UPSC Prelims 2021 CSAT Paper II · Q41 of 79 Comprehension medium

Passage

Nothing can exist in a natural state which can be called good or bad by common assent, since every man who is in a natural state consults only his own advantage, and determines what is good or bad according to his own fancy and insofar as he has regard for his own advantage alone, and holds himself responsible to no one save himself by any law; and therefore sin cannot be conceived in a natural state, but only in a civil state, which is decreed by common consent what is good or bad, and each one holds himself responsible to the state.

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

  1. (a) The conceptions of what is right or wrong exist due to the formation of a state. ✓ UPSC's answer
  2. (b) Unless a ruling authority decides as to what is right or wrong, no man would be morally right.
  3. (c) Man is inherently immoral and selfish in a natural state.
  4. (d) The idea of what is right or wrong is necessary for the survival of human species.

Why the answer is (a)

• The passage states that in a natural state, individuals determine good and bad solely based on their own advantage, meaning no common moral standard exists.

• It explicitly argues that 'sin cannot be conceived in a natural state' because there is no external authority to which one is responsible.

• The text asserts that moral concepts (good/bad) and sin are only possible in a 'civil state' where rules are decreed by common consent.

• Therefore, the central idea is that the very conceptions of right and wrong are contingent upon the formation of a state.

• This directly supports option (a), which links the existence of moral conceptions to the formation of a state.

Why the other options are wrong

(b) Unless a ruling authority decides as to what is right or wrong, no man would be morally…
The passage attributes the definition of good and bad to 'common consent' in a civil state, not specifically to a 'ruling authority' deciding unilaterally.
(c) Man is inherently immoral and selfish in a natural state.
The passage describes individuals in a natural state as self-interested, but it does not label them as 'inherently immoral' since morality itself is undefined in that state.
(d) The idea of what is right or wrong is necessary for the survival of human species.
The passage discusses the logical origin of moral concepts in relation to political organization, not their biological necessity for the survival of the human species.

Asked in the CSAT Paper II of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2021, held on 10 October 2021. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.

Reading the answer is not the same as getting it right under a clock. Practise this question with UPSC's negative marking, and anything you miss goes into an error notebook until you get it right twice.

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