Question

our world is fast. it is high - speed internet, rapid transit, and instant savings. when we want refuge from its speed, we tend to turn to things like hiking, meditation, and books. the suggestion that we might find a measure of solace in the very machines responsible for our battered minds will seem implausible to some. but this is, in part, the goal of walden, a game. the new video game is based on henry david thoreau’s experiment in deliberate living. the idea for the game struck its designer, tracy j fullerton, while rereading walden in situ at walden pond. she saw thoreau’s concerns about the speed of mid - nineteenth - century industrialization, and its impact on experience, mirrored in some of our own misgivings about our breakneck world. fullerton, director of the university of southern california’s game innovation lab, conceived of the game as an “antidote to turbulent times” and hopes it can help players become “conscious of the pace at which we’re living our lives, especially in regards to new technologies and the drive to constantly be ‘upgrading’ our lives.” the game’s virtual recreation of thoreau’s walden includes a meticulously designed landscape, a pond based on thoreau’s own measurements, and a richly textured soundtrack, which uses sounds recorded on - site and never repeats. the designers consulted period maps, historians, and thoreau scholars, in addition to applying a close reading of thoreau’s text to the project. engaging with the artifacts, plants, and animals of walden will prompt passages on their significance by thoreau. a few minutes into playing the game, one is struck by an absence. there are no hoops to jump through, no races to win, no enemies to subdue—just a world in which to be. this is something of a challenge in itself, but one of a different kind. that’s not to say there is nothing to do. there are a number of paths you can take. you can work on your house, go fishing, or visit the thoreau home in concord. but none of these tasks are mandatory, and the game encourages you to take time walking in the woods to renew your energy and inspiration. the article was first published in the summer 2017 issue of humanities, which is published by the national endowment for the humanities. select the correct answer. read the sentence from the fifth paragraph. but none of these tasks are mandatory, and the game encourages you to take time walking in the woods to renew your energy and inspiration. what is the meaning of mandatory as it is used in the passage? a. enforced b. required c. essential d. pressing

Explanation:

To determine the meaning of "mandatory" in the passage, we analyze the context: "But none of these tasks are mandatory, and the game encourages you to take time walking in the woods...". The phrase "none of these tasks are mandatory" implies that the tasks are not required. Let's analyze each option:

• Option A: "enforced" means to compel or impose, which is not the same as the context (the tasks aren't forced, but the key here is about requirement, not enforcement).
• Option B: "required" fits the context. If tasks are not mandatory, they are not required to be done.
• Option C: "essential" means necessary or vital, but the context is about whether the tasks must be done, not their importance.
• Option D: "pressing" means urgent, which has no relation to the meaning of "mandatory" here.

Answer:

B. required