【官方】SAT阅读每日一题附答案和解析(2018年1月25日)

The question "What absolutely is the best government?" is unanswerable as well as indeterminate; or rather, there are as many good answers as there are possible combinations in the absolute and relative situations of all nations.

But if it is asked by what sign we may know that a given people is well or ill governed, that is another matter, and the question, being one of fact, admits of an answer.

It is not, however, answered, because every-one wants to answer it in his own way. Subjects extol public tranquility, citizens individual liberty; the one class prefers security of possessions, the other that of person; the one regards as the best government that which is most severe, the other maintains that the mildest is the best; the one wants crimes punished, the other wants them prevented; the one wants the State to be feared by its neighbours, the other prefers that it should be ignored; the one is content if money circulates, the other demands that the people shall have bread. Even if an agreement were come to on these and similar points, should we have got any further? As moral qualities do not admit of exact measurement, agreement about the mark does not mean agreement about the valuation.

For my part, I am continually astonished that a mark so simple is not recognised, or that men are of so bad faith as not to admit it. What is the end of political association? The preservation and prosperity of its members. And what is the surest mark of their preservation and prosperity? Their numbers and population. Seek then nowhere else this mark that is in dispute. The rest being equal, the government under which, without external aids, without naturalisation or colonies, the citizens increase and multiply most, is beyond question the best. The government under which a people wanes and diminishes is worst. Calculators, it is left for you to count, to measure, to compare.

Select an Answer

Which choice provides the best evidence for the idea that there is an ideal but largely overlooked method for determining the best government?

Answer

A

Lines 7 - 11 ("But . . . answer")

Un-selected

Answer

B

Lines 27 - 29 ("Even . . . further")

Un-selected

Answer

C

Lines 33 - 36 ("For . . . it")

Un-selected

Answer

D

Lines 41 - 42 ("Seek . . . dispute")

答案及详细解析：C

A

EXPLANATION

Choice A is incorrect. In these lines, Rousseau acknowledges that there is a way to determine whether a government is doing a good job or a bad job, but he does not indicate that the method he has in mind is largely overlooked.

B

EXPLANATION

Choice B is incorrect. In these lines, Rousseau simply asks what would be gained if people agreed about the appropriate actions for a government to take. He does not offer a method or describe a method as being overlooked in these lines.

Correct

Answer

C

EXPLANATION

Choice C is the best answer. In these lines, Rousseau indicates that there is an obvious and ideal method for determining the best government ("a mark so simple") even though people tend not to consider it (it "is not recognised"). He goes on to explain that the best way to determine the best government is to consider "numbers and population."

D

EXPLANATION

Choice D is incorrect. In these lines, Rousseau refers to the measurement he believes people should consider, but he does not indicate that the method he recommends is overlooked.

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