Which of the following statements best reflects the underlying tone of the passage?
- (a) Only an educated population can best make use of the benefits of economic progress. ✓ UPSC's answer
- (b) All economic development should be aimed at the creation of leisure.
- (c) An increase in the educated population of a country leads to an increase in the happiness of its people.
- (d) Use of machines should be encouraged in order to create a large leisured population.
Why the answer is (a)
• The passage argues that machine productivity leads to leisure, but leisure is tedious without intelligent activities and interests.
• It explicitly states that for a leisured population to be happy, it must be educated with a view to enjoyment and technical knowledge.
• This implies that education is the necessary condition to convert the potential benefits of economic progress (leisure) into actual happiness.
• Therefore, the core argument is that only an educated population can effectively utilize and enjoy the benefits derived from economic advancements like machine productivity.
• Option (a) accurately captures this dependency of benefiting from economic progress on education.
Why the other options are wrong
- (b) All economic development should be aimed at the creation of leisure.
- The passage states that machine productivity leads to leisure, but does not claim that all economic development should aim solely at creating leisure.
- (c) An increase in the educated population of a country leads to an increase in the happiness…
- The passage links education to happiness specifically within the context of a leisured population, not as a general rule that more education always leads to more happiness.
- (d) Use of machines should be encouraged in order to create a large leisured population.
- The passage suggests machines lead to leisure, but emphasizes that leisure is tedious without education, rather than encouraging machines solely to create a large leisured population.
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.