Directions: Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions as follows:
Passage
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.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
Try yourself: The phrase ‘has a method in its madness’ most likely means:
A
That humans plan the comic spirit in order for it to give results.
B
That the comic spirit may be unconventional in its approach but still manages to achieve its end result.
C
That the imagination required to dream the comic spirit is uncontrolled and rarely understood.
D
That the comic spirit follows a method which may be unacceptable to society.
E
That the comic spirit is extremely methodical though some people may not understand this fact.
Correct Answer: B
The phrase is basically trying to state that even though the comic spirit may be eclectic and unstructured in its approach, it achieves its purpose of creating laughter in various forms. Hence, (B) is the correct answer. (A) There is no mention of humans making plans with regards to the comic spirit. (C) This doesn’t explain the ‘method’ aspect of the expression. (D) This takes the meaning of the phrase too literally. The phrase has actually been used in a positive sense. (E) Opposite. The ‘madness’ part of the expression suggests that the comic spirit is not apparently methodical.
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MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
Try yourself: What is the primary purpose of the third paragraph in the passage?
A
To explain why the comic spirit must be considered a living entity
B
To highlight the connection between humans and the comic spirit
C
To prove that man is essentially an animal that is capable of laughter
D
To show that comic spirit has a method to its madness
E
To explain how humans may gain from their contact with the comic spirit
Correct Answer: B
In para 3, the author has specifically talked of his amazement at the fact that philosophers have neglected to explore the fact that ultimately, man always laughs at the work of man. Hence, (B) is the correct answer. (A) This is in fact mentioned in para 1. (C) While this is mentioned in the third para, the main purpose of the paragraph is to do more than just state this fact. (D) This is mentioned in para 2. (E) This is mentioned in para 1.
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MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
Try yourself: 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: C
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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MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
Try yourself: Why does the author refer to man as an animal that is laughed at?
A
Because most funny incidents involve humans.
B
Because all funny events, even ones connected with animals or inanimate objects, basically link back to humans.
C
Because humans are the only species that is capable of laughter.
D
Because laughter is a living entity and so are humans.
E
Because other animals also laugh at man.
Correct Answer: B
The author has clearly stated in the last para that laughter is inextricably linked to humans and when we laugh at non-human entities, it is because we see some human aspect in them. Hence, we are still only
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