“A recent High Court judgement has sought to dispel the idea of begging as a…
2019
“A recent High Court judgement has sought to dispel the idea of begging as a disease — which leads to its stigmatization and criminalization — and to regard it as a symptom. The underlying disease is the failure of the state to protect citizens who fall through the social security net.”
Which one of the following statements can be inferred from the given passage?
- A.
Beggars are lazy people who beg because they are unwilling to work
- B.
Beggars are created because of the lack of social welfare schemes
- C.
Begging is an offence that has to be dealt with firmly
- D.
Begging has to be banned because it adversely affects the welfare of the state
Attempted by 34 students.
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Correct answer: B
Key idea: The passage treats begging as a symptom of a larger problem: the state's failure to protect people who fall through the social security net.
The passage uses the words "symptom" and "underlying disease" to show that begging results from systemic failure rather than individual moral failure.
Therefore, the statement that beggars are created because of the lack of social welfare schemes is a valid inference: it restates the idea that gaps in social protection produce begging.
Claims that begging is due to laziness, that begging should be punished firmly, or that begging must be banned are not supported by the passage. In fact, the passage argues against stigmatization and criminalization.
Conclusion: The best inference is that lack of adequate social welfare or state protection contributes to the existence of beggars, so the statement asserting that beggars are created because of the lack of social welfare schemes is supported by the passage.
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