Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow (Q. 46-50):…
2022
Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow (Q. 46-50):
Public action, in a broad sense, can play a central role in economic development and in bringing social opportunities within the reach of people as a whole. Sometimes public action is characterised in the economic literature as action by the government, not as action by the public itself. This interpretation can be seriously misleading as it draws attention away from the influence that the public can have in determining the direction of governmental action. Actions of the public can be of profound significance to the successes and failures of economic and social change in general, and to development efforts in particular. The role of public activism in influencing government policy can be particularly important in promoting the positive functions of the government. These positive functions include the provisions of public services such as health care, child immunisation, primary education, social security, environmental protection and rural infrastructure. The vigilance and involvement of the public can be quite crucial not only in ensuring an adequate expansion of these essential services but also in monitoring their functioning. Indeed the actual reach and effective quality of the services that are meant to be, in principle available often depends a great deal on the information that the local community gathers and the extent to which it can get its voice heard. The shirking and absenteeism of village teachers for example are much more easily observed by the villagers themselves than by the government inspectors and the search for redress can be more effectively achieved with local activism. Besides, schools, hospitals and other facilities can be made more sensitive to the public needs if there is a local pressure in that direction, better than the directions from the above.
Adequate monitoring of public services is possible through:
Answer: D. Effective public activism — ConceptIn literal comprehension, the answer must be anchored in an explicit relationship stated in the passage. Separate the means or mechanism from the…
- A.
Expansion of essential services
- B.
Improvement in quality of services
- C.
Increasing social inclusivity
- D.
Effective public activism
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Concept
In literal comprehension, the answer must be anchored in an explicit relationship stated in the passage. Separate the means or mechanism from the outcomes that the mechanism helps produce.
Application
The passage says that public vigilance and involvement are crucial for monitoring how essential services function. It explains the mechanism through local observation, information gathering, pressure, and the pursuit of redress. These are forms of effective public activism.
Contrast
Expansion of essential services is an outcome that vigilance can help ensure.
Improvement in service quality is an outcome that local pressure can promote.
Increasing social inclusivity is a broader development objective described at the start of the passage.
Effective public activism is the means through which communities observe, report, and press for correction of service failures.
Cross-check and result
The village-teacher example confirms this cause-and-effect link: villagers observe shirking more readily than distant inspectors and seek redress through local activism. Therefore, adequate monitoring of public services is possible through effective public activism.