Comprehension : Comprehension

Q 361 / 466

UPSC CSE Prelims 2013

The miseries of the world cannot be cured by physical help only. Until man’s nature changes, his physical needs will always arise, and miseries will always be felt, and no amount of physical help will remove them completely. The only solution of the problem is to make mankind pure. Ignorance is the mother of evil and of all the misery we see. Let men have light, let men have light, let them be pure and spiritually strong and educated; then along will misery cease in the country into a charitable asylum we may fill the land with hospitals, but human misery will continue until man’s character change.

With reference to the passage, the following assumptions have been made:

  1. The author gives primary importance to physical and material help in eradicating human misery.
  2. Charitable homes, hospitals, etc., can remove human misery to a great extent.

Which of the assumptions is/are valid?

EXPLANATION

Correct Option

The passage explicitly states that "The miseries of the world cannot be cured by physical help only" and emphasizes that "no amount of physical help will remove them completely." It further asserts that "human misery will continue until man’s character change," even if the land is filled with hospitals and charitable asylums. Therefore, both assumptions presented are contrary to the author's viewpoint, making neither of them valid.

Incorrect Options

  • Assumption 1: The author gives primary importance to physical and material help in eradicating human misery. This assumption is invalid. The passage explicitly refutes this by stating, "The miseries of the world cannot be cured by physical help only" and that "no amount of physical help will remove them completely." The author identifies the "only solution" as making "mankind pure" through spiritual strength and education, indicating that primary importance is given to internal and moral transformation, not physical aid.
  • Assumption 2: Charitable homes, hospitals, etc., can remove human misery to a great extent. This assumption is invalid. The passage directly contradicts this by stating, "we may fill the land with hospitals, but human misery will continue until man’s character change." This indicates that such institutions, while potentially offering some relief, are not presented as capable of removing human misery to a great extent, as they do not address the fundamental cause of misery identified by the author.