Read the following passage and answer the given questions. If we walk back to…
2017
Read the following passage and answer the given questions. If we walk back to the past, sensitivity to the torture of any kind is a rather contemporary phenomenon, showing up first in the 19th century. Till then, worldwide, the torture of both humans and animals was accepted as normal.
During 1807-50, as if making up for past injustices, our collective consciousness suddenly woke up to ethically question the torture of all living beings. Around this time, in Britain for example, slave trade was abolished, the 1832 Reform Act was passed, and bear-baiting, even dog fights, became illegal.
With the increase in democratic awareness, we also became mindful of animal life. 19th-century attitudes were inclined towards accepting humans and animals as somewhat continuous creations. Therefore, what applied to us was now being extended to include other living creatures too.
Again, it was in the mid-19th century that the hangman's rope was lengthened so that death would be quick; the earlier short drop left the condemned person dangling for long Crucifixion and stoning were no longer considered civilized.
All of this is off the charts today, but in my past, it was seen as normal, even fun. Though we still continue with capital punishment, yet we strive to make it as pain-free is modern medical knowledge will allow - enter the lethal injection. No more howling and cheering from a frenzied crowd; the sentence is now delivered within prison confines.
All these changes have happened in recent times as old fashioned torture is no longer acceptable. Humans and beasts, individually and singly, are not to be put in pain, and if they have to die because we must punish, or we must eat, let us deliver the blow as softly as we can. Yet, when man and beat are performing together in acts that involve pain, sometimes death, there has been much stronger resistance against banning them. This is true of Jallikattu and the bullfight. Jallikattu is a popular sport that has become culture as it pits men against bulls. The Spanish bullfight also have always been a spectacular public sport. It is almost as if we are compelled to demonstrate our mastery over nature at regular intervals.
What is a contemporary phenomenon according to the passage?
- A.
banning of torture
- B.
acceptance of torture
- C.
insensitivity towards torture
- D.
condemnation of torture
Attempted by 5 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Concept
In a reading-comprehension question, the answer must be drawn from what the passage explicitly states, not from outside knowledge or what sounds generally true. A "contemporary phenomenon" is something the passage marks as recent or modern. So the task is to find the modern attitude the author identifies and match it to the option that means the same thing.
Application
The passage opens by saying that "sensitivity to the torture of any kind is a rather contemporary phenomenon, showing up first in the 19th century," and that before then torture of humans and animals "was accepted as normal." The recent development the author points to is therefore people becoming morally sensitive to torture and objecting to it. Among the choices, "condemnation of torture" expresses exactly this modern moral objection, so it is the answer.
Contrast
"acceptance of torture" describes the OLD attitude the passage says prevailed until the 19th century, the opposite of the recent change.
"insensitivity towards torture" again names the earlier mindset, not the contemporary one the question asks for.
"banning of torture" refers to specific legal outcomes (such as abolishing bear-baiting); these are consequences of the new sensitivity, not the phenomenon the passage itself labels as contemporary.