UPSC Prelims 2016 CSAT Paper II · Q46 of 79 Comprehension medium

Passage

To understand the nature and quantity of Government proper for man, it is necessary to attend to his character. As nature created him for social life, she fitted him for the station she intended. In all cases she made his natural wants greater than his individual powers. No one man is capable, without the aid of society, of supplying his own wants; and those wants, acting upon every individual, impel the whole of them into society.

Which among the following is the most logical and rational inference that can be made from the above passage ?

  1. (a) Nature has created a great diversity in human society
  2. (b) Any given human society is always short of its wants
  3. (c) Social life is a specific characteristic of man
  4. (d) Diverse natural wants forced man towards social system ✓ UPSC's answer

Why the answer is (d)

• The passage states that nature made man's natural wants greater than his individual powers.

• It explicitly notes that no single man can supply his own wants without the aid of society.

• The text concludes that these wants, acting upon every individual, impel the whole of them into society.

• Therefore, the logical inference is that the inability to meet diverse natural wants individually forced humans to form a social system.

• This directly supports option (d) as the most rational conclusion derived from the text.

Why the other options are wrong

(a) Nature has created a great diversity in human society
The passage does not discuss the diversity of human society, but rather the uniformity of the need for social cooperation due to limited individual power.
(b) Any given human society is always short of its wants
The text argues that society is formed to meet wants, not that society itself is perpetually short of its wants.
(c) Social life is a specific characteristic of man
While the passage mentions man is created for social life, the core logical inference is about the *cause* (wants vs. powers) driving this characteristic, not just stating the characteristic itself.

Asked in the CSAT Paper II of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2016, held on 7 August 2016. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.

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