GRE® Reading Comprehension 5

Slavery

Slavery is a system under which certain persons are totally deprived of personal freedom and compelled to perform labor or services. Although outlawed in nearly all countries, slavery is still practiced in some parts of the world. The evidence for slavery predates written records. It can be found in almost all cultures and continents. Historically, most slaves were captured in wars but some persons were sold into slavery by their parents, or by themselves, as a means of surviving extreme conditions. Ancient Warfare often resulted in slavery for prisoners and their families. Captives were often considered the property of those who captured them and were looked upon as a prize of war. Those captured sometimes differed in ethnicity, nationality, religion, or race from their enslavers, but often were the same as the captors. The dominant group in an area might take captives and turn them into slaves. The possibility always existed of reversals of fortune at the height of the Roman Empire, when powerful nations fought among themselves, anyone could find himself enslaved.

1. According to the passage, slavery ----.

A) is a system in which the enslaved person has some amount of freedom
B) started with the establishment of the Roman Empire
C) was banned by international agreements between countries a long time ago
D) meant for some people surviving the conditions they had to endure
E) is a practice which can be see n in many places in the world today

2. It Is stated in the passage that the practice of slavery ----.

A) was the most common in the Roman Empire
B) goes back to ancient times
C) has been abolished by all nations now
D) still exists secretly in many communities today
E) became common in the past mostly due to poverty

3. It can be understood from the passage that the captives of the wars in ancient times ----.

A) were killed as soon as they were caught
B) were accepted as the property of the leader of the dominant group in an area
C) usually shared certain features in common with the ones who captured them
D) were mostly the civilians as the captured soldiers were quickly executed
E) were turned into slaves and sold to other nations

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