What does the above passage imply?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) In a mature democracy, force is narrowed down to a marginal phenomenon in the actual exercise of sovereignty.
Where people are politically mature, the law-making body and the organized will of the people seldom clash. With conflict rare, force is seldom needed — it shrinks to a marginal role, though it does not disappear.
- ✗ (a) It speaks of democracy in general and makes force central, the opposite of the passage's point about mature democracies.
- ✗ (b) If conflict seldom occurs, force cannot be the main phenomenon.
- ✗ (c) 'Seldom' is not 'never'; occasional conflict remains possible, so force is not wholly irrelevant.
- ✓ (d) Rare conflict between the sovereign body and the people means force is needed only occasionally — a marginal phenomenon.
Remember · Mind degree words: 'seldom' supports 'marginal', not 'irrelevant'. Extreme options overshoot the passage.
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2017, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·