Directions: You have one brief passage with 5 questions following the passage. Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.

Authors William Strauss and Neil Howe are known for their theories about cycles of generations in American history. They refer to each cycle of four generations as a constellation, and they posit that each constellational era corresponds to “recurring types of historical events” and moods. They state that adjacent generations do not live similar lives, and that each generation ages as a singular cohort as time moves forward. According to Strauss and Howe, each generation is comprised of people who possess (1) common age (2) common beliefs and (3) perceived membership in the same generation. A generation is approximately 22 years in length. Since a lifetime may reach 80-90 years, members of 4 generations are alive at one time. The four generational archetypes identified by Strauss are Idealist, Reactive, Civic and Adaptive. Idealists are “increasingly indulged youths after a secular crisis,” who cultivate principle rather than pragmatism in midlife, and emerge as “visionary elders.” Reactives grow up “under protected and criticized youths during a spiritual awakening,” mature into risk taking adults, mellow into “pragmatic midlife leaders during a secular crisis,” and become reclusive elders. Civics grow up “increasingly protected youths after a spiritual awakening,” become “a heroic and achieving cadre of young adults,” build institutions as midlifers, and “emerge as busy midlifers, attacked by the next spiritual awakening.” Adaptives grow up as “overprotected and suffocated youths during a secular crisis,” become “risk-averse, conformist rising adults,” mature into “indecisive arbitrator leaders during a spiritual awakening,” and become sensitive elders.

Q:

Pragmatic most closely means 

• 1
  acting on the basis of principle.
• 2
  behaving in a reclusive way.
• 3
  behaving in a reckless way.
• 4
  acting in a practical way.