis of Men’s Writing, Women’s Writing Must be Forcibly Assimilated
- Behind Every Book Review There are Two Key Figures: A Book Review Editor and A Reviewer.
- Barbara Strozzi was a Singer and Composer of Madrigals, Aria
- During the Victorian Period, Women Writers were Measured Against A Social
- It Is Perhaps Not Surprising that Debate has Arisen Over Bioluminescence-Based Biotechnologies
- The Fact that Superior Service can Generate a Competitive Advantage
- The Origin of the Attempt to Distinguish Early from Modern Music
- The Phenomenon of College Basketball's Surging Popularity Remains a Challenge to Classify
- A One-Child Policy was Implemented in China in 1979
- Seeking a Competitive Advantage, Some Professional Service Firms
- On the surface, the Conquest of the Aztec Empire by Herman Cortes
- But Man is Not Destined to Vanish. He can be Killed, but he cannot be Destroyed,
- The United States Government has a Long-Standing Policy of Using Federal Funds to Keep Small Business Viable.
- A Recent Study has Provided Clues to Predator-Prey Dynamics in the Late Pleistocene Era.
- Even More Than Mountainside Slides of Mud or Snow, Naturally Occurring Forest Fires Promote the Survival of Aspen Trees.
- The Black Death, a Severe Epidemic that Ravaged Fourteenth Century Europe
- The System of Patent-Granting, Which Confers Temporary Monopolies for the Exploitation of New Technologies
- Ethnohistoric Documents from Sixteenth-Century Mexico Suggesting that Weaving and Cooking were the Most Common Productive Activities for Aztec Women
- Solar Ponds are Bodies of Water in Which Circulation is Incomplete and There is a Very High Salt Concentration that Increases with Depth
Comments