Read the passage below and answer the following questions, choosing the BEST answer.
1 After observing in countless documentaries, television
2 shows, editorial commentaries, obituaries, lyrics, presidential
3 speeches, formal dinners, ceremonies, and tabloids the rabid use
4 of the word ?justice,? I decided to clear some common
5 misconceptions on the nature and meaning of ?justice.?
6 Justice is not retribution. At best, retribution is vigilantism.
7 The wild urges of our instinct and emotion, however, cannot
8 qualify as justice. We have seen, particularly in the form of
9 lynch mobs, that vigilantism is hardly justice and is in fact
10 many times injustice. Attempts to model justice on the idea of
11 retribution are outdated and outmoded. While the ?scales of
12 justice? typically reflect the image of justice, the concept of
13 ?equal retribution? is an anachronism that dates from the times
14 of Hammurabi and Moses. Few would argue that a woman who is
15 fatally attacked by an alligator is rendered justice when the
16 alligator is put to sleep. Even fewer would suggest that a
17 rapist receiving his own displeasure is justice. To return an
18 injustice ?in kind? is usually impossible; in many cases, the
19 context of the injustice as evil as the deed itself. In fact,
20 one of the traditional arguments against capital punishment has
21 been that the pain inflicted upon the criminal can never equal
22 the suffering that the victim (and his/her family) endured by
23 the sudden and malicious nature of the crime. Thus, if even
24 capital punishment is not a reliably just punishment for a
25 heinous crime, the ?scales of justice? could never be balanced,
26 and so retribution could not be the sole component of justice.
27 Justice is not fairness. Justice is always fair but what is fair
28 cannot always be just. Consider the destitute man who suffers
29 from mental illness and poverty. We say that social justice can
30 only occur through helping this poverty-stricken man, a fair
31 action indeed. At the same time, a passer-by who does not even
32 acknowledge the itinerant?s existence acts fairly; after all,
33 Perhaps that passer-by helps no man but himself. However, nobody
34 would call the passer-by a just man on the basis of his ?fair?
35 actions. Fairness implies only equality of treatment, but
36 justice tends to encompass what that treatment will be. A line,
37 therefore, must be drawn between what is fair and what is
38 actually just.
1. In line 1, "observing" most nearly means:
A.gathering data
B.carefully watching
C.taking note of
D.monitoring and recording
E.presiding over
2.Based on the paragraph beginning on line 6, which of the following statements would the author most likely agree with?
A. Justice is essentially blind(your answer)
B. Few men actually receive the justice they deserve
C. Compensation is a form of justice
D. Returning a misdeed is not justice(correct answer)
E. Most people do not have a clear idea of justice
3.The purpose of introducing the alligator in line 15 is to:
A. present a character that most people are personally familiar with
B. provide an example for a previously mentioned argument(your answer)
C. contrast the aforementioned example with an alternative point of view
D. include a common symbol of justice
E. create a tense and abrasive mood
4.The word "endured" on line 22 most nearly means:
A. survived
B. celebrated
C. incurred(your answer)
D. admonished
E. continued
5.According to lines 6-26, why is retribution not the sole component of justice?
A. The pain of defeat can never be compromised
B. Punishment cannot suffice to mend some transgressions(correct answer)
C. Some people are simply evil
D. Most punishments are not strong enough to deter people from future crimes(your answer)
E. It is difficult to assess what the correct punishment is for a crime
6.Based on the paragraph beginning on line 27, the author would most likely agree that providing aid to the poor
A. is a foolish endeavor
B. results in a greater number of poor people
C. is an unfair action
D. cannot mend society's ills
E. represents a form of social justice
7.On line 30, "stricken" most nearly means:
A. buffetted
B. hit
C. surprised
D. inflicted
E. paraded
8. Why does the author not consider the passer-by in the third paragraph a "just" man?
A. He is unfair to the destitute man
B. He has malicious intent
C. He will not provide equal treatment to the man
D. He cannot recognize the right of the destitute to beg
E. He does not desire to help the man
9.What is the distinction between fairness and justice, according to the author?
A. Fairness is equal compense, while justice is not
B. Fairness is just, and justice is fair
C. Fairness is a human endeavor and justice is a metaphysical quest
D. Fairness involves achievable goals while justice does not
E. Fairness regards parity while justice involves a remedy
10.Which of the following situations would the author find absolutely just?
A. A boy finds ten dollars on the ground and returns it to the owner
B. A church donates old clothes to the needy
C. A patron of a bar pays back his tab (bill)
D. A soccer player is ejected after playing too roughly
E. A mother nurses her child
11.The author's perspective on justice is best described as
A. fleeting
B. reverent
C. disparaging
D. ambivalent
E. pretentious
12.Which of the following statements would the author of this passage most likely disagree with?
A. Justice is a difficult concept to define
B. It is sometimes difficult to choose a just course of action
C. Many people have flawed ideas regarding justice
D. Our criminal justice system provides true justice
E. You cannot always return injustice "in kind"
13.In line 5, "nature" most nearly means:
A. ecosystem
B. environment
C. unity
D. essence
E. diversity
14.Which of the following attempts at justice would the author consider arcane?
A. Providing welfare for citizens
B. Requiring treatment for the criminally insane
C. Forcing students to sign a pledge of academic honesty
D. Creating a support network for victims of domestic violence
E. Mandating the equal allotment of resources after a divorce
15.How would the author most likely respond to the claim that the death penalty deters potential criminals from committing murder?
A. The death penalty is inhumane
B. It is always wrong to murder another human being, even in the form of social punishment
C. The death penalty is the most effective form of justice available
D. The death penalty is unfair because it affects certain socio-economic classes more than others
E. The death penalty cannot provide solace for those affected by a murderer (your answer)
