यह परिच्छेद इस विचार पर आधारित है कि
Read this question in English
The passage is based on the idea that
(a) man should not work hard · (b) the great evil of our age is overstrain · (c) man cannot think well · (d) man cannot care for his spiritual welfare
उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English
Answer: (b) हमारे युग की सबसे बड़ी बुराई अत्यधिक कार्य-तनाव है
The passage traces everything — the stunted spiritual life, the craving for idle entertainment, the shallow culture — to “an excessive amount of labour”. The idea it rests on is that overwork, or overstrain, is the great evil of the age.
- ✗ (a) The author objects to excessive labour, not to hard work as such; “should not work hard” is a prescription the passage never makes.
- ✓ (b) “An excessive amount of labour is rule today in every circle of society, with the result that man’s spiritual element cannot thrive” — every other problem flows from this overstrain.
- ✗ (c) “He does not want to think; or he cannot even if he wants to” is a symptom of overwork, not the idea the passage is built on.
- ✗ (d) The spiritual element failing to thrive is a result of excessive labour; the option picks an effect, not the underlying idea.
Remember · For ‘based on the idea’ items, find the cause from which the other statements flow; effects and symptoms are traps.
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·