Question

… More than 30 years after “Year Zero” and more
than a decade after the “return to democracy,”
Cambodia remains in a league of its own —
miserable, corrupt and compassionless. Only the
toughest and the most unscrupulous can “make
it” and get ahead. There is hardly any social net to
speak of; the savage insanity of the Khmer Rouge
has been replaced with savage capitalism, but
often with the same people in charge.…
— Andre Vitchek,
“A Tortured History and Unanswered Questions”

What does the author of this 2006 passage
conclude?
(1) As democracy develops, circumstances will
improve.
(2) Though governments change, circumstances
often remain the same.
(3) New leadership is determined to replace the
Khmer Rouge.
(4) Harsh living conditions have caused people to
rely extensively on a social net.

Answer 1

The message in this passage is rather a pessimistic one: it says that not much has changed and that Cambodia is still a tough place to live in. It does not speak of change, but rather of illusion of change: "the same people  [are] in charge".

the correct answer is: (2) Though governments change, circumstances
often remain the same.