Q. Aristocratic government ruins itself by limiting too narrowly the circle within which power is confined; oligarchic government ruins itself by the incautious scramble for immediate wealth.
But even democracy ruins itself by excess of democracy. Its basic principle is the equal right of all to hold office and determine public policy. This is, at first glance, a delightful arrangement; it becomes disastrous because the people are not properly equipped by education to select the best rulers and the wisest courses. The people have no understanding and only repeat what their rulers are pleased to tell them. Such a democracy is tyranny or autocracy. – Plato
Q 1. Which one of the following statements best reflects the crux of the passage given above?
(a) Human societies experiment with different forms of governments.
(b) Any form of government tends to deteriorate by excess of its basic principle.
(c) Education of all citizens ensures a perfect, functional and sustainable democracy.
(d) Having a government is a necessary evil because tyranny is inherent in any form of government.
Question from UPSC Prelims 2021 CSAT Paper
Explanation :
Q1: Correct Answer – (b) Any form of government tends to deteriorate by excess of its basic principle.
Explanation – The statement that best reflects the crux of the passage given above is (b) “Any form of government tends to deteriorate by excess of its basic principle.” The passage describes how different forms of government – aristocratic, oligarchic and democratic – can ruin themselves by taking their basic principles to an extreme. For example, democracy can ruin itself “by excess of democracy” when people are not properly equipped by education to select the best rulers and the wisest courses. So the correct answer would be (b) Any form of government tends to deteriorate by excess of its basic principle.
Option (a) states that “Human societies experiment with different forms of governments.” While the passage does mention different forms of government – aristocratic, oligarchic and democratic – it does not explicitly state that human societies experiment with them.
Option © states that “Education of all citizens ensures a perfect, functional and sustainable democracy.” The passage does mention that democracy can become disastrous when people are not properly equipped by education to select the best rulers and the wisest courses. However, it does not state that education of all citizens ensures a perfect, functional and sustainable democracy.
Option (d) states that “Having a government is a necessary evil because tyranny is inherent in any form of government.” The passage does mention that democracy can become tyrannical or autocratic when people are not properly equipped by education to select the best rulers and the wisest courses. However, it does not state that having a government is a necessary evil because tyranny is inherent in any form of government.
So based on the information given in the passage, option (b) “Any form of government tends to deteriorate by excess of its basic principle” best reflects the crux of the passage while options (a), ©, and (d) are not explicitly supported by the text.
