We generally talk about democracy but when it comes to any particular thing, we prefer a belonging to our caste or community or religion. So long as we have this kind of temptation, our democracy will remain a phoney kind of democracy. We must be in a position to respect a man as a man and to extend opportunities for development to those who deserve them and not to those who happen to belong to our community or race. This fact of favouritism has been responsible for much discontent and ill- will in our country. Which one of the following statements best sums up the above passage?

The passage criticizes the practice of favouritism based on caste, community, or religion, stating that it makes our democracy "phony." It then proposes a solution: "We must be in a position to respect a man as a man and to extend opportunities for development to those who deserve them and not to those who happen to belong to our community or race." This directly points to the idea of providing opportunities based on merit and treating all individuals equally, which is the essence of true democracy. Let's analyze the options: A) Our country has a lot of diversity with its many castes, communities and religions While the passage mentions diversity, it uses it as the context for the problem of favouritism, not as the main point itself. The passage is a critique of how diversity is *misused*, not just a statement about its existence. B) True democracy could be established by providing equal opportunities to all This statement perfectly captures the passage's core message. The passage explicitly calls for extending opportunities to "those who deserve them" and respecting "a man as a man," rather than favouring one's own group. This is the definition of providing equal opportunities based on merit, which the passage identifies as the path to a genuine (not phony) democracy. C) So far none of us have actually understood the meaning of democracy The passage suggests a failure in *practice* ("we prefer a belonging to our caste...") despite talking about democracy, rather than a complete lack of understanding of the concept itself. It implies a hypocrisy or a gap between ideal and reality, not a total ignorance of democracy's meaning. D) It will never be possible for us to establish truly democratic governance in our country. The passage identifies a problem and then offers a clear solution ("We must be in a position to respect... and to extend opportunities..."). This implies that true democracy *is* achievable if these changes are made. The tone is critical but hopeful for reform, not fatalistic. Therefore, B best sums up the passage's argument for achieving true democracy through merit-based opportunities and individual respect.