Read the passage and answer the question given below: Alternatives are not…
2023
Read the passage and answer the question given below:
Alternatives are not lacking in the world. What is indeed missing is an alternative thinking of alternatives. Whenever it is said that there are very interesting things happening in Asia, Africa and Latin America, the Western answer is that developed countries do not have the same problems. As such, the West does not need their kinds of solutions. There are two inferences from this: First, the understanding of the world is much broader than the Western understanding of the world. This means that the progressive transformation of the world may also occur in ways not foreseen by Western thinking. It includes critical Western thinking. Second, the diversity of the world is infinite. It is a diversity that encompasses very distinct modes of being, thinking and feeling; ways of conceiving of time and the relations among human beings and between humans and non-humans; ways of facing the past and the future and of collectively organizing life, the production of goods and services, as well as leisure. This immensity of alternatives of life, comforts and interaction with the world is largely wasted because the theories and concepts developed in the global North and employed in the entire academic world do not identify such alternatives. When they do, they do not valorize them as being valid contributions towards constructing a better society. The knowledge of the South is dubbed as outmoded and considered as no knowledge at all.
The West should know that
Answer: B. The world is more than what the West understands. — ConceptIn a passage-completion question, the best conclusion must follow from the author’s central claim, not merely mention the same topic. A sound inference…
- A.
Developing nations need western solutions.
- B.
The world is more than what the West understands.
- C.
The West should not share knowledge with others.
- D.
It is always advisable to keep the world divided.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept
In a passage-completion question, the best conclusion must follow from the author’s central claim, not merely mention the same topic.
A sound inference preserves the passage’s direction and scope without adding a new recommendation.
Application
The passage explicitly contrasts the immense diversity of the world with the narrower range recognized by theories developed in the global North.
It then states that the understanding of the world is broader than the Western understanding of it. Therefore, the sentence is completed by the claim that the world exceeds what the West understands.
Contrast
Developing nations need western solutions. — This reverses the passage’s criticism of one-way Western authority.
The West should not share knowledge with others. — The passage asks for recognition and valuation of Southern knowledge, not restricted exchange.
It is always advisable to keep the world divided. — Diversity is described as a resource of alternatives, not as a reason for separation.
Result: The world is more than what the West understands.