Reading Passage Question

Although the century between the War of 1812 and the First World War is accurately depicted as a time of American introspection, if not isolation, the great agony of America’s Civil War could not, and did not, go unnoticed across the sea in Great Britain. Southern secessionists anticipated British cooperation from the outset, pointing to the industrial giant’s reliance on American cotton in its innumerable mills. A prewar cotton glut, however, had reduced Britain’s demand for the South’s staple crop, and although many captains of British industry, along with some ministers in Lord Palmerston’s government, thought it best to stay in their suppliers’ good graces, the Crown chose to observe a policy of neutrality in the face of Lincoln’s declared and enforced blockade of Southern ports.

Whether Victorian notions of human dignity eventually contributed to Britain’s neutrality is another question. While continuing to rely on such fruits of slavery as cotton and tobacco, Britain herself had abolished slavery across the empire at no small cost. Furthermore, many of Britain’s increasingly powerful working class vocally sided with the Union as the champion of abolition. Far from winning Britain any Northern friends, her explicit refusal to take sides in the conflict earned her the distrust of the Union, a suspicion that flared into hostility over a British firm’s outfitting of a number of ships, including the Alabama, for the Confederacy.

“Although the century between the War of 1812 and the First World War”- is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Nominees must have a firm understanding of English GMAT reading comprehension. There are 7 comprehension questions in this GMAT Reading Comprehension section.

GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are conducted to examine candidates' skills to decipher, interpret, and utilize knowledge or ideas. Candidates can actively prepare by answering GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.

Solutions and Explanation

1. The passage is primarily concerned with

1. the importance of cotton to British forces during the Civil War
2. contrasting viewpoints on the industrial resources of the Union and the Confederacy
3. inconsistencies in the wartime policies of Lord Palmerston's government
4. relations between Great Britain and the opposing factions of the Civil War
5. economic turmoil fostered by American isolationism

Answer: (D)
Explanation: The first option is incorrect because the statement is barely mentioned in the passage. The second option is also incorrect because the passage does not address the Union's industrial resources. Because the statement contains distorted information, the third option must be eliminated. According to reports, the government maintains a consistent neutral stance. The final option is also out because the passage does not discuss the economic consequences of American isolationism. Finally, the fourth option is the correct answer.

2. The passage suggests which of the following about American foreign policy during the nineteenth century?

1. The United States government was interested in improving relations with the allies of Great Britain.
2. America was more concerned with domestic than foreign issues during this time.
3. Americans believed it was their destiny to spread democracy to other nations of the world.
4. Economic difficulties forced Americans to make concessions to distrustful foreign governments.
5. America was involved in conflicts throughout the Western Hemisphere.

3. With which of the following statements regarding Great Britain's attitude toward the American Civil War would the author most likely agree?

1. British government ministers were concerned for the welfare of their former colonies but refused to become entangled in another war on the American mainland.
2. Victorian abolitionists chose to abide by the will of the Crown rather than their moral principles.
3. Lord Palmerston refused to support the Confederates until they could prove that slaves in the South were treated humanely.
4. Leaders of British industry had reservations about Lincoln's trade policies.
5. British workers and industrialists disagreed over the whether to support the Southern secessionists.

4. Which of the following is cited as a reason Great Britain did not openly support the Confederacy during the Civil War?

1. The use of American cotton in British mills did not conflict with Victorian notions of democracy and fair play.
2. British government and industry were divided over support of the South due to a surplus of the South's major export.
3. Lord Palmerston covertly provided support for the Confederacy by supplying warships.
4. The British government was wary of losing its investments in established Union industries.
5. Improved relations between the nations had resulted in renewed economic ties that British industrial leaders wished to maintain.

5. According to the passage, which of the following is an accurate statement concerning the Union's relationship with Great Britain during the Civil War?

1. The Union's initial military defeats led it to seek the assistance of British troops.
2. Few people in the Union believed that a democratic ideal was the motive behind Britain's neutrality.
3. The Union was skeptical about Great Britain's supposed neutrality during the war.
4. The Union was intent on blockading all British ports in the New World.
5. Despite many philosophical differences with England's working class, the Union maintained strong economic ties with British industry.

6. Which of the following is an assumption underlying the position held by "many captains of British industry" (Highlighted) that Great Britain should support the Confederacy during the Civil War?

1. Great Britain could risk losing a vital source of raw material if it did not support the Secessionist movement.
2. Slavery is an economically inefficient institution and could not be as productive as free labor.
3. The working class in Great Britain would miss tobacco as much as cotton.
4. An attempt to break the Union blockade would turn the working class against the aristocratic government.
5. Great Britain needed to reclaim an industrial base fragmented by the War of 1812.

7. The passage suggests which of the following about the Southern secessionists at the beginning of the war?

1. They actively pursued relations with the British monarchy in order to lend weight to their cause.
2. They possessed almost all the wealth of the Southern states.
3. Their ability to manipulate the world's cotton supply offsets their lack of battle experience.
4. They supported British sanctions which were imposed on Lincoln's government.
5. they believed their cotton supply guaranteed Britain's assistance in the upcoming conflict.

Suggested GMAT Reading Comprehension Samples

• No One can Say where the Bones of Machiavelli Rest GMAT Reading Comprehension
• Plate Tectonics is a Scientific Theory that Describes the Large-Scale Motions of Earth's Lithosphere GMAT Reading Comprehension
• The Current Kneejerk Preference for Organic Over Mechanistic Organizational Structures GMAT Reading Comprehension
• ‘Women’s literature’ refers to literature written by women GMAT reading comprehension
• Frederick Douglass was unquestionably the most famous African American of the nineteenth century GMAT Reading Comprehension
• A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity GMAT Reading Comprehension
• Most people associate bartering with poor or undeveloped societies GMAT Reading comprehension
• Government policy in Frieland has traditionally favored foreign investment GMAT Reading Comprehension
• Mechanisms for Recognizing Kin are Found Throughout the Plant and Animal Kingdoms GMAT Reading Comprehension
• The Debate Over the Extent of Regulation Needed Over Internet Providers GMAT Reading Comprehension
• With the Explosion of the Technology Industry in the Late 1990s GMAT Reading Comprehension
• Although it is an Imperfect Model for Describing a Complex Market GMAT Reading Comprehension
• For an Online Retailer, Inventory Represents a Major Source GMAT Reading Comprehension
• Pricing is the most influential medium of communication that companies GMAT Reading Comprehension
• The hypothesis that people ascribe more value to things GMAT reading comprehension
• Since the dawning of antitrust regulation in America at the beginning of the twentieth century GMAT Reading Comprehension
• Relieving an impoverished country of its debt would seem to almost unavoidably GMAT Reading Comprehension
• American companies may find the solution to their performance related problems in their own backyard GMAT reading comprehension
• American economists continually attempt to gauge the health of the economy GMAT reading comprehension
• Sarah Meyers McGinty, in her useful new book Power Talk GMAT reading comprehension