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Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as follow.
What does laughter mean? What common ground can we find between the grimace of a merry-andrew, a play upon words, an equivocal situation in a burlesque and a scene of high comedy? What method of distillation will yield us invariably the same essence from which so many different products borrow either their obtrusive odour or their delicate perfume? Our excuse for attacking the problem in our turn must lie in the fact that we shall not aim at imprisoning the comic spirit within a definition. We regard it, above all, as a living thing. However trivial it may be, we shall treat it with the respect due to life. We shall confine ourselves to watching it grow and expand. We shall disdain nothing we have seen. We may gain from this prolonged contact, for the matter of that, something more flexible than an abstract definition—a practical, intimate acquaintance, such as springs from a long companionship. And we may also find that, unintentionally, we have made an acquaintance that is useful.
For the comic spirit has logic of its own, even in its wildest eccentricities. It has a method in its madness. It dreams, I admit, but it conjures up, in its dreams, visions that are at once accepted and understood by the whole of a social group. Can it then fail to throw light for us on the way that human imagination works, and more particularly social, collective, and popular imagination? Begotten of real life and akin to art, should it not also have something of its own to tell us about art and life?
The comic does not exist outside the plain of what is strictly ‘Human’. A landscape may be beautiful, charming and sublime, or insignificant and ugly; it will never be laughable. You may laugh at an animal, but only because you have detected in it some human attitude or expression. You may laugh at a hat, but what you are making fun of, in this case, is not the piece of felt or straw, but the shape that men have given it—the human caprice whose mould it has assumed. It is strange that so important a fact, and such a simple one too, has not attracted to a greater degree the attention of philosophers. Several have defined man as “an animal which laughs.” They might equally well have defined him as an animal which is laughed at; for if any other animal, or some lifeless object, produces the same effect, it is always because of some resemblance to man, of the stamp he gives it or the use he puts it to.
Q. If the author were to see a man laughing at the figure of an animal, how would he explain this fact in light of the information presented in the third paragraph?
  • a)
    The animal most likely has a funny expression on its face.
  • b)
    The figure of the animal was created by a human.
  • c)
    The figure reflects some humorous aspect connected to humans.
  • d)
    Comic spirit has breathed life into the animal figure.
  • e)
    The man probably has an enlightened sense of humor.
Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer?
Most Upvoted Answer
Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as foll...
The third para states that laughter is always connected to humans. Even
when we laugh at animals or at inanimate objects, it is because they, in
some form, reflect human expressions or feelings. Thus, the author
would explain the said fact in the question by giving a similar
reasoning.
Hence, (C) is the correct answer.
(A) This does not necessarily have to be the case. The key is the human connection which is not highlighted in this option.
(B) While this is probably true, this still doesn’t explain why the person laughed upon seeing this figure.
(D) There is nothing in the passage to suggest this.
(E) Again, the passage makes no mention of any such sense of humor.
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Community Answer
Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as foll...
Understanding the Laughter at Animals
In the context of the passage, the author emphasizes that laughter is intrinsically tied to human experiences and perceptions. When a man laughs at the figure of an animal, it reflects a deeper connection to human attributes.
Human Connection in Laughter
- The author suggests that laughter arises from recognizing human-like qualities in non-human entities.
- Laughter often springs from a comparison or identification with human traits, rather than the inherent qualities of the animal itself.
Explanation of Option C
- C. The figure reflects some humorous aspect connected to humans.
- This option aligns with the author's argument that our laughter at animals is predicated on our perception of human-like behaviors or characteristics in them.
- For example, if an animal behaves in a way reminiscent of human folly or absurdity, it evokes laughter because it highlights our own human traits.
Contrast with Other Options
- A. The animal most likely has a funny expression on its face.
- While a funny expression may evoke laughter, it does not address the deeper connection to human characteristics emphasized in the passage.
- B. The figure of the animal was created by a human.
- This option focuses more on the origin of the figure rather than the humor derived from its portrayal.
- D. Comic spirit has breathed life into the animal figure.
- This suggests an external force of humor, which is not directly supported by the passage.
- E. The man probably has an enlightened sense of humor.
- This is more about the man's perception rather than the underlying reason for the laughter.
Conclusion
Thus, the most fitting explanation, as per the author's insights, is that laughter at animals stems from the humorous aspects that connect back to human experiences and expressions, effectively captured in option C.
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Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as follow.What does laughter mean? What common ground can we find between the grimace of a merry-andrew, a play upon words, an equivocal situation in a burlesque and a scene of high comedy? What method of distillation will yield us invariably the same essence from which so many different products borrow either their obtrusive odour or their delicate perfume? Our excuse for attacking the problem in our turn must lie in the fact that we shall not aim at imprisoning the comic spirit within a definition. We regard it, above all, as a living thing. However trivial it may be, we shall treat it with the respect due to life. We shall confine ourselves to watching it grow and expand. We shall disdain nothing we have seen. We may gain from this prolonged contact, for the matter of that, something more flexible than an abstract definition—a practical, intimate acquaintance, such as springs from a long companionship. And we may also find that, unintentionally, we have made an acquaintance that is useful.For the comic spirit has logic of its own, even in its wildest eccentricities. It has a method in its madness. It dreams, I admit, but it conjures up, in its dreams, visions that are at once accepted and understood by the whole of a social group. Can it then fail to throw light for us on the way that human imagination works, and more particularly social, collective, and popular imagination? Begotten of real life and akin to art, should it not also have something of its own to tell us about art and life?The comic does not exist outside the plain of what is strictly ‘Human’. A landscape may be beautiful, charming and sublime, or insignificant and ugly; it will never be laughable. You may laugh at an animal, but only because you have detected in it some human attitude or expression. You may laugh at a hat, but what you are making fun of, in this case, is not the piece of felt or straw, but the shape that men have given it—the human caprice whose mould it has assumed. It is strange that so important a fact, and such a simple one too, has not attracted to a greater degree the attention of philosophers. Several have defined man as “an animal which laughs.” They might equally well have defined him as an animal which is laughed at; for if any other animal, or some lifeless object, produces the same effect, it is always because of some resemblance to man, of the stamp he gives it or the use he puts it to.Q.Why does the author refer to man as an animal that is laughed at?

Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as follow.What does laughter mean? What common ground can we find between the grimace of a merry-andrew, a play upon words, an equivocal situation in a burlesque and a scene of high comedy? What method of distillation will yield us invariably the same essence from which so many different products borrow either their obtrusive odour or their delicate perfume? Our excuse for attacking the problem in our turn must lie in the fact that we shall not aim at imprisoning the comic spirit within a definition. We regard it, above all, as a living thing. However trivial it may be, we shall treat it with the respect due to life. We shall confine ourselves to watching it grow and expand. We shall disdain nothing we have seen. We may gain from this prolonged contact, for the matter of that, something more flexible than an abstract definition—a practical, intimate acquaintance, such as springs from a long companionship. And we may also find that, unintentionally, we have made an acquaintance that is useful.For the comic spirit has logic of its own, even in its wildest eccentricities. It has a method in its madness. It dreams, I admit, but it conjures up, in its dreams, visions that are at once accepted and understood by the whole of a social group. Can it then fail to throw light for us on the way that human imagination works, and more particularly social, collective, and popular imagination? Begotten of real life and akin to art, should it not also have something of its own to tell us about art and life?The comic does not exist outside the plain of what is strictly ‘Human’. A landscape may be beautiful, charming and sublime, or insignificant and ugly; it will never be laughable. You may laugh at an animal, but only because you have detected in it some human attitude or expression. You may laugh at a hat, but what you are making fun of, in this case, is not the piece of felt or straw, but the shape that men have given it—the human caprice whose mould it has assumed. It is strange that so important a fact, and such a simple one too, has not attracted to a greater degree the attention of philosophers. Several have defined man as “an animal which laughs.” They might equally well have defined him as an animal which is laughed at; for if any other animal, or some lifeless object, produces the same effect, it is always because of some resemblance to man, of the stamp he gives it or the use he puts it to.Q.What is the primary purpose of the third paragraph in the passage?

Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as follow.What does laughter mean? What common ground can we find between the grimace of a merry-andrew, a play upon words, an equivocal situation in a burlesque and a scene of high comedy? What method of distillation will yield us invariably the same essence from which so many different products borrow either their obtrusive odour or their delicate perfume? Our excuse for attacking the problem in our turn must lie in the fact that we shall not aim at imprisoning the comic spirit within a definition. We regard it, above all, as a living thing. However trivial it may be, we shall treat it with the respect due to life. We shall confine ourselves to watching it grow and expand. We shall disdain nothing we have seen. We may gain from this prolonged contact, for the matter of that, something more flexible than an abstract definition—a practical, intimate acquaintance, such as springs from a long companionship. And we may also find that, unintentionally, we have made an acquaintance that is useful.For the comic spirit has logic of its own, even in its wildest eccentricities. It has a method in its madness. It dreams, I admit, but it conjures up, in its dreams, visions that are at once accepted and understood by the whole of a social group. Can it then fail to throw light for us on the way that human imagination works, and more particularly social, collective, and popular imagination? Begotten of real life and akin to art, should it not also have something of its own to tell us about art and life?The comic does not exist outside the plain of what is strictly ‘Human’. A landscape may be beautiful, charming and sublime, or insignificant and ugly; it will never be laughable. You may laugh at an animal, but only because you have detected in it some human attitude or expression. You may laugh at a hat, but what you are making fun of, in this case, is not the piece of felt or straw, but the shape that men have given it—the human caprice whose mould it has assumed. It is strange that so important a fact, and such a simple one too, has not attracted to a greater degree the attention of philosophers. Several have defined man as “an animal which laughs.” They might equally well have defined him as an animal which is laughed at; for if any other animal, or some lifeless object, produces the same effect, it is always because of some resemblance to man, of the stamp he gives it or the use he puts it to.Q.The phrase ‘has a method in its madness’ most likely means

What does laughter mean? What common ground can we find between the grimace of a merry-andrew, a play upon words, an equivocal situation in a burlesque and a scene of high comedy? What method of distillation will yield us invariably the same essence from which so many different products borrow either their obtrusive odour or their delicate perfume? Our excuse for attacking the problem in our turn must lie in the fact that we shall not aim at imprisoning the comic spirit within a definition. We regard it, above all, as a living thing. However trivial it may be, we shall treat it with the respect due to life. We shall confine ourselves to watching it grow and expand. We shall disdain nothing we have seen. We may gain from this prolonged contact, for the matter of that, something more flexible than an abstract definition—a practical, intimate acquaintance, such as springs from a long companionship. And we may also find that, unintentionally, we have made an acquaintance that is useful.For the comic spirit has logic of its own, even in its wildest eccentricities. It has a method in its madness. It dreams, I admit, but it conjures up, in its dreams, visions that are at once accepted and understood by the whole of a social group. Can it then fail to throw light for us on the way that human imagination works, and more particularly social, collective, and popular imagination? Begotten of real life and akin to art, should it not also have something of its own to tell us about art and life?The comic does not exist outside the plain of what is strictly ‘Human’. A landscape may be beautiful, charming and sublime, or insignificant and ugly; it will never be laughable. You may laugh at an animal, but only because you have detected in it some human attitude or expression. You may laugh at a hat, but what you are making fun of, in this case, is not the piece of felt or straw, but the shape that men have given it—the human caprice whose mould it has assumed. It is strange that so important a fact, and such a simple one too, has not attracted to a greater degree the attention of philosophers. Several have defined man as “an animal which laughs.” They might equally well have defined him as an animal which is laughed at; for if any other animal, or some lifeless object, produces the same effect, it is always because of some resemblance to man, of the stamp he gives it or the use he puts it to.Q.What is the primary purpose of the third paragraph in the passage?

PassageIn the fast-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, recent debates have surfaced regarding the ethical implications of deploying advanced AI systems in critical domains such as healthcare and finance. The author, Sarah Thompson, explores the intersection of AI and ethics, highlighting the potential pitfalls and the urgent need for responsible development and deployment.Thompson begins by addressing the increasing integration of AI in decision-making processes, emphasizing the risk of bias and discrimination inherent in algorithms trained on biased datasets. She points to instances where AI systems have perpetuated existing societal inequalities, raising concerns about the ethical implications of such unintentional consequences.Moving beyond biases, Thompson delves into the issue of transparency in AI systems. She argues that the opacity of many advanced AI algorithms poses a significant ethical challenge, as users, and even developers, struggle to understand the decision-making processes of these complex systems. The lack of transparency, she contends, hinders accountability and exacerbates ethical concerns surrounding AI applications.The exposé then shifts to the ethical considerations in AI-driven automation, particularly in industries where jobs are at risk of displacement. Thompson asserts that responsible AI development should prioritize the well-being of workers and ensure that the benefits of automation are equitably distributed. The ethical framework, she argues, should extend beyond mere technological advancements to encompass the broader societal impact of AI implementation.Q.It can be inferred from the passage that Sarah Thompson would be most likely to agree with which of the following statements regarding AI development?

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Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as follow.What does laughter mean? What common ground can we find between the grimace of a merry-andrew, a play upon words, an equivocal situation in a burlesque and a scene of high comedy? What method of distillation will yield us invariably the same essence from which so many different products borrow either their obtrusive odour or their delicate perfume? Our excuse for attacking the problem in our turn must lie in the fact that we shall not aim at imprisoning the comic spirit within a definition. We regard it, above all, as a living thing. However trivial it may be, we shall treat it with the respect due to life. We shall confine ourselves to watching it grow and expand. We shall disdain nothing we have seen. We may gain from this prolonged contact, for the matter of that, something more flexible than an abstract definition—a practical, intimate acquaintance, such as springs from a long companionship. And we may also find that, unintentionally, we have made an acquaintance that is useful.For the comic spirit has logic of its own, even in its wildest eccentricities. It has a method in its madness. It dreams, I admit, but it conjures up, in its dreams, visions that are at once accepted and understood by the whole of a social group. Can it then fail to throw light for us on the way that human imagination works, and more particularly social, collective, and popular imagination? Begotten of real life and akin to art, should it not also have something of its own to tell us about art and life?The comic does not exist outside the plain of what is strictly ‘Human’. A landscape may be beautiful, charming and sublime, or insignificant and ugly; it will never be laughable. You may laugh at an animal, but only because you have detected in it some human attitude or expression. You may laugh at a hat, but what you are making fun of, in this case, is not the piece of felt or straw, but the shape that men have given it—the human caprice whose mould it has assumed. It is strange that so important a fact, and such a simple one too, has not attracted to a greater degree the attention of philosophers. Several have defined man as “an animal which laughs.” They might equally well have defined him as an animal which is laughed at; for if any other animal, or some lifeless object, produces the same effect, it is always because of some resemblance to man, of the stamp he gives it or the use he puts it to.Q.If the author were to see a man laughing at the figure of an animal, how would he explain this fact in light of the information presented in the third paragraph?a)The animal most likely has a funny expression on its face.b)The figure of the animal was created by a human.c)The figure reflects some humorous aspect connected to humans.d)Comic spirit has breathed life into the animal figure.e)The man probably has an enlightened sense of humor.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer?
Question Description
Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as follow.What does laughter mean? What common ground can we find between the grimace of a merry-andrew, a play upon words, an equivocal situation in a burlesque and a scene of high comedy? What method of distillation will yield us invariably the same essence from which so many different products borrow either their obtrusive odour or their delicate perfume? Our excuse for attacking the problem in our turn must lie in the fact that we shall not aim at imprisoning the comic spirit within a definition. We regard it, above all, as a living thing. However trivial it may be, we shall treat it with the respect due to life. We shall confine ourselves to watching it grow and expand. We shall disdain nothing we have seen. We may gain from this prolonged contact, for the matter of that, something more flexible than an abstract definition—a practical, intimate acquaintance, such as springs from a long companionship. And we may also find that, unintentionally, we have made an acquaintance that is useful.For the comic spirit has logic of its own, even in its wildest eccentricities. It has a method in its madness. It dreams, I admit, but it conjures up, in its dreams, visions that are at once accepted and understood by the whole of a social group. Can it then fail to throw light for us on the way that human imagination works, and more particularly social, collective, and popular imagination? Begotten of real life and akin to art, should it not also have something of its own to tell us about art and life?The comic does not exist outside the plain of what is strictly ‘Human’. A landscape may be beautiful, charming and sublime, or insignificant and ugly; it will never be laughable. You may laugh at an animal, but only because you have detected in it some human attitude or expression. You may laugh at a hat, but what you are making fun of, in this case, is not the piece of felt or straw, but the shape that men have given it—the human caprice whose mould it has assumed. It is strange that so important a fact, and such a simple one too, has not attracted to a greater degree the attention of philosophers. Several have defined man as “an animal which laughs.” They might equally well have defined him as an animal which is laughed at; for if any other animal, or some lifeless object, produces the same effect, it is always because of some resemblance to man, of the stamp he gives it or the use he puts it to.Q.If the author were to see a man laughing at the figure of an animal, how would he explain this fact in light of the information presented in the third paragraph?a)The animal most likely has a funny expression on its face.b)The figure of the animal was created by a human.c)The figure reflects some humorous aspect connected to humans.d)Comic spirit has breathed life into the animal figure.e)The man probably has an enlightened sense of humor.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer? for GMAT 2024 is part of GMAT preparation. The Question and answers have been prepared according to the GMAT exam syllabus. Information about Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as follow.What does laughter mean? What common ground can we find between the grimace of a merry-andrew, a play upon words, an equivocal situation in a burlesque and a scene of high comedy? What method of distillation will yield us invariably the same essence from which so many different products borrow either their obtrusive odour or their delicate perfume? Our excuse for attacking the problem in our turn must lie in the fact that we shall not aim at imprisoning the comic spirit within a definition. We regard it, above all, as a living thing. However trivial it may be, we shall treat it with the respect due to life. We shall confine ourselves to watching it grow and expand. We shall disdain nothing we have seen. We may gain from this prolonged contact, for the matter of that, something more flexible than an abstract definition—a practical, intimate acquaintance, such as springs from a long companionship. And we may also find that, unintentionally, we have made an acquaintance that is useful.For the comic spirit has logic of its own, even in its wildest eccentricities. It has a method in its madness. It dreams, I admit, but it conjures up, in its dreams, visions that are at once accepted and understood by the whole of a social group. Can it then fail to throw light for us on the way that human imagination works, and more particularly social, collective, and popular imagination? Begotten of real life and akin to art, should it not also have something of its own to tell us about art and life?The comic does not exist outside the plain of what is strictly ‘Human’. A landscape may be beautiful, charming and sublime, or insignificant and ugly; it will never be laughable. You may laugh at an animal, but only because you have detected in it some human attitude or expression. You may laugh at a hat, but what you are making fun of, in this case, is not the piece of felt or straw, but the shape that men have given it—the human caprice whose mould it has assumed. It is strange that so important a fact, and such a simple one too, has not attracted to a greater degree the attention of philosophers. Several have defined man as “an animal which laughs.” They might equally well have defined him as an animal which is laughed at; for if any other animal, or some lifeless object, produces the same effect, it is always because of some resemblance to man, of the stamp he gives it or the use he puts it to.Q.If the author were to see a man laughing at the figure of an animal, how would he explain this fact in light of the information presented in the third paragraph?a)The animal most likely has a funny expression on its face.b)The figure of the animal was created by a human.c)The figure reflects some humorous aspect connected to humans.d)Comic spirit has breathed life into the animal figure.e)The man probably has an enlightened sense of humor.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer? covers all topics & solutions for GMAT 2024 Exam. Find important definitions, questions, meanings, examples, exercises and tests below for Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as follow.What does laughter mean? What common ground can we find between the grimace of a merry-andrew, a play upon words, an equivocal situation in a burlesque and a scene of high comedy? What method of distillation will yield us invariably the same essence from which so many different products borrow either their obtrusive odour or their delicate perfume? Our excuse for attacking the problem in our turn must lie in the fact that we shall not aim at imprisoning the comic spirit within a definition. We regard it, above all, as a living thing. However trivial it may be, we shall treat it with the respect due to life. We shall confine ourselves to watching it grow and expand. We shall disdain nothing we have seen. We may gain from this prolonged contact, for the matter of that, something more flexible than an abstract definition—a practical, intimate acquaintance, such as springs from a long companionship. And we may also find that, unintentionally, we have made an acquaintance that is useful.For the comic spirit has logic of its own, even in its wildest eccentricities. It has a method in its madness. It dreams, I admit, but it conjures up, in its dreams, visions that are at once accepted and understood by the whole of a social group. Can it then fail to throw light for us on the way that human imagination works, and more particularly social, collective, and popular imagination? Begotten of real life and akin to art, should it not also have something of its own to tell us about art and life?The comic does not exist outside the plain of what is strictly ‘Human’. A landscape may be beautiful, charming and sublime, or insignificant and ugly; it will never be laughable. You may laugh at an animal, but only because you have detected in it some human attitude or expression. You may laugh at a hat, but what you are making fun of, in this case, is not the piece of felt or straw, but the shape that men have given it—the human caprice whose mould it has assumed. It is strange that so important a fact, and such a simple one too, has not attracted to a greater degree the attention of philosophers. Several have defined man as “an animal which laughs.” They might equally well have defined him as an animal which is laughed at; for if any other animal, or some lifeless object, produces the same effect, it is always because of some resemblance to man, of the stamp he gives it or the use he puts it to.Q.If the author were to see a man laughing at the figure of an animal, how would he explain this fact in light of the information presented in the third paragraph?a)The animal most likely has a funny expression on its face.b)The figure of the animal was created by a human.c)The figure reflects some humorous aspect connected to humans.d)Comic spirit has breathed life into the animal figure.e)The man probably has an enlightened sense of humor.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer?.
Solutions for Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as follow.What does laughter mean? What common ground can we find between the grimace of a merry-andrew, a play upon words, an equivocal situation in a burlesque and a scene of high comedy? What method of distillation will yield us invariably the same essence from which so many different products borrow either their obtrusive odour or their delicate perfume? Our excuse for attacking the problem in our turn must lie in the fact that we shall not aim at imprisoning the comic spirit within a definition. We regard it, above all, as a living thing. However trivial it may be, we shall treat it with the respect due to life. We shall confine ourselves to watching it grow and expand. We shall disdain nothing we have seen. We may gain from this prolonged contact, for the matter of that, something more flexible than an abstract definition—a practical, intimate acquaintance, such as springs from a long companionship. And we may also find that, unintentionally, we have made an acquaintance that is useful.For the comic spirit has logic of its own, even in its wildest eccentricities. It has a method in its madness. It dreams, I admit, but it conjures up, in its dreams, visions that are at once accepted and understood by the whole of a social group. Can it then fail to throw light for us on the way that human imagination works, and more particularly social, collective, and popular imagination? Begotten of real life and akin to art, should it not also have something of its own to tell us about art and life?The comic does not exist outside the plain of what is strictly ‘Human’. A landscape may be beautiful, charming and sublime, or insignificant and ugly; it will never be laughable. You may laugh at an animal, but only because you have detected in it some human attitude or expression. You may laugh at a hat, but what you are making fun of, in this case, is not the piece of felt or straw, but the shape that men have given it—the human caprice whose mould it has assumed. It is strange that so important a fact, and such a simple one too, has not attracted to a greater degree the attention of philosophers. Several have defined man as “an animal which laughs.” They might equally well have defined him as an animal which is laughed at; for if any other animal, or some lifeless object, produces the same effect, it is always because of some resemblance to man, of the stamp he gives it or the use he puts it to.Q.If the author were to see a man laughing at the figure of an animal, how would he explain this fact in light of the information presented in the third paragraph?a)The animal most likely has a funny expression on its face.b)The figure of the animal was created by a human.c)The figure reflects some humorous aspect connected to humans.d)Comic spirit has breathed life into the animal figure.e)The man probably has an enlightened sense of humor.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer? in English & in Hindi are available as part of our courses for GMAT. Download more important topics, notes, lectures and mock test series for GMAT Exam by signing up for free.
Here you can find the meaning of Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as follow.What does laughter mean? What common ground can we find between the grimace of a merry-andrew, a play upon words, an equivocal situation in a burlesque and a scene of high comedy? What method of distillation will yield us invariably the same essence from which so many different products borrow either their obtrusive odour or their delicate perfume? Our excuse for attacking the problem in our turn must lie in the fact that we shall not aim at imprisoning the comic spirit within a definition. We regard it, above all, as a living thing. However trivial it may be, we shall treat it with the respect due to life. We shall confine ourselves to watching it grow and expand. We shall disdain nothing we have seen. We may gain from this prolonged contact, for the matter of that, something more flexible than an abstract definition—a practical, intimate acquaintance, such as springs from a long companionship. And we may also find that, unintentionally, we have made an acquaintance that is useful.For the comic spirit has logic of its own, even in its wildest eccentricities. It has a method in its madness. It dreams, I admit, but it conjures up, in its dreams, visions that are at once accepted and understood by the whole of a social group. Can it then fail to throw light for us on the way that human imagination works, and more particularly social, collective, and popular imagination? Begotten of real life and akin to art, should it not also have something of its own to tell us about art and life?The comic does not exist outside the plain of what is strictly ‘Human’. A landscape may be beautiful, charming and sublime, or insignificant and ugly; it will never be laughable. You may laugh at an animal, but only because you have detected in it some human attitude or expression. You may laugh at a hat, but what you are making fun of, in this case, is not the piece of felt or straw, but the shape that men have given it—the human caprice whose mould it has assumed. It is strange that so important a fact, and such a simple one too, has not attracted to a greater degree the attention of philosophers. Several have defined man as “an animal which laughs.” They might equally well have defined him as an animal which is laughed at; for if any other animal, or some lifeless object, produces the same effect, it is always because of some resemblance to man, of the stamp he gives it or the use he puts it to.Q.If the author were to see a man laughing at the figure of an animal, how would he explain this fact in light of the information presented in the third paragraph?a)The animal most likely has a funny expression on its face.b)The figure of the animal was created by a human.c)The figure reflects some humorous aspect connected to humans.d)Comic spirit has breathed life into the animal figure.e)The man probably has an enlightened sense of humor.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer? defined & explained in the simplest way possible. Besides giving the explanation of Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as follow.What does laughter mean? What common ground can we find between the grimace of a merry-andrew, a play upon words, an equivocal situation in a burlesque and a scene of high comedy? What method of distillation will yield us invariably the same essence from which so many different products borrow either their obtrusive odour or their delicate perfume? Our excuse for attacking the problem in our turn must lie in the fact that we shall not aim at imprisoning the comic spirit within a definition. We regard it, above all, as a living thing. However trivial it may be, we shall treat it with the respect due to life. We shall confine ourselves to watching it grow and expand. We shall disdain nothing we have seen. We may gain from this prolonged contact, for the matter of that, something more flexible than an abstract definition—a practical, intimate acquaintance, such as springs from a long companionship. And we may also find that, unintentionally, we have made an acquaintance that is useful.For the comic spirit has logic of its own, even in its wildest eccentricities. It has a method in its madness. It dreams, I admit, but it conjures up, in its dreams, visions that are at once accepted and understood by the whole of a social group. Can it then fail to throw light for us on the way that human imagination works, and more particularly social, collective, and popular imagination? Begotten of real life and akin to art, should it not also have something of its own to tell us about art and life?The comic does not exist outside the plain of what is strictly ‘Human’. A landscape may be beautiful, charming and sublime, or insignificant and ugly; it will never be laughable. You may laugh at an animal, but only because you have detected in it some human attitude or expression. You may laugh at a hat, but what you are making fun of, in this case, is not the piece of felt or straw, but the shape that men have given it—the human caprice whose mould it has assumed. It is strange that so important a fact, and such a simple one too, has not attracted to a greater degree the attention of philosophers. Several have defined man as “an animal which laughs.” They might equally well have defined him as an animal which is laughed at; for if any other animal, or some lifeless object, produces the same effect, it is always because of some resemblance to man, of the stamp he gives it or the use he puts it to.Q.If the author were to see a man laughing at the figure of an animal, how would he explain this fact in light of the information presented in the third paragraph?a)The animal most likely has a funny expression on its face.b)The figure of the animal was created by a human.c)The figure reflects some humorous aspect connected to humans.d)Comic spirit has breathed life into the animal figure.e)The man probably has an enlightened sense of humor.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer?, a detailed solution for Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as follow.What does laughter mean? What common ground can we find between the grimace of a merry-andrew, a play upon words, an equivocal situation in a burlesque and a scene of high comedy? What method of distillation will yield us invariably the same essence from which so many different products borrow either their obtrusive odour or their delicate perfume? Our excuse for attacking the problem in our turn must lie in the fact that we shall not aim at imprisoning the comic spirit within a definition. We regard it, above all, as a living thing. However trivial it may be, we shall treat it with the respect due to life. We shall confine ourselves to watching it grow and expand. We shall disdain nothing we have seen. We may gain from this prolonged contact, for the matter of that, something more flexible than an abstract definition—a practical, intimate acquaintance, such as springs from a long companionship. And we may also find that, unintentionally, we have made an acquaintance that is useful.For the comic spirit has logic of its own, even in its wildest eccentricities. It has a method in its madness. It dreams, I admit, but it conjures up, in its dreams, visions that are at once accepted and understood by the whole of a social group. Can it then fail to throw light for us on the way that human imagination works, and more particularly social, collective, and popular imagination? Begotten of real life and akin to art, should it not also have something of its own to tell us about art and life?The comic does not exist outside the plain of what is strictly ‘Human’. A landscape may be beautiful, charming and sublime, or insignificant and ugly; it will never be laughable. You may laugh at an animal, but only because you have detected in it some human attitude or expression. You may laugh at a hat, but what you are making fun of, in this case, is not the piece of felt or straw, but the shape that men have given it—the human caprice whose mould it has assumed. It is strange that so important a fact, and such a simple one too, has not attracted to a greater degree the attention of philosophers. Several have defined man as “an animal which laughs.” They might equally well have defined him as an animal which is laughed at; for if any other animal, or some lifeless object, produces the same effect, it is always because of some resemblance to man, of the stamp he gives it or the use he puts it to.Q.If the author were to see a man laughing at the figure of an animal, how would he explain this fact in light of the information presented in the third paragraph?a)The animal most likely has a funny expression on its face.b)The figure of the animal was created by a human.c)The figure reflects some humorous aspect connected to humans.d)Comic spirit has breathed life into the animal figure.e)The man probably has an enlightened sense of humor.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer? has been provided alongside types of Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as follow.What does laughter mean? What common ground can we find between the grimace of a merry-andrew, a play upon words, an equivocal situation in a burlesque and a scene of high comedy? What method of distillation will yield us invariably the same essence from which so many different products borrow either their obtrusive odour or their delicate perfume? Our excuse for attacking the problem in our turn must lie in the fact that we shall not aim at imprisoning the comic spirit within a definition. We regard it, above all, as a living thing. However trivial it may be, we shall treat it with the respect due to life. We shall confine ourselves to watching it grow and expand. We shall disdain nothing we have seen. We may gain from this prolonged contact, for the matter of that, something more flexible than an abstract definition—a practical, intimate acquaintance, such as springs from a long companionship. And we may also find that, unintentionally, we have made an acquaintance that is useful.For the comic spirit has logic of its own, even in its wildest eccentricities. It has a method in its madness. It dreams, I admit, but it conjures up, in its dreams, visions that are at once accepted and understood by the whole of a social group. Can it then fail to throw light for us on the way that human imagination works, and more particularly social, collective, and popular imagination? Begotten of real life and akin to art, should it not also have something of its own to tell us about art and life?The comic does not exist outside the plain of what is strictly ‘Human’. A landscape may be beautiful, charming and sublime, or insignificant and ugly; it will never be laughable. You may laugh at an animal, but only because you have detected in it some human attitude or expression. You may laugh at a hat, but what you are making fun of, in this case, is not the piece of felt or straw, but the shape that men have given it—the human caprice whose mould it has assumed. It is strange that so important a fact, and such a simple one too, has not attracted to a greater degree the attention of philosophers. Several have defined man as “an animal which laughs.” They might equally well have defined him as an animal which is laughed at; for if any other animal, or some lifeless object, produces the same effect, it is always because of some resemblance to man, of the stamp he gives it or the use he puts it to.Q.If the author were to see a man laughing at the figure of an animal, how would he explain this fact in light of the information presented in the third paragraph?a)The animal most likely has a funny expression on its face.b)The figure of the animal was created by a human.c)The figure reflects some humorous aspect connected to humans.d)Comic spirit has breathed life into the animal figure.e)The man probably has an enlightened sense of humor.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer? theory, EduRev gives you an ample number of questions to practice Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as follow.What does laughter mean? What common ground can we find between the grimace of a merry-andrew, a play upon words, an equivocal situation in a burlesque and a scene of high comedy? What method of distillation will yield us invariably the same essence from which so many different products borrow either their obtrusive odour or their delicate perfume? Our excuse for attacking the problem in our turn must lie in the fact that we shall not aim at imprisoning the comic spirit within a definition. We regard it, above all, as a living thing. However trivial it may be, we shall treat it with the respect due to life. We shall confine ourselves to watching it grow and expand. We shall disdain nothing we have seen. We may gain from this prolonged contact, for the matter of that, something more flexible than an abstract definition—a practical, intimate acquaintance, such as springs from a long companionship. And we may also find that, unintentionally, we have made an acquaintance that is useful.For the comic spirit has logic of its own, even in its wildest eccentricities. It has a method in its madness. It dreams, I admit, but it conjures up, in its dreams, visions that are at once accepted and understood by the whole of a social group. Can it then fail to throw light for us on the way that human imagination works, and more particularly social, collective, and popular imagination? Begotten of real life and akin to art, should it not also have something of its own to tell us about art and life?The comic does not exist outside the plain of what is strictly ‘Human’. A landscape may be beautiful, charming and sublime, or insignificant and ugly; it will never be laughable. You may laugh at an animal, but only because you have detected in it some human attitude or expression. You may laugh at a hat, but what you are making fun of, in this case, is not the piece of felt or straw, but the shape that men have given it—the human caprice whose mould it has assumed. It is strange that so important a fact, and such a simple one too, has not attracted to a greater degree the attention of philosophers. Several have defined man as “an animal which laughs.” They might equally well have defined him as an animal which is laughed at; for if any other animal, or some lifeless object, produces the same effect, it is always because of some resemblance to man, of the stamp he gives it or the use he puts it to.Q.If the author were to see a man laughing at the figure of an animal, how would he explain this fact in light of the information presented in the third paragraph?a)The animal most likely has a funny expression on its face.b)The figure of the animal was created by a human.c)The figure reflects some humorous aspect connected to humans.d)Comic spirit has breathed life into the animal figure.e)The man probably has an enlightened sense of humor.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer? tests, examples and also practice GMAT tests.
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