Direction: Read the passage and answer the questions that follow: Paragraph 1:…
Direction: Read the passage and answer the questions that follow: Paragraph 1: It is difficult to recognise the new generation of terrorists as a mere extension of the earlier lot of radical Islamist terrorists who were influenced by the teachings of Islamist preachers and theologians. There is less theology today and the new age terrorist seems to belong to an altogether different genre of terrorism. Paragraph 2: A large number of terror attacks in the past three years have been attributed to the handiwork of the Islamic State (IS), and reveal its leaning towards the “nihilism” of Sayyid Qutb. It is this which distinguishes the IS from many of the other radical Islamist groups such as al-Qaeda and its affiliates. The IS’s recruitment techniques, especially its ability to proselytize over the Internet, including “direct to home jihad” as also its more sanguinary brand of violence, set it apart from earlier variants of radical Islamist terror. Paragraph 3: Even while the IS has gained a great deal of prominence due to its brand of violence, other terror networks have continued to be no less active. For example, Al-Qaeda and its affiliates. The Boko Haram in Africa has been responsible for more killings than most people would realise. Closer home, the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network have carried out several spectacular attacks inside Afghanistan. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi have carried out several attacks inside Pakistan. Pakistan provides the wherewithal and the support to terror outfits such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammad to launch well-planned attacks on Indian targets. Paragraph 4: Most of these outfits continue to adopt earlier methodologies. These have proved no less effective than those followed by the IS. The terror attack on a mosque in North Sinai, Egypt in November this year, which killed over 230 persons, is one such example. In December, the TTP was responsible for a terror attack on an agricultural training institute in Peshawar, Pakistan. Differences among terror outfits, do not, however, preclude a complicated pattern of relationships when it comes to operational aspects. Which of the following is/are synonyms of 'Nihilism' ? I. Anarchy II. Atheism III. Ratification IV. Optimism [ TCS 2018 ] [ This test belongs to Paid Members of KNOWLEDGE GATE ] #2018
Answer: A. Only II — Concept: A synonym question asks which word shares the SAME core sense as the target word — not merely a word that appears in related discussions of it.…
- A.
Only II
- B.
Only II and IV
- C.
Only II and III
- D.
Only I and III
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Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Concept: A synonym question asks which word shares the SAME core sense as the target word — not merely a word that appears in related discussions of it. 'Nihilism' at its core means a refusal or rejection of belief (in religion, morality, or established values); its closest single-word match is a word that also denotes disbelief/rejection of belief, such as 'atheism'. Words describing lawlessness, approval, or hopefulness belong to different semantic fields and are not true synonyms, even if they sometimes appear near 'nihilism' in loose word-association lists.
Application: Check each numbered word against this core sense of 'refusal to believe'.
I. Anarchy = absence of government / lawlessness — about political order, not belief. Not a match.
II. Atheism = non-belief (rejection of belief, typically in a deity) — matches the core sense directly.
III. Ratification = formal approval/confirmation of something — the opposite of rejection. Not a match.
IV. Optimism = a hopeful, positive outlook — the opposite of a nihilistic (rejecting/negating) outlook. Not a match.
Cross-check: Ratification and Optimism are opposites (antonyms) of nihilism under every standard reference, so any option pairing 'Atheism' with either of them must be wrong — this eliminates 'Only II and III' and 'Only II and IV'. That leaves a choice between 'Only I and III' (which still carries the antonym Ratification) and 'Only II' alone. Since Anarchy denotes lawlessness rather than disbelief, it does not belong with Atheism either.
Hence, only 'Atheism' (II) is a synonym of 'Nihilism' among the options offered — the option that lists just this single term, and no other, is correct.