Passage

Directions for the following 4 (four) items : Read the following two passages and answer the items that follow the passages. Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only. Passage—1 For two or three generations past, ever-increasing numbers of individuals have been living as workers merely, not as human beings. An excessive amount of labour is rule today in every circle of society, with the result that man's spiritual element cannot thrive. He finds it very difficult to spend his little leisure in serious activities. He does not want to think; or he cannot even if he wants to. He seeks not self-improvement, but entertainment which would enable him to be mentally idle and to forget his usual activities. Therefore, the so-called culture of our age is dependant more on cinema than on theatre, more on newspapers, magazines and crime stories than on serious literature.

Man does not seek self-improvement because he

(a) is not intellectually capable
(b) has no time to do so
(c) is distracted by materialism
(d) loves amusement and is mentally idle ✓ UPSC's answer

Why the answer is (d)

• The passage states that excessive labour prevents man's spiritual element from thriving and makes it difficult to spend leisure in serious activities.

• It explicitly notes that man 'does not want to think' or 'cannot even if he wants to' due to this exhaustion.

• The text directly asserts that he 'seeks not self-improvement, but entertainment which would enable him to be mentally idle and to forget his usual activities.'

• This indicates that the lack of self-improvement is driven by a desire for mental idleness and amusement rather than a lack of capability or time.

• Therefore, option (d) accurately reflects the passage's claim that man seeks entertainment to be mentally idle.

Why the other options are wrong

(a) is not intellectually capable: The passage states he 'cannot even if he wants to' due to exhaustion, not that he lacks inherent intellectual capability.
(b) has no time to do so: While the passage mentions he has 'little leisure', it attributes the lack of self-improvement to his choice of entertainment and mental idleness, not merely a lack of time.
(c) is distracted by materialism: The passage does not mention materialism as a cause; it focuses on the preference for entertainment and mental idleness over serious thought.

Asked in the CSAT Paper II of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2022, held on 5 June 2022. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.