UPSC Prelims 2011·CSAT·Reading Comprehension·Passage Comprehension

Passage A country under foreign domination seeks escape from the present in dreams of a vanished age, and finds consolation in visions of past greatness. That is a foolish and dangerous pastime in which many of us indulge. An equally questionable practice for us in India is to imagine that we are still spiritually great though we have come down, in the world in other respects. Spiritual or any other greatness cannot be founded on lack of freedom and opportunity, or on starvation and misery. Many western writers have encouraged that notion that Indians are other- worldly. I suppose the poor and unfortunate in every country become to some extent other- worldly, unless they become revolutionaries, for this world is evidently not meant for them. So also subject peoples. As a man grows to maturity he is not entirely engrossed in, or satisfied with, the external objective world. He seeks also some inner meaning, some psychological and physical satisfactions. So also with peoples and civilizations as they mature and grow adult. Every civilization and every people exhibit these parallel streams of an external life and an internal life. Where they meet or keep close to each other, there is an equilibrium and stability. When they diverge conflict arises and the crises that torture the mind and spirit. According to the passage, the torture of the mind and spirit is caused

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  1. Aby the impact of foreign domination
  2. Bby the desire to escape from foreign domination and find consolation in visions of past greatness
  3. Cdue to lack of equilibrium between an external life and an internal lifeCorrect
  4. Ddue to one's inability to be either revolutionary or other-worldly.

Explanation

The passage explicitly states in its final paragraph: "Every civilization and every people exhibit these parallel streams of an external life and an internal life. Where they meet or keep close to each other, there is an equilibrium and stability. When they diverge conflict arises and the crises that torture the mind and spirit." Analyzing the options: A) by the impact of foreign domination: While foreign domination is discussed as a problem, the passage does not directly attribute the "torture of the mind and spirit" to it. It describes how people under foreign domination behave (seeking escape in past dreams), but the ultimate cause of torture is defined more broadly. B) by the desire to escape from foreign domination and find consolation in visions of past greatness: The passage calls this a "foolish and dangerous pastime," not the direct cause of the torture of the mind and spirit. C) due to lack of equilibrium between an external life and an internal life: This directly aligns with the passage's statement that "When they [external and internal life] diverge conflict arises and the crises that torture the mind and spirit." Divergence implies a lack of equilibrium. This is the most accurate and direct answer from the text. D) due to one's inability to be either revolutionary or other-worldly: The passage mentions these as reactions of the poor and unfortunate, or subject peoples, but it does not identify the inability to choose between them as the cause of "torture of the mind and spirit" for all peoples and civilizations. The final paragraph provides a clear and direct answer, making C the correct option.
Reading Comprehension: Passage A country under foreign domination seeks escape from the present in dreams of a vanished age, and finds consolat

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