The passage: For decades, America has been locked in hostile confrontation with the two great Communist powers, the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China. We were engaged with the one at many points and almost totally isolated from the other, but our relationships with both had reached a deadly impasse [standstill]. All three countries were victims of bondage about which George Washington long ago warned in these words: The nation which indulges toward another an habitual [constant] hatred is a slave to its own animosity [hatred].
1. With which nation was the United States "engaged at many points"? From which was it "almost totally isolated"?
I said, the U.S. was engaged at many points with the Soviet Union, and isolated from China.
2. According to the passage, what was the situation between the United States and China and between the United States and the Soviet Union?
I said, because the Soviet Union and China were both communist countries.
Both are correct. :-)
Thank you. Also one more question was, Why did Washington and Nixon both believe that everyone was the loser in this situation?
Now I wasn't too sure about this question but I responded with, We disliked both countries for years, and Washington said long ago that if you hate another country, it won't do your country any good.
Right.
I'm reminded that years ago I hated a neighbor -- for little reason. That was a bad time for me as I later realized. That hatred ate at me far more than anything this neighbor might have done.
I am sorry to hear that, I hope things are well between you guys now.
And thank you for checking my answers!
All is well now. I hope I learned my lesson about what hate can do.
You're very welcome.
1. You correctly identified that the United States was "engaged at many points" with the Soviet Union. This means that the United States had various interactions and conflicts with the Soviet Union. Additionally, you correctly noted that the United States was "almost totally isolated" from China. This means that the United States had very limited interactions or connections with China.
To reach these conclusions, you can refer to the passage where it mentions America being engaged with one country at many points and almost completely isolated from the other. By determining which country is being referred to as "the one" and "the other," you can identify which country the United States was engaged with and which one it was isolated from.
2. You partially answered this question. The passage states that the relationships between the United States and both China and the Soviet Union had reached a "deadly impasse." This implies that the situations between the United States and both countries were deadlocked or at a standstill. While it is true that both China and the Soviet Union were communist powers, the passage does not explicitly mention the communist nature of the countries when discussing the situation between the United States and them.
To fully answer this question, you can state that the situation between the United States and both China and the Soviet Union had reached a deadly impasse, without directly discussing their communist ideologies.