Direction: You have brief passages with 5-10 questions following each passage. Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.
PASSAGE
Authors William Strauss and Neil Howe are known for their theories about cycles of generations in American history. They refer to each cycle of four generations as a constellation, and they posit that each constellational era corresponds to “recurring types of historical events” and moods. They state that adjacent generations do not live similar lives, and that each generation ages as a singular cohort as time moves forward. According to Strauss and Howe, each generation is comprised of people who possess
(1) common age
(2) common beliefs and
(3) perceived membership in the same generation. A generation is approximately 22 years in length. Since a lifetime may reach 80-90 years, members of 4 generations are alive at one time. The four generational archetypes identified by Strauss are Idealist, Reactive, Civic and Adaptive. Idealists are “increasingly indulged youths after a secular crisis,” who cultivate principle rather than pragmatism in midlife, and emerge as “visionary elders.” Reactives grow up “under protected and criticized youths during a spiritual awakening,” mature into risk taking adults, mellow into “pragmatic midlife leaders during a secular crisis,” and become reclusive elders. Civics grow up “increasingly protected youths after a spiritual awakening,” become “a heroic and achieving cadre of young adults,” build institutions as midlifers, and “emerge as busy midlifers, attacked by the next spiritual awakening.” Adaptives grow up as “overprotected and suffocated youths during a secular crisis,” become “risk-averse, conformist rising adults,” mature into “indecisive arbitrator leaders during a spiritual awakening,” and become sensitive elders.
SOME IMPORTANT WORDS
posit :to suggest or accept that something is true so that it may be used as basis for an argument or discussion.
cohort : a group of people who share a common feature or aspect of behaviour.
archetype : the most typical or perfect example of a particular kind of person or thing.
pragmatism: thinking about solving problems in a practical and sensible way rather than by having fixed ideas and theories.
mellow :to become or make somebody become less extreme in behaviour, etc.
visionary : original and showing the ability to think about or plan the future with great imagination and intelligence.
reclusive : living alone and avoiding other people.
arbitrator : a person who is chosen to settle a disagreement.