Directions : Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow…
2021
Directions : Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the correct / most appropriate options.
The goal of independence was achieved in India through a prolonged struggle, during which, the far-sightedness of the leaders of the freedom movement resulted in giving a final shape to our social and economic goals to be achieved after freedom. This vision imagined to build a self-reliant nation through maximum utilization of the resources in men and materials, and the establishment of a noble and liberal society. It has been an article of faith amongst the policy planners in India that while economic strength determined the scope and quality of political freedom for millions, the quality of freedom depends on increased work and production in factories. It leads to just and equal distribution of wealth among the people so that the poor can also enjoy the benefit of freedom. This, it is recognized, is possible only through increased employment opportunities in the society.
In human terms, democracy means availability of equal opportunities to all the people irrespective of caste, creed, sex and religion to develop their personalities. It means access to education in Arts, Science and Humanities and also awareness of our age old values and traditions. It needs to be emphasized that the Indian policy has been based on a concern for the individual not only as a worker working for the economic development of the society but also as an end in itself.
In the Indian context, the concept of national development goes far beyond economic growth; it is concerned with the creation of a nation united in one purpose, of people speaking different languages, professing different religions and rooted in a variety of cultures.
In addition to economic growth our society, as a consequence, also needs
- A.
development of countryside.
- B.
to give importance to cultural variety.
- C.
to pay attention to climatic changes.
- D.
just and equitable distribution of wealth.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Concept: In a sentence-completion reading-comprehension item, the correct continuation is the one whose content is explicitly restated (often in paraphrase) somewhere in the passage, and whose grammar completes the stem's syntax. A distractor that merely shares a topic word with a nearby paragraph is not sufficient unless the stem's connecting phrase (here, "in addition to ... as a consequence") actually points to that stated cause-and-effect relationship.
Application: The stem reads: "In addition to economic growth our society, as a consequence, also needs ___." The first paragraph of the passage lays out the passage's own economic-growth-to-consequence chain: economic strength determines the scope of freedom, increased work and production raise the quality of that freedom, and this "leads to just and equal distribution of wealth among the people so that the poor can also enjoy the benefit of freedom." That sentence is the passage's own answer to "what, beyond economic growth, does society need" — and it is phrased in almost the same words as the option "just and equitable distribution of wealth." The stem's blank is therefore completed by restating this stated consequence.
Cross-check — why the near-miss distractor doesn't fit:
"to give importance to cultural variety" — the passage's closing paragraph does mention people speaking different languages, professing different religions, and belonging to varied cultures, but it frames the goal as uniting that diversity into "one purpose," not as valuing variety for its own sake. That paragraph also is not the sentence the stem's "in addition to economic growth ... as a consequence" phrasing links back to.
"development of countryside" — no paragraph in the passage discusses rural or countryside development.
"to pay attention to climatic changes" — no paragraph in the passage discusses climate, weather, or environmental conditions.
Result: the completing option is "just and equitable distribution of wealth," which is also the CTET January 2021 Paper II officially published answer for this question.