CSAT 2017 · Q67
EasyRead the passage (Passage—7) — this item is based on it
Really I think that the poorest he that is in England has a life to live, as the greatest he, and therefore truly, I think it is clear that every man that is to live under a government ought first by his own consent to put himself under the government, and I do think that the poorest man in England is not at all bound in a strict sense to that government that he has not had a voice to put himself under.
The above statement argues for
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) rule according to the consent of the governed
The speaker says every man, even the poorest, must first consent to a government before being bound by it, and is not bound by a government in which he had no voice. This argues for rule according to the consent of the governed.
- ✗ (a) The rich and the poor are mentioned only to say that both have a life to live; sharing out wealth is not proposed.
- ✓ (b) Every man 'ought first by his own consent to put himself under the government' — government must rest on the consent of the governed.
- ✗ (c) The speaker wants the poorest to have a voice, not to rule over others.
- ✗ (d) Taking property from the rich is not suggested anywhere.
Remember · Stay with the claim the speaker actually makes ('consent', 'voice'); options that go further, like rule of the poor, distort it.
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). Permalink ·