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.
The effective quality of services depends upon making:
Answer: B. Local community involved — CONCEPTIn passage-based questions, the answer must follow the relationship stated in the text rather than a plausible outside assumption. Identify the…
- A.
Stricter rules for implementation
- B.
Local community involved
- C.
Redressal of grievances
- D.
Strong government vigilance
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
CONCEPT
In passage-based questions, the answer must follow the relationship stated in the text rather than a plausible outside assumption.
Identify the sentence that directly connects the asked outcome with its stated cause or condition.
APPLICATION
The passage says that the actual reach and effective quality of public services depend greatly on the information gathered by the local community and on its ability to make its voice heard. It also explains that villagers can observe absenteeism and other service failures more directly than distant inspectors can.
CONTRAST
Stricter rules for implementation are not presented as the determining condition.
Local community involvement matches the passage’s emphasis on information, monitoring, and local pressure.
Redressal of grievances is described as one result of local activism, not the general condition governing service quality.
Strong government vigilance is weaker than local observation in the example given in the passage.
Therefore, the effective quality of services depends on involving the local community.