One of the legacies of the Roman legions was discipline. In the legions, military law prevailed and discipline was brutal. Discipline on the battlefield kept units obedient, intact and fighting, even when the odds and conditions were against them. Which one of the following statements best sums up the meaning of the above passage? A. Through regimentation was the main reason for the efficiency of the Roman legions even in adverse circumstances. B. The legions were trained to strictly as per the Roman ways. C. Discipline was the armies' inheritance from their seniors. D. The harsh discipline to which the legions were subjected to led to the odds and conditions being against them.

GATE 2012 · General Aptitude · Passage Reading · medium

Answer: Option A is the best summary: Roman regimentation was the primary reason for the legions' effectiveness even under adverse circumstances.

1. Identify the central claim of the passage: The passage opens with discipline as the key legacy, then states that this discipline kept units fighting even when odds were against them. The central claim is: discipline = efficiency under adverse conditions.
2. Evaluate each option: A — states regimentation caused efficiency in adverse conditions. Matches perfectly. B — says legions trained per Roman ways; too vague, not stated. C — discipline as inheritance from seniors; not supported. D — discipline caused the odds to be against them; this reverses the causal direction — the passage says discipline helped them despite bad odds.