Based on the above passage, which one of the following terms best expresses the ultimate goal of the state ?
- (a) Personal safety
- (b) Health of body and mind
- (c) Communal harmony
- (d) Liberty ✓ UPSC's answer
Why the answer is (d)
• The passage explicitly states that the end of the state is to 'free each man from fear' so he may live with 'full security'.
• It further clarifies that the goal is to enable bodies and minds to function safely, not to restrain or dominate.
• The core purpose is described as leading men to 'live by, and to exercise, a free reason'.
• This emphasis on exercising free reason and being free from fear and injury aligns directly with the concept of liberty.
• Therefore, liberty is the term that best expresses the ultimate goal of the state as defined in the text.
Why the other options are wrong
- (a) Personal safety
- Personal safety is a component of the state's function to ensure security, but the passage elevates the goal to the broader exercise of free reason and liberty.
- (b) Health of body and mind
- While the passage mentions enabling bodies and minds to function safely, this is a means to the end of living by free reason, not the ultimate goal itself.
- (c) Communal harmony
- The passage mentions not acting unfairly toward one another, but the primary focus is on individual freedom from fear and the exercise of reason, not specifically communal harmony.
Asked in the CSAT Paper II of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2023, held on 28 May 2023. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.