Passage Summary Quiz
Q1: The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
**Passage:**
Different from individuals, states conduct warfare operations using the DIME model— “diplomacy, information, military, and economics.” Most states do everything they can to inflict pain and confusion on their enemies before deploying the military. In fact, attacks on vectors of information are a well-worn tactic of war and usually are the first target when the charge begins. It’s common for telecom data and communications networks to be routinely monitored by governments, which is why the open data policies of the web are so concerning to many advocates of privacy and human rights. With the worldwide adoption of social media, more governments are getting involved in low-grade information warfare through the use of cyber troops. According to a study by the Oxford Internet Institute in 2020, cyber troops are “government or political party actors tasked with manipulating public opinion online.” The Oxford research group was able to identify 81 countries with active cyber troop operations utilizing many different strategies to spread false information, including spending millions on online advertising.
**Options:**
**Passage:**
Different from individuals, states conduct warfare operations using the DIME model— “diplomacy, information, military, and economics.” Most states do everything they can to inflict pain and confusion on their enemies before deploying the military. In fact, attacks on vectors of information are a well-worn tactic of war and usually are the first target when the charge begins. It’s common for telecom data and communications networks to be routinely monitored by governments, which is why the open data policies of the web are so concerning to many advocates of privacy and human rights. With the worldwide adoption of social media, more governments are getting involved in low-grade information warfare through the use of cyber troops. According to a study by the Oxford Internet Institute in 2020, cyber troops are “government or political party actors tasked with manipulating public opinion online.” The Oxford research group was able to identify 81 countries with active cyber troop operations utilizing many different strategies to spread false information, including spending millions on online advertising.
**Options:**
- 1) Following the DIME model, many governments have taken advantage of open data policies of the web to deploy cyber troops who manipulate domestic public opinion, using advertising and other strategies to spread false information.
- 2) Governments primarily use the DIME model to deploy cyber troops who practise low-grade information warfare, seeking to manipulate public opinion with the objective of inflicting pain and confusion on their enemies.
- 3) As part of conducting information warfare as per the DIME model, many governments routinely monitor telecom data and communications networks, and use cyber troops on social media to manipulate public opinion.
- 4) Using the DIME model, together with military operations, many governments simultaneously conduct information warfare with the help of cyber troops and routinely monitor telecom data and communications networks.
Correct Answer: Option 1
Explanation:
The passage describes how governments use the DIME model, particularly focusing on information warfare through cyber troops. Option 1 best captures the essence by highlighting open data policies and cyber troop tactics like advertising and spreading false information. Other options either overstate the purpose of the DIME model or omit key details.
Q2: The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
**Passage:**
John Cleese told Fox News Digital that comedians do not have the freedom to be funny in 2022. “There’s always been limitations on what they’re allowed to say,” Cleese said. “I think it’s particularly worrying at the moment because you can only create in an atmosphere of freedom, where you’re not checking everything you say critically before you move on. What you have to be able to do is to build without knowing where you’re going because you’ve never been there before. That’s what creativity is — you have to be allowed to build. And a lot of comedians now are sitting there and when they think of something, they say something like, ‘Can I get away with it? I don’t think so. So and so got into trouble, and he said that, oh, she said that.’ You see what I mean? And that’s the death of creativity.”
**Options:**
**Passage:**
John Cleese told Fox News Digital that comedians do not have the freedom to be funny in 2022. “There’s always been limitations on what they’re allowed to say,” Cleese said. “I think it’s particularly worrying at the moment because you can only create in an atmosphere of freedom, where you’re not checking everything you say critically before you move on. What you have to be able to do is to build without knowing where you’re going because you’ve never been there before. That’s what creativity is — you have to be allowed to build. And a lot of comedians now are sitting there and when they think of something, they say something like, ‘Can I get away with it? I don’t think so. So and so got into trouble, and he said that, oh, she said that.’ You see what I mean? And that’s the death of creativity.”
**Options:**
- 1) Comedians must not check what they think and say. They must go where no one has gone before.
- 2) Comedians are being prevented from saying what they want and that is the death of this art form.
- 3) Creativity and critical thinking cannot work together. Comedians must first be creative, and later be critical.
- 4) Freedom and creativity are essential for comedy. Fear about offending people hinders originality.
Correct Answer: Option 4
Explanation:
The passage discusses how comedians require freedom to be creative and how fear of offending others stifles creativity. Option 4 captures this essence by emphasizing the importance of freedom and the negative impact of fear on originality. Other options either misinterpret or simplify the main argument.
Q3: The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
**Passage:**
Recent important scientific findings have emerged from crossing the boundaries of scientific fields. They stem from physicists collaborating with biologists, sociologists and others, to answer questions about our world. But physicists and their potential collaborators often find their cultures out of sync. For one, physicists often discard a lot of information while extracting broad patterns; for other scientists, information is not readily disposed. Further, many non-physicists are uncomfortable with mathematical models. Still, the desire to work on something new and different is real, and there are clear benefits from the collision of views.
**Options:**
**Passage:**
Recent important scientific findings have emerged from crossing the boundaries of scientific fields. They stem from physicists collaborating with biologists, sociologists and others, to answer questions about our world. But physicists and their potential collaborators often find their cultures out of sync. For one, physicists often discard a lot of information while extracting broad patterns; for other scientists, information is not readily disposed. Further, many non-physicists are uncomfortable with mathematical models. Still, the desire to work on something new and different is real, and there are clear benefits from the collision of views.
**Options:**
- 1) Physicists have successfully buried their differences on research methods applied in other fields in their desire to find answers to baffling scientific questions.
- 2) The desire to diversify their research and answer important questions has led to several collaborations between physicists and other social scientists.
- 3) Large data sets and mathematical models in physics research combined with the research methods of non-physicist collaborators have yielded important scientific findings.
- 4) Despite differences in their research styles, physicists’ research collaborations with scholars from other disciplines have yielded important research findings.
Correct Answer: Option 4
Explanation:
The passage highlights the challenges and benefits of interdisciplinary collaboration involving physicists. Option 4 captures the essence by acknowledging the differences in research styles and the positive outcomes. Other options either overgeneralize or misinterpret the scope of collaboration.
