Question

Excerpt from The Life of Swift (excerpt)

Samuel Johnson

Story:
Of this disgrace it may be easily supposed that he was much ashamed, and shame had its proper effect in producing reformation. He resolved from that time to study eight hours a day, and continued his industry for seven years, with what improvement is sufficiently known. This part of his story well deserves to be remembered; it may afford useful admonition and powerful encouragement to men whose abilities have been made for a time useless by their passions or pleasures, and who having lost one part of life in idleness, are tempted to throw away the remainder in despair. In this course of daily application he continued three years longer at Dublin; and in this time, if the observation and memory of an old companion may be trusted, he drew the first sketch of his "Tale of a Tub."

Question:
What does the author mean when he refers to "men whose abilities have been made for a time useless by their passions or pleasures, and who having lost one part of life in idleness, are tempted to throw away the remainder in despair"?
A) Men who wish for fame, but end up in infamy.
B) Men who strive for success, then get distracted.
C) Men who waste their opportunities, then grow mopey
D) Men who take advantage of opportunities, then grow content

Answer 1

The answer is c bus men waste their opportunity

Answer 2

When the author refers to "men whose abilities have been made for a time useless by their passions or pleasures, and who having lost one part of life in idleness, are tempted to throw away the remainder in despair," he means:

C. Men who waste their opportunities then grow mopey

Samuel Johnson is describing men who have wasted their abilities due to the pursuit of their passions and pleasures. The author is saying that men who do not put to practice their abilities end up wasting opportunities. However, these men later realize what they have lost and therefore end up being depressed*. This feeling is reflected when the author says that they "are tempted to throw away the remainder in despair." A remainder refers to what is left of something, in other words, they want to throw away the rest of their life and abilities in sadness.

*Mopey means depressed.