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MCAT Sample Questions - Verbal Reasoning
Try this free verbal reasoning practice session. Read the passage and answer the following questions.
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At the time of the recorded appearance of Jesus of Nazareth, and for some centuries before, the Mediterranean and neighboring world had been the scene of a vast number of pagan creeds. There were Temples dedicated to gods like Apollo or Dionysus among the Greeks, Hercules among the Romans, Mithra among the Persians, Baal and Astarte among the Babylonians and Carthaginians, and so forth. An extraordinarily interesting fact, for us, is that notwithstanding great geographical distances and racial differences between the adherents of these various cults, the general outlines of their creeds and ceremonials were—if not identical--so markedly similar.
I cannot go at length into these different cults, but I may say roughly that of nearly all the deities above-mentioned it was believed that they were born on or very near our Christmas Day; they were born of a Virgin-Mother; they were born in a Cave or Underground Chamber; they led a life of toil for Mankind; they were called by the names of Light-bringer, Healer, Savior; they were however vanquished by the Powers of Darkness and were descended into Hell or the Underworld; and they rose again from the dead, and became the pioneers of mankind to the Heavenly world.
Let us give an example: Mithra was born in a cave, and on the 25th December. He traveled far and wide as a teacher and illuminator of men. He slew the Bull (symbol of the gross Earth). His great festivals were the winter solstice and the spring equinox (Christmas and Easter). He had twelve companions (the twelve months). He was buried in a tomb, from which however he rose again; and his resurrection was celebrated yearly with great rejoicings. He was called Savior and sometimes figured as a Lamb; and sacramental feasts in remembrance of him were held by his followers.
What we notice so far concerning the pagan and pre-Christian deities are two points; on the one hand the similarity of these stories with that of Jesus Christ; on the other their analogy with the yearly phenomena of Nature. The similarity of these ancient pagan legends and beliefs with Christian traditions was indeed so great that it excited the undisguised wrath of the early Christian fathers. They felt no doubt about the similarity, but not knowing how to explain it fell back upon the innocent theory that the Devil--in order to confound the Christians--had, centuries before, caused the pagans to adopt certain beliefs and practices. Justin Martyr for instance describes the institution of the Lord's Supper as narrated in the Gospels, and then goes on to say: "Which the wicked devils have IMITATED in the mysteries of Mithra, commanding the same thing to be done. For, that bread and a cup of water are placed with certain incantations in the mystic rites of one who is being initiated you either know or can learn."
It was not till the year A.D. 530 or so--five centuries after the supposed birth of Christ--that a Scythian Monk, Dionysius Exiguus, was commissioned to fix the day and the year of that birth. For year he assigned the date which we now adopt, and for day and month he adopted the 25th December--a date which had been in popular use since about 350 B.C., and the very date, within a day or two, of the supposed birth of the previous Sungods. |
Questions:
- What does the author imply by pointing out when and how Christ's date of birth was officially established by the Church?
A) Because faith is a universal human phenomenon, major religions have significant elements in common.
B) Christ's date of birth was officially set when the historical collective memory began to die out.
C) By the year 530 the dates of the pagan religious festivals had become so popular that Christianity was obliged to accommodate itself to them.
D) Because the Church was slow to establish its institutions, pagan worship continued to fill the vacuum left by the Church authorities for centuries.
| The question asks what the author is implying. That means that none of the answer choices will appear in the passage. First, reread the last paragraph, noting all of the clues that indicate what the author is trying to say regarding how, or on the basis of what, Christ's date of birth was decided: "it was not till," "five centuries after the supposed birth of Christ," "the 25th December—a date which had been in popular use since," "and the very date, within a day or two, of the supposed birth of the Sungods." Next, ask yourself what these clues, and the tone the author uses, imply: that five hundred years after Christ, the Church officially institutionalized a date of birth that had long been celebrated in that part of the world as the birthday of pagan gods. Therefore, C is the correct answer. |
- Which of the following assertions, if true, would reasonably have upset the early Christian fathers regarding the relation of pagan and Christian ritual?
A) Paganism could not have copied from Christianity because it preceded the latter chronologically.
B) Mithra, like Moses in the Old Testament, is a harbinger of Jesus.
C) The Devil's foul play confirms Christianity as the one true faith.
D) The similarities between the two are superficial, while the differences are meaningful.
| This type of question appears frequently on the exam. First, get clear in your mind what the early Christian fathers believed about the relation between paganism and Christianity: ¶4: "the Devil--in order to confound the Christians--had, centuries before, caused the pagans to adopt certain beliefs and practices." Next, ask yourself which assertion would undermine or contradict that belief. Therefore, A is the correct answer. |
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