All the Perceptions of the Human Mind Resolve Themselves into Two Distinct GMAT Reading Comprehension

Reading Passage Question

All the perceptions of the human mind resolve themselves into two distinct kinds, which I shall call IMPRESSIONS and IDEAS. The difference between these consists in the degrees of force and liveliness, with which they strike upon the mind, and make their way into our thought or consciousness. Those perceptions, which enter with most force and violence, we may name impressions and under this name I comprehend all our sensations, passions and emotions, as they make their first appearance in the soul. By ideas I mean the faint images of these in thinking and reasoning such as, for instance, are all the perceptions excited by the present discourse, excepting only those which arise from the sight and touch, and excepting the immediate pleasure or uneasiness it may occasion. I believe it will not be very necessary to employ many words in explaining this distinction. Every one of himself will readily perceive the difference between feeling and thinking. The common degrees of these are easily distinguished; though it is not impossible but in particular instances they may very nearly approach to each other. Thus in sleep, in a fever, in madness, or in any very violent emotions of soul, our ideas may approach to our impressions. On the other hand it sometimes happens that our impressions are so faint and low, that we cannot distinguish them from our ideas. But notwithstanding this near resemblance in a few instances, they are in general so very different, that no-one can make a scruple to rank them under distinct heads, and assign to each a peculiar name to mark the difference.

“All the perceptions of the human mind resolve themselves into two distinct”- is a GMAT Reading Comprehension passage. The candidates are required to possess a solid cognition of English GMAT reading comprehension. This section of GMAT Reading Comprehension appears with three sets of comprehension questions along with answers. GMAT Reading Comprehensions questions are organised to estimate candidates' capabilities to explore and utilize learning or ideas. The candidates can gain advanced knowledge by practising these GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.

Solutions and Explanation

1. What is the primary purpose of the author in writing the passage?

(A) To describe the relationship between two terms
(B) To conclude that impressions are superior to ideas
(C) To discuss two terms and advocate in favour of one
(D) To argue that despite having differences, ideas and impressions have a lot in common
(E) To state that impressions have more to do with feelings whereas ideas have more to do with thoughts

2. According to the passage, which of the following is true of the relationship between ideas and impressions?

(A) Ideas and impressions are distinct terms with no overlaps whatsoever.
(B) Ideas have more force whereas impressions are more violent.
(C) Impressions are connected to conscious thoughts whereas ideas take place on a more subconscious level.
(D) Impressions are connected with our feelings whereas ideas are connected with our thoughts.
(E) While we are sleeping, there is no difference between our ideas and impressions.

3. What is the function of the last sentence of the passage—‘But notwithstanding…mark the difference’?

(A) To highlight the fact that ideas and impressions are fundamentally two distinct terms
(B) To emphasize the fact that even though there are differences between ideas and impressions, there are also several similarities between the two
(C) To conclude that despite appearing similar in certain situations, ideas and impressions are, in general, very different from each other
(D) To state that the difference between ideas and impressions is primarily that of degree of force
(E) To explain that each individual can easily perceive the difference between ideas and impressions

Suggested GMAT Reading Comprehension Samples

• A firm’s Default Risk, the Measurement of the Chances of the Event GMAT Reading Comprehension
• There is Hardly a Corporation that Does Not have a PR GMAT Reading Comprehension
• Transportation Developments have Greatly Influenced the Pace GMAT Reading Comprehension
• Adverse Selection may be Making Health Insurance Prohibitively Expensive GMAT Reading Comprehension
• As Technology Continues to Progress, New Avenues Open for the Implementation GMAT Reading Comprehension
• To Maximize Profits, An Employer Should Control his or her Environment GMAT Reading Comprehension
• Is it Possible to Decrease Inflation without Causing a Recession GMAT Reading Comprehension
• Contamination is the Unintended Presence of Harmful Substances GMAT Reading Comprehension.
• The 1956 Short Film The Red Balloon Ends with the Young Protagonist Sailing Over Paris GMAT Reading Comprehension.
• The Diversity of Species in Bacterial Communities is Often Studied by Phenotypic Characterization GMAT Reading Comprehension.
• Despite views that globalization has reached its peak GMAT Reading Comprehension
• Five years after the crash in technology shares GMAT Reading Comprehension
• In the seventeenth-century Florentine textile industry women were employed GMAT Reading Comprehension
• To remain financially sound, health insurance companies must charge GMAT Reading Comprehension
• Dark matter and dark energy have both been postulated by astrophysicists GMAT Reading Comprehension
• The existence of mammals on the earth can be traced back to at least the Triassic time GMAT Reading Comprehension
• The nub of the restorationist critique of environmental preservationism GMAT Reading Comprehension
• Many of the most popular diets today, including the so-called “Paleo diet,” GMAT Reading Comprehension
• Should the soft spring breath of kindly appreciation warm GMAT Reading Comprehension
• In Manhattan, The Beauty of The Night Sky is Only a Faded Metaphor GMAT Reading Comprehension