{"id":1029,"date":"2025-04-16T18:33:14","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T13:03:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wizreads.wizako.com\/gmat-gre-sat-reading-comprehension-practice-articles-blog\/?p=1029"},"modified":"2025-05-02T11:14:47","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T05:44:47","slug":"unlikely-champions-husky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wizreads.wizako.com\/gmat-gre-sat-reading-comprehension-practice-articles-blog\/social-sciences\/unlikely-champions-husky\/","title":{"rendered":"GMAT GRE Social Sciences RC Practice | Unlikely Champions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When survival hangs by a thread, heroes emerge in unexpected forms. These medium-difficulty pieces chronicle how the story of a Siberian Husky named Balto serves as a remarkable testament to canine resilience under extreme circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read these reading passage(s) and answer the question(s) that follows. You can choose the GMAT style Reading Passage and the question or the GRE RC Passage variant and answer the GRE-style question. Even better, you could try both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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GMAT RC Practice<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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GRE Reading Passage<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

GMAT Culture Reading Passage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Heroic narratives that capture public imagination often involve underdogs who overcome insurmountable odds through extraordinary perseverance rather than innate superiority. The 1925 Nome Serum Run, colloquially known as the “Great Race of Mercy,” provides compelling historical validation of this phenomenon through the unexpected emergence of a Siberian Husky named Balto. When diphtheria struck the isolated Alaskan town of Nome, conventional transportation methods proved inadequate as the nearest medical supplies lay 700 miles away in Nenana, with harsh winter conditions rendering standard month-long sled journeys fatally insufficient. Officials implemented an unprecedented relay system wherein twenty mushers and 150 dogs would transport antitoxin across treacherous terrain, reducing the journey to five days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although initially considered unexceptional compared to his teammates, Balto \u2014 who had never demonstrated remarkable abilities during his early years \u2014 was unexpectedly selected to lead the final and most critical segment. Despite near-zero visibility in blizzard conditions, Balto navigated the team across treacherous Topkok Mountain and frozen Norton Sound, ultimately delivering life-saving serum to Nome’s 1,400 imperiled residents. This dramatic triumph immediately catapulted the once-overlooked canine into the national spotlight, inspiring front-page newspaper coverage across America, a celebratory parade in New York City, and within months, the installation of a commemorative statue in Manhattan’s Central Park \u2014 enduring testaments to how profoundly Balto’s unexpected heroism resonated with a public captivated by tales of ordinary beings rising to extraordinary occasions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Question – Main Idea<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The primary purpose of the passage is to:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

A) Recount the heroic journey of a sled dog named Balto during the 1925 Nome Serum Run
B) Illustrate how exceptional individuals can emerge from ordinary circumstances during crises
C) Analyze the logistical challenges of delivering medical supplies to remote Alaskan towns
D) Demonstrate how perseverance in ordinary individuals supports broader heroic narratives
E) Compare the efficiency of relay systems versus traditional transportation methods in emergencies<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n GMAT RC Question Answer & Explanation ▼<\/span><\/strong><\/summary>\n

The passage opens with a general theory about heroic narratives involving underdogs who overcome challenges through “extraordinary perseverance rather than innate superiority.” It then uses Balto’s story as evidence supporting this theory. While the passage details Balto’s specific journey, this serves as an illustrative example of the broader concept introduced in the first sentence. The conclusion reinforces this by showing how Balto’s story resonated with the public precisely because it exemplified “tales of ordinary beings rising to extraordinary occasions.”

\nCorrect Answer: Choice (D)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<\/details>\n\n\n