Question:
Read the passage and answer the question that follows:
Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.
Multiculturalism, as a social philosophy, asserts that a society can accommodate multiple ethnic, religious, and linguistic groups without requiring any one group to abandon its distinct identity in favour of a homogenous national culture. Proponents argue that diversity enriches public life, fosters innovation through the cross-pollination of ideas, and strengthens democratic institutions by demanding that citizens negotiate difference rather than suppress it. Critics, however, contend that unchecked multiculturalism can fragment a nation into insular communities that share little beyond geography, weakening the shared civic bonds that make collective governance possible.
The debate sharpened in Western Europe during the early 2000s, when several governments that had long championed multicultural policies began to reassess them. One European leader famously declared that the multicultural approach had utterly failed, pointing to segregated neighbourhoods and stalled integration as evidence. Yet defenders of multiculturalism counter that the failure lies not in diversity itself but in inadequate investment in language training, employment access, and civic education for immigrant communities. They argue that assimilation, which demands minorities dissolve into a dominant culture, is neither realistic nor desirable in an interconnected world, and that a more workable goal is integration, where communities retain distinct identities while sharing common civic obligations and opportunities.
Ultimately, the controversy is less about whether diversity exists, since it plainly does in most modern states, than about how societies should manage it, and whose responsibility that management is.
Which of the following best captures the central idea of the passage?
Read the passage and answer the question that follows:
Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow. Multiculturalism, as a social philosophy, asserts that a society can accommodate multiple ethnic, religious, and linguistic groups without requiring any one group to abandon its distinct identity in favour of a homogenous national culture. Proponents argue that diversity enriches public life, fosters innovation through the cross-pollination of ideas, and strengthens democratic institutions by demanding that citizens negotiate difference rather than suppress it. Critics, however, contend that unchecked multiculturalism can fragment a nation into insular communities that share little beyond geography, weakening the shared civic bonds that make collective governance possible. The debate sharpened in Western Europe during the early 2000s, when several governments that had long championed multicultural policies began to reassess them. One European leader famously declared that the multicultural approach had utterly failed, pointing to segregated neighbourhoods and stalled integration as evidence. Yet defenders of multiculturalism counter that the failure lies not in diversity itself but in inadequate investment in language training, employment access, and civic education for immigrant communities. They argue that assimilation, which demands minorities dissolve into a dominant culture, is neither realistic nor desirable in an interconnected world, and that a more workable goal is integration, where communities retain distinct identities while sharing common civic obligations and opportunities. Ultimately, the controversy is less about whether diversity exists, since it plainly does in most modern states, than about how societies should manage it, and whose responsibility that management is.
Which of the following best captures the central idea of the passage?
Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow. Multiculturalism, as a social philosophy, asserts that a society can accommodate multiple ethnic, religious, and linguistic groups without requiring any one group to abandon its distinct identity in favour of a homogenous national culture. Proponents argue that diversity enriches public life, fosters innovation through the cross-pollination of ideas, and strengthens democratic institutions by demanding that citizens negotiate difference rather than suppress it. Critics, however, contend that unchecked multiculturalism can fragment a nation into insular communities that share little beyond geography, weakening the shared civic bonds that make collective governance possible. The debate sharpened in Western Europe during the early 2000s, when several governments that had long championed multicultural policies began to reassess them. One European leader famously declared that the multicultural approach had utterly failed, pointing to segregated neighbourhoods and stalled integration as evidence. Yet defenders of multiculturalism counter that the failure lies not in diversity itself but in inadequate investment in language training, employment access, and civic education for immigrant communities. They argue that assimilation, which demands minorities dissolve into a dominant culture, is neither realistic nor desirable in an interconnected world, and that a more workable goal is integration, where communities retain distinct identities while sharing common civic obligations and opportunities. Ultimately, the controversy is less about whether diversity exists, since it plainly does in most modern states, than about how societies should manage it, and whose responsibility that management is.
Which of the following best captures the central idea of the passage?
Show Hint
Rather than picking the option that sounds closest to the passage's wording, try ruling out the three options that make claims the passage never actually makes or that go too far.
Updated On: Jul 8, 2026
- The passage examines the debate between multiculturalism and assimilation, and suggests integration as a more workable middle path.
- Multiculturalism has failed everywhere it has been tried and should be abandoned entirely.
- Germany was the first country in the world to introduce multicultural policies.
- Diversity automatically strengthens democratic institutions in every society without exception.
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The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
The passage lays out both sides of the multiculturalism debate and closes by favouring integration, where communities keep their identity while sharing civic obligations, as the more workable path. The other choices either overstate or misstate details from the passage. Correct option: 1.
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- Read the passage and answer the question that follows:
Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow. Multiculturalism, as a social philosophy, asserts that a society can accommodate multiple ethnic, religious, and linguistic groups without requiring any one group to abandon its distinct identity in favour of a homogenous national culture. Proponents argue that diversity enriches public life, fosters innovation through the cross-pollination of ideas, and strengthens democratic institutions by demanding that citizens negotiate difference rather than suppress it. Critics, however, contend that unchecked multiculturalism can fragment a nation into insular communities that share little beyond geography, weakening the shared civic bonds that make collective governance possible. The debate sharpened in Western Europe during the early 2000s, when several governments that had long championed multicultural policies began to reassess them. One European leader famously declared that the multicultural approach had utterly failed, pointing to segregated neighbourhoods and stalled integration as evidence. Yet defenders of multiculturalism counter that the failure lies not in diversity itself but in inadequate investment in language training, employment access, and civic education for immigrant communities. They argue that assimilation, which demands minorities dissolve into a dominant culture, is neither realistic nor desirable in an interconnected world, and that a more workable goal is integration, where communities retain distinct identities while sharing common civic obligations and opportunities. Ultimately, the controversy is less about whether diversity exists, since it plainly does in most modern states, than about how societies should manage it, and whose responsibility that management is.
Based on the passage, which of the following can be inferred about the author's view of assimilation? - Read the passage and answer the question that follows:
Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow. Multiculturalism, as a social philosophy, asserts that a society can accommodate multiple ethnic, religious, and linguistic groups without requiring any one group to abandon its distinct identity in favour of a homogenous national culture. Proponents argue that diversity enriches public life, fosters innovation through the cross-pollination of ideas, and strengthens democratic institutions by demanding that citizens negotiate difference rather than suppress it. Critics, however, contend that unchecked multiculturalism can fragment a nation into insular communities that share little beyond geography, weakening the shared civic bonds that make collective governance possible. The debate sharpened in Western Europe during the early 2000s, when several governments that had long championed multicultural policies began to reassess them. One European leader famously declared that the multicultural approach had utterly failed, pointing to segregated neighbourhoods and stalled integration as evidence. Yet defenders of multiculturalism counter that the failure lies not in diversity itself but in inadequate investment in language training, employment access, and civic education for immigrant communities. They argue that assimilation, which demands minorities dissolve into a dominant culture, is neither realistic nor desirable in an interconnected world, and that a more workable goal is integration, where communities retain distinct identities while sharing common civic obligations and opportunities. Ultimately, the controversy is less about whether diversity exists, since it plainly does in most modern states, than about how societies should manage it, and whose responsibility that management is.
In the context of the passage, the word 'insular' (paragraph 1) most nearly means: - Read the passage and answer the question that follows:
Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow. Multiculturalism, as a social philosophy, asserts that a society can accommodate multiple ethnic, religious, and linguistic groups without requiring any one group to abandon its distinct identity in favour of a homogenous national culture. Proponents argue that diversity enriches public life, fosters innovation through the cross-pollination of ideas, and strengthens democratic institutions by demanding that citizens negotiate difference rather than suppress it. Critics, however, contend that unchecked multiculturalism can fragment a nation into insular communities that share little beyond geography, weakening the shared civic bonds that make collective governance possible. The debate sharpened in Western Europe during the early 2000s, when several governments that had long championed multicultural policies began to reassess them. One European leader famously declared that the multicultural approach had utterly failed, pointing to segregated neighbourhoods and stalled integration as evidence. Yet defenders of multiculturalism counter that the failure lies not in diversity itself but in inadequate investment in language training, employment access, and civic education for immigrant communities. They argue that assimilation, which demands minorities dissolve into a dominant culture, is neither realistic nor desirable in an interconnected world, and that a more workable goal is integration, where communities retain distinct identities while sharing common civic obligations and opportunities. Ultimately, the controversy is less about whether diversity exists, since it plainly does in most modern states, than about how societies should manage it, and whose responsibility that management is.
According to the passage, what did critics cite as evidence that multicultural policies had failed in parts of Western Europe? - Read the passage and answer the question that follows:
Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow. Hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure, is often called a silent killer because it typically produces no obvious symptoms even as it steadily damages the arteries, heart, kidneys, and eyes. Blood pressure is recorded as two figures, systolic over diastolic, and a reading that persistently exceeds 140 over 90 millimetres of mercury is generally classified as hypertensive. Left unmanaged, chronically elevated pressure forces the heart to work harder than it should, thickening its walls and raising the long-term risk of heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure. Public health researchers point out that hypertension has become disproportionately common in urbanising, middle-income countries, where diets rich in processed sodium, sedentary lifestyles, and chronic stress converge. Unlike many chronic illnesses, hypertension is largely preventable and manageable through relatively inexpensive interventions: reducing salt intake, maintaining a healthy body weight, exercising regularly, and, where necessary, taking low-cost generic medication. The obstacle, researchers argue, is rarely medical knowledge but rather access, since routine blood pressure screening remains patchy in many low-resource health systems, and millions of people live for years without knowing their numbers. Some public health experts now advocate for community-level screening camps and pharmacist-led monitoring as a pragmatic bridge until primary healthcare systems can absorb the burden. Such measures, they note, cost little but could catch the condition before it silently causes irreversible damage.
What is the main idea of the passage? - Read the passage and answer the question that follows:
Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow. Hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure, is often called a silent killer because it typically produces no obvious symptoms even as it steadily damages the arteries, heart, kidneys, and eyes. Blood pressure is recorded as two figures, systolic over diastolic, and a reading that persistently exceeds 140 over 90 millimetres of mercury is generally classified as hypertensive. Left unmanaged, chronically elevated pressure forces the heart to work harder than it should, thickening its walls and raising the long-term risk of heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure. Public health researchers point out that hypertension has become disproportionately common in urbanising, middle-income countries, where diets rich in processed sodium, sedentary lifestyles, and chronic stress converge. Unlike many chronic illnesses, hypertension is largely preventable and manageable through relatively inexpensive interventions: reducing salt intake, maintaining a healthy body weight, exercising regularly, and, where necessary, taking low-cost generic medication. The obstacle, researchers argue, is rarely medical knowledge but rather access, since routine blood pressure screening remains patchy in many low-resource health systems, and millions of people live for years without knowing their numbers. Some public health experts now advocate for community-level screening camps and pharmacist-led monitoring as a pragmatic bridge until primary healthcare systems can absorb the burden. Such measures, they note, cost little but could catch the condition before it silently causes irreversible damage.
It can be inferred from the passage that in low-resource health systems, the biggest barrier to controlling hypertension is:
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