UPSC Prelims 2015 · CSAT
Question 40: Reading Comprehension
“By liberty I mean the eager maintenance of that atmosphere in which men have the opportunity to be their best selves.” Which one of the following expresses the view implied in the above statement ?
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (d).
The statement describes liberty as actively keeping up the conditions in which people can become their best selves. That is the positive idea of liberty, associated with Harold Laski, where freedom means conditions for personality to grow, not just the absence of restraint. The other options are other views: liberty as no restraint, as what the law allows, or as doing as one pleases.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Wrong: this is the negative view of liberty, absence of restraint.
- (b) Wrong: this is a legal view of liberty, not what the statement says.
- (c) Wrong: doing what one desires puts no weight on becoming one's best self.
- (d) Right: liberty means maintaining conditions for the growth of human personality.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2015, General Studies Paper II (CSAT), Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.