UPSC Prelims 2021 · CSAT

Question 41: Reading Comprehension

Passage beginning “Nothing can exist in a natural…” — Passage – 1 · as printed by UPSC

Which one of the following statements best reflects the central idea of the passage given above ?

aThe conceptions of what is right or wrong exist due to the formation of a state.

bUnless a ruling authority decides as to what is right or wrong, no man would be morally right.

cMan is inherently immoral and selfish in a natural state.

dThe idea of what is right or wrong is necessary for the survival of human species.

AnswerUPSC’s answer is (a).

The passage says that outside any state each person pursues his own advantage, so nothing there is good or bad by shared agreement; the idea of wrongdoing arises only in a civil state, whose members jointly settle what is good or bad and answer to that state. So the central idea is that notions of right and wrong exist because a state is formed. It does not say man is inherently immoral, and it rests the state's decision on common consent, not on a ruler alone. Remember: separate 'amoral' (no moral concepts apply) from 'immoral' (morally bad).

Why each option is right or wrong

(a) Right: right and wrong arise only once a state is formed by common consent.
(b) The passage says common consent decides, not a ruling authority alone.
(c) Man in a natural state is outside the idea of right and wrong, which is not the same as being immoral.
(d) Survival of the human species is never mentioned.

Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2021, General Studies Paper II (CSAT), Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.