Primitive man seems to have been a rather unsuccessful animal, few in numbers and near the ragged edge of extinction. But gradua
lly the balance shifted. He held his own; then he increased in numbers; then he developed techniques of aggression as well as of protection incomparably more effective than any which nature herself had ever been able to devise before the human mind intervened. Up until then, animals had always been a match, one for another. But they were no match for him. The balance no longer worked .. [T]he time came, only a short while ago, when man's strength, his numbers, and his skill made him master and tyrant. He now dominated the natural world of which he had once been only a part. Now for the first time he could exterminate, if he wished to do so, any other living creature. perhaps even (as we learned just yesterday ) his fellow man ..[W]hat the difference is between nature, however red she may be in tooth and claw, and the terrifying predator who is no longer subject to the limitations she once imposed, can readily be illustrated on the Baja peninsula. In neither case is the story a pretty one. Both involve a ruthless predator and the slaughter of innocents. But nature's far from simple plan does depend upon a coexistence. Man is, on the other hand, the only animal who habitually exhausts or exterminates what he has learned to exploit.
Joseph Wood Krutch, "The Most Dangerous Predator"
21. In this passage the speaker indicates that:
(a) humans are superior to nature.
(b) humans are not different from other animals.
(c) human have come to oppose principles of nature.
(d) humans, as predators, are ineffectual.
(e) humans, as predators, follow the principles of nature.
22. "Both involve a ruthless predator and the slaughter of innocents" is an example of:
(a) figurative language.
(b) argument.
(c) ethos.
(d) emotionally charged language.
(e) logical fallacy.
23. This passage seeks to create which of the following emotions in its audience?
(a) Fear about overspending natural resources
(b) Disgust at humanity’s selfishness
(c) Desire for a more peaceful way of life
(d) Horror at humanity’s brutality
(e) Charity toward creatures weaker than ourselves
24. The speaker indicates that nature is marked by:
(a) violence.
(b) bounty.
(c) tolerance.
(d) indifference.
(e) absurdity.
25. Which of the following statements would serve as the best counterargument to the passage?
(a) Humans evolved from animals.
(b) Most people would be unwilling to give up their standard of living for the benefit of animals.
(c) The law of nature is "survival of the fittest" (when the strong survive and dominate the weak, it ensures the continuance of all life).
(d) Killing is a basic instinct.
(e) Animals are equal in value and importance to human beings
