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, the 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 the past it was seen as normal, even fun. Though we still continue with capital punishment, we strive to make it as pain-free as 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 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 beast perform 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 has also always been a spectacular public sport. It is almost as if we are compelled to demonstrate our mastery over nature at regular intervals.
Which of these is NOT an example of Britain's awakening consciousness?
- A.
Declaring dog fights illegal
- B.
Lethal injection
- C.
Abolition of slave trade
- D.
Banning bear baiting
Attempted by 5 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept
In a reading-comprehension 'which is NOT' question, separate the items the passage actually attributes to the named idea from items that belong to a different idea elsewhere in the same passage. Here the named idea is the cluster of reforms the writer ties to Britain's awakening moral conscience during 1807-50.
Applying it to this passage
Locate the passage's list of Britain's 1807-50 awakening: the slave trade was abolished, the 1832 Reform Act was passed, and bear-baiting and even dog fights were made illegal.
Three of the four options - abolition of the slave trade, banning bear-baiting, and declaring dog fights illegal - sit squarely inside that list.
The lethal injection is introduced later in the passage as a modern medical means of making today's capital punishment pain-free; it is presented as a recent development, not as part of Britain's 19th-century awakening.
Cross-check
Re-check the time markers: the three reforms are explicitly dated to 1807-50 and tied to Britain, while the lethal injection is flagged with 'modern medical knowledge' and 'recent times'. Since the question asks for the item that is NOT an example of Britain's awakening consciousness, that recent, non-British-reform item is the answer.