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 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, 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 beast 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.
The writer's tone in the passage is that of sarcasm. Which sentence depicts it most predominantly?
- A.
And if they have to die because we must punish, or we must eat, let us deliver the blow as softly as we can
- B.
As if making up for past injustices, our collective consciousness suddenly woke up to ethically question the torture of all living beings.
- C.
Though we still continue with capital punishment, yet we strive to make it as pain free as modern medical knowledge will allow.
- D.
It is almost as if we are compelled to demonstrate our mastery over nature at regular intervals.
Attempted by 1 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Concept
Sarcasm is a sharp form of verbal irony in which the surface words sound mild, gentle or approving, but are meant to express the exact opposite — scorn, mockery or bitter criticism. The clearest mark of sarcasm is a deliberate clash between a soft, euphemistic phrasing and the harsh reality it describes; the gentler the wording wrapped around something brutal, the sharper the mocking edge.
Application
Test each candidate sentence for that gap between gentle wording and brutal reality:
“And if they have to die because we must punish, or we must eat, let us deliver the blow as softly as we can” — here killing (for punishment or for food) is dressed up in the tender language of delivering a blow “as softly as we can.” The euphemistic gentleness laid directly over an act of killing is mocking our self-congratulatory ‘humaneness’, which is the essence of sarcasm.
“As if making up for past injustices… woke up to question the torture of all living beings” — largely descriptive historical narration; the irony, if any, is faint.
“we still continue with capital punishment, yet we strive to make it as pain free as modern medical knowledge will allow” — observational and ironic, but stated plainly rather than wrapped in mock-tender language.
“it is almost as if we are compelled to demonstrate our mastery over nature at regular intervals” — critical analysis of human behaviour, more reflective than mocking.
Cross-check
The sentence about delivering the blow “as softly as we can” is the only one where the writer adopts a mock-caring voice — speaking as if soothingly about killing — so the gap between tone and meaning is widest. That makes it the sentence in which the sarcastic tone is most predominant.