Analyse the following passage and provide appropriate answers "Whatever…
2024
Analyse the following passage and provide appropriate answers "Whatever actions are done by an individual in different embodiments, [s]he reaps the fruit of those actions in those very bodies or embodiments (in future existences)".
A belief in karma entails, among other things, a focus on long run consequences, i.e., a long term orientation. Such an orientation implies that people who believe in karma may be more honest with themselves in general and in setting expectations in particular-a hypothesis we examine here. This research is based on three simple premises. First, because lower expectations often lead to greater satisfaction, individuals in general, and especially those who are sensitive to the gap between performance and expectations, have the incentive to and actually do “strategically” lower their expectations. Second, individuals with a long term orientation are likely to be less inclined to lower expectations in the hope of temporarily feeling better. Third, long term orientation and the tendency to lower expectations are at least partially driven by cultural factors. In India, belief in karma, with its emphasis on a longer term orientation, will therefore to some extent counter-act the tendency to lower expectations. The empirical results support our logic; those who believe more strongly in karma are less influenced by disconfirmation sensitivity and therefore have higher expectations.
Consumers make choices based on expectations of how alternative options will perform (i.e., expected utility). Expectations about the quality of a product also play a central role in subsequent satisfaction. These expectations may be based on a number of factors including the quality of a typical brand in a category, advertised quality, and disconfirmation sensitivity. Recent evidence suggests that consumers, who are more disconfirmation sensitive (i.e., consumers who are more satisfied when products perform better than expected or more dissatisfied when products perform worse than expected) have lower expectations. However, there is little research concerning the role of culture-specific variables in expectation formation.
“Future existences” in the paragraph can refer to'.
1. Human life, 5 years afterwards
2. Next birth in human form
3. Next birth in any embodiment
Which of the following statement (s) is correct?
- A.
1, 2
- B.
2, 3
- C.
1, 3
- D.
2 only
Attempted by 2 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Concept: In an inference-based reading-comprehension question, a valid conclusion must stay strictly within the scope of what the passage actually states or develops. It must neither add an unstated specific (like an exact time-frame) nor stretch the language into an absolute, unqualified claim (like "any" embodiment) that the passage never commits to — both are classic "beyond the scope" traps.
Application: The opening line says a person “reaps the fruit of those actions in those very bodies or embodiments (in future existences)”, and the rest of the passage builds entirely on this idea to explain human belief in karma, long-term orientation, and expectation-setting among people in India.
“Human life, 5 years afterwards” adds a specific numeric time-frame that the passage never mentions anywhere — this over-specifies a detail the text does not give.
“Next birth in human form” keeps the reading anchored to exactly the frame the passage develops: belief in karma shaping the long-term orientation and expectations of human individuals.
“Next birth in any embodiment” widens the reading into an absolute claim covering non-human forms; the passage’s religious framing mentions “bodies or embodiments” only to set up the discussion — its entire analytical treatment that follows is about human belief and behaviour, never about non-human existences.
Cross-check: Re-reading the second and third paragraphs (disconfirmation sensitivity, expectation formation, culture-specific variables in India) confirms the discussion is operationalised only at the level of human belief and behaviour — it is never extended to non-human embodiments, which rules out the broader reading.
Result: Only the reading tied to the next human birth stays within what the passage actually develops.