Read the following passage carefully and answer the question : Story telling…
2015
Read the following passage carefully and answer the question :
Story telling is not in our genes. Neither it is an evolutionary history. It is the essence of what makes us Human. Human beings progress by telling stories. One event can result in a great variety of stories being told about it. Sometimes those stories differ greatly. Which stories are picked up and repeated and which ones are dropped and forgotten often determines how we progress. Our history, knowledge and understanding are all the collections of the few stories that survive. This includes the stories that we tell each other about the future. And how the future will turn out depends partly, possibly largely, on which stories we collectively choose to believe. Some stories are designed to spread fear and concern. This is because some story-tellers feel that there is a need to raise some tensions. Some stories are frightening, they are like totemic warnings : “Fail to act now and we are all doomed.” Then there are stories that indicate that all will be fine so long as we leave everything up to a few especially able adults. Currently, this trend is being led by those who call themselves “rational optimists”. They tend to claim that it is human nature to compete and to succeed and also to profit at the expense of others. The rational optimists however, do not realize how humanity has progressed over time through amiable social networks and how large groups work in less selfishness and in the process accommodate rich and poor, high and low alike. This aspect in story-telling is considered by the ‘Practical Possibles’, who sit between those who say all is fine and cheerful and be individualistic in your approach to a successful future, and those who ordain pessimism and fear that we are doomed. What the future holds for us is which stories we hold on to and how we act on them.
‘Practical Possibles’ are the ones who :
Answer: A. follow Midway Path — ConceptIn a literal-comprehension question, find the sentence in which the passage itself defines the term the question names, and read the defining relation…
- A.
follow Midway Path
- B.
are doom-mongers
- C.
are self-centred
- D.
are cheerful and carefree
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Concept
In a literal-comprehension question, find the sentence in which the passage itself defines the term the question names, and read the defining relation stated there. The answer restates that definition; an attitude the passage mentions elsewhere, however prominent, is not the definition unless the defining sentence states it.
Application
The passage defines the term in a single sentence: the ‘Practical Possibles’ are those “who sit between those who say all is fine and cheerful and be individualistic in your approach to a successful future, and those who ordain pessimism and fear that we are doomed.” The defining relation is therefore positional — a stance held between two named extremes, which is what a midway path means.
Contrast
“Are doom-mongers” names the pessimism-and-doom outlook that the defining sentence places at one of the two extremes.
“Are cheerful and carefree” names the “all is fine and cheerful” outlook that the defining sentence places at the other extreme.
“Are self-centred” restates the competitive, profit-at-the-expense-of-others individualism the passage attributes to the “rational optimists”.
“Follow Midway Path” restates the between-the-two-extremes position that the defining sentence actually states.
Cross-check
The two things the group is said to sit between are exactly the doom-and-pessimism camp and the cheerful-individualistic camp, so neither extreme can also name the group that sits between them. The passage also says the ‘Practical Possibles’ take up the aspect the rational optimists miss — amiable social networks and less selfish large groups — which is the opposite of a self-centred outlook.
Result
Thus the ‘Practical Possibles’ are the ones who follow the midway path.