Passage

Passage - 6 I must say that, beyond occasionally exposing me to laughter, my constitutional shyness has been of no disadvantage whatever. In fact I can see that, on the contrary, it has been all to my advantage. My hesitancy in speech, which was once an annoyance, is now a pleasure. Its greatest benefit has been that it has taught me the economy of words. I have naturally formed the habit of restraining my thoughts. And I can now give myself the certificate that a thoughtless word hardly ever escapes my tongue or pen. I do not recollect ever having had to regret anything in my speech or writing. I have thus been spared many a mishap and waste of time. Experience has taught me that silence is part of the spiritual discipline of a votary of truth. Proneness to exaggerate, to suppress or modify the truth, wittingly or unwittingly, is a natural weakness of man, and silence is necessary in order to surmount it. A man of few words will rarely be thoughtless in his speech; he will measure every word. We find so many people impatient to talk. There is no chairman of a meeting who is not pestered with notes for permission to speak. And whenever the permission is given the speaker generally exceeds the time-limit, asks for more time, and keeps on talking without permission. All this talking can hardly be said to be of any benefit to the world. It is so much waste of time. My shyness has been in reality my shield and buckler. It has allowed me to grow. It has helped me in my discernment of truth.

The most appropriate reason for the author to be spared many a mishap is that

(a) he hardly utters or writes a thoughtless word. ✓ UPSC's answer
(b) he is a man of immense patience.
(c) he believes that he is a spiritual person.
(d) he is a votary of truth.

Why the answer is (a)

• The passage explicitly states, 'I can now give myself the certificate that a thoughtless word hardly ever escapes my tongue or pen.'

• Immediately following this statement, the author concludes, 'I have thus been spared many a mishap and waste of time.'

• The word 'thus' indicates a direct causal link: the avoidance of thoughtless words is the specific reason for avoiding mishaps.

• While the author mentions being a 'votary of truth' and practicing 'silence,' these are broader spiritual disciplines that lead to the habit of restraint.

• The direct mechanism preventing mishaps is the practical outcome of not uttering or writing thoughtless words, making option (a) the most appropriate reason.

Why the other options are wrong

(b) he is a man of immense patience.: The passage describes the author's shyness and hesitancy, not immense patience, as the source of his advantage.
(c) he believes that he is a spiritual person.: The author views silence as part of spiritual discipline but does not claim to be a spiritual person as the direct cause of avoiding mishaps.
(d) he is a votary of truth.: Being a votary of truth is a general attribute that leads to the habit of restraint, but the specific reason for avoiding mishaps is the resulting lack of thoughtless words.

Asked in the CSAT Paper II of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2015, held on 23 August 2015. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.