Justice is the First Virtue of Social Institutions, as Truth is of Systems of Thought GMAT Reading Comprehension

Reading Passage Question

Justice is the first virtue of social institutions, as truth is of systems of thought. A theory, however elegant and economical, must be rejected or revised if it is untrue. Likewise, laws and institutions, no matter how efficient and well-arranged, must be reformed or abolished if they are unjust. Each person possesses inviolability, founded on justice, which even the welfare of society as a whole cannot override. For this reason, justice denies that the loss of freedom for some is made right by a greater good shared by others. It does not allow that the sacrifices imposed on a few are outweighed by the larger sum of advantages enjoyed by many.
Therefore, in a just society the liberties of equal citizenship are taken as settled; the rights secured by justice are not subject to political bargaining or to the calculus of social interests. The only thing that permits us to acquiesce to an erroneous theory is the lack of a better one; analogously, an injustice is tolerable only when it is necessary to avoid an even greater injustice. As primary virtues of human activities, truth and justice are uncompromising.
These propositions seem to express our intuitive conviction of the primacy of justice. One might inquire whether these contentions or others similar to them are sound, and if so, how they can be accounted for. To this end, it is necessary to work out a theory of justice in light of which these assertions can be interpreted and assessed.
Begin by considering the role of principles of justice. Assume that a society is a more or less self-sufficient association of persons who, in their relations to one another, recognize certain rules of conduct as binding and who, for the most part, act in accordance with them. Suppose further that these rules specify a system of cooperation designed to advance the good of those taking part in it. Then, although a society is a cooperative venture for mutual advancement, it is typically marked by a conflict as well as by an identity of interests. There is an identity of interests since social cooperation makes possible a better life for all than any would have if each were to live solely by his own efforts. There is a conflict of interests since persons are not indifferent to how the greater benefits produced by their collaborations are distributed, for in order to pursue their ends they each prefer a larger to a lesser share.
A set of principles is required for choosing among the various social arrangements that determine this division of advantages and for underwriting an agreement on the proper distributive shares. These principles are the principles of social justice: they provide a way for assigning rights and duties in the basic institutions of society and they define the appropriate distribution of the benefits and burdens of social cooperation.

‘Justice is the first virtue of social institutions, as truth is of systems of thought.’ is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension. This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 3 comprehension questions.
GMAT Reading Comprehension passages include questions based on the logical structure. Candidates need to analyze the function and purpose of the key elements. These are based on evaluating the purpose of the information given in the passage based on a sentence, a term or a paragraph. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.

Solution and Explanation

1. It can be inferred from the passage that the author believes that one can permit the use of an imperfect theory of justice​​​

1. under no circumstances, for to do so would violate the idea of justice.
2. only if it would allow for the greater good of the society.
3. only if a more just theory cannot be found.
4. whenever it is agreed upon by a majority of the society.
5. whenever it would effectively prevent certain injustices.

2. According to the passage, a society is characterized by all of the following EXCEPT

1. self-sufficient individuals.
2. a collaborative effort for common progress.
3. an adherence to certain rules of behavior.
4. a conflict of interest among individuals.
5. a common interest in social cooperation

3. The author implies that, in order to ascertain whether convictions concerning the inherent nature of justice are valid, one must

1. determine the context in which they can be assessed.
2. shed light on the role of the principles of justice.
3. meet all of the requirements of a just society.
4. account for the principle of justice in society.
5. establish a theory of justice with which to evaluate them.

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