Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical and rational message conveyed by the above passage?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) In a world of violence, tyranny and bigotry, poetry is a form of dynamic resistance.
The passage sets poetry against the ‘tyranny of truth’ and the ‘arrogance of power, wealth and hierarchy’, answering them with ‘humility and defiance’. Its message is that poetry is a form of resistance.
- ✗ (a) The passage says poetry accepts the contradictions of reality and life; it does not speak of imperfections ‘in humans’, nor claim that only poetry recognises them.
- ✗ (b) The passage does not say that truth is revealed through science or religion, nor that poetry is ‘anathema’ to truth; it says absolute truth is ‘not of much use for poetry’.
- ✗ (c) ‘Romantic, imaginary’ and ‘about feeling’ are not in the passage, which is about plurality and democratic reality.
- ✓ (d) ‘Against the tyranny of truth, poetry remains a partisan of democratic reality. Against the arrogance of power, wealth and hierarchy, poetry proposes both humility and defiance.’ Poetry stands against tyranny.
Remember · Repeated ‘Against …’ lines carry the author’s message; here, poetry as resistance to tyranny and arrogance.
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2024, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·