Q1-3. Instructions : Read the passage carefully and answer the THREE questions that follow.
What does a good life look like to you? For some, the phrase may conjure up images of a close-knit family, a steady job, and a Victorian house at the end of a street arched with oak trees. Others may focus on the goal of making a difference in the world, whether by working as a nurse or teacher, volunteering, or pouring their energy into environmental activism. According to Aristotlean theory, the first kind of life would be classified as “hedonic”—one based on pleasure, comfort, stability, and strong social relationships. The second is“eudaimonic,” primarily concerned with the sense of purpose and fulfilment one gets by contributing to the greater good. The ancient Greek philosopher outlined these ideas in his treatise Nicomachean Ethics, and the psychological sciences have pretty much stuck with them ever since when discussing the possibilities of what people might want out of their time on Earth. But a new paper, published in the American Psychological Association’s Psychological Review, suggests there’s another way to live a good life. It isn’t focused on happiness or purpose, but rather it’s a life that’s “psychologically rich.”
What is a psychologically rich life? According to authors Shige Oishi, a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia, and Erin Westgate, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Florida, it’s one characterized by “interesting experiences in which novelty and/or complexity are accompanied by profound changes in perspective.” Studying abroad, for example, is one way that college students often introduce psychological richness into their lives. As they learn more about a new country’s customs and history, they’re often prompted to reconsider the social mores of their own cultures. Deciding to embark on a difficult new career path or immersing one’s self in avant-garde art(the paper gives a specific shout-out to James Joyce’s Ulysses) also could make a person feel as if their life is more psychologically rich.
Crucially, an experience doesn’t have to be fun in order to qualify as psychologically enriching. It might even be a hardship. Living through war or a natural disaster might make it hard to feel as though you’re living a particularly happy or purposeful life, but you can still come out of the experience with psychological richness. Or you might encounter less dramatic but nonetheless painful events: infertility, chronic illness, unemployment. Regardless of the specifics, you may experience suffering but still find value in how your experience shapes your understanding of yourself and the world around you.
1. Which of the following statements BEST contrasts Hedonic from Eudaimonic?
A Hedonic focuses on the emptiness from seeking pleasure, while Eudaimonic focuses onthe fulfilment by giving pleasure to others
B Hedonic focuses on what gives pleasure to self, while Eudaimonic focuses on what he/she believes benefits the society
C Hedonic believes that pleasure leads to fulfilment while Eudaimonic believes that fulfilment leads to pleasure
D Hedonic believes in seeking pleasure while Eudaimonic focuses on depriving oneself of pleasure
E Hedonic focuses on pleasure to self while Eudaimonic focuses on pleasure to the other
EXPLANATION
B
‘…According to Aristotlean theory, the first kind of life would be classified as “hedonic”—one based on pleasure, comfort, stability, and strong social relationships. The second is“eudaimonic,” primarily concerned with the sense of purpose and fulfilment one gets by contributing to the greater good..’
From the above lines of the passage, it can be inferred that Hedonic focused on pleasure and comfort, while Eudaimonic focused more on their contribution to the greater good.
Options A, C, and D are distorted inferences and can be easily eliminated.
Option E is a close answer, but the greater good has a broader scope than just giving pleasure to others.
Option B is the right option, as it describes the difference most aptly.
2. Which of the following statements BEST defines a “psychologically rich life”?
A A life that offers interesting experiences that makes you question what life is
B Any novel experience that affects us cognitively makes us psychologically rich
C A life that is filled with learning opportunities that makes us an expert in a particular area
D A life that is filled with novel experiences which changes our view of what a good life is
E A life where novel experiences result in a fundamental change to our existing views
EXPLANATION
E
‘… it’s one characterized by “interesting experiences in which novelty and/or complexity are accompanied by profound changes in perspective.”‘
In the context of the passage,a “psychologically rich life” refers to a life in which different experiences lead to a change of perspective of our views.
Option E describes this meaning in the most accurate manner.
3. Which of the following statements can be BEST concluded from the passage?
A A psychologically rich life is a good life.
B A bad experience can enrich someone psychologically.
C An unpleasant experience can enable a good life.
D A good life should not be seen in binary terms.
E Life need not be good, but can still be psychologically rich
EXPLANATION
C
Given the elements discussed in the passage, identifying the conclusion can be quite tricky, perhaps even causing inextricable confusion. A way around this would be to trace the dominant ideas discussed here – at the
centre of the discussion lies the question: “What qualifies as a good life?”. The author presents two perspectives that have been considered so far – hedonic [happiness] and eudaimonic [purpose]. A third way to view this question is then presented – a standpoint with “psychological richness” at its core. The author
elaborates on this concept and emphasises that positive and negative experiences can be labelled as psychologically rich. He then builds on this idea, conveying that even bad experiences can help a person lead a good life [this appears to be the primary conclusion mainly because it ties in with the question that the author poses at the beginning of the discussion]. Option C correctly presents this.
Option A: The statement here is assertive – a better version would be: “A psychologically rich life can/could be a good life.” Furthermore, this is not necessarily the primary conclusion since it misses out on a portion of the
discussion presented towards the end.
Option B: While true, the author uses this point to answer the question posed at the beginning; thus, this is an ancillary idea and not the primary conclusion.
Option D: The author presents a third alternative; however, he doesn’t seek to merely underline that “a good life should not be seen in binary terms.” [there is more to the passage than this – the author builds on the idea of psychological richness]
Option E: This is not implied in the passage and, thus, can be rejected.
Q4-6. Instructions : Read the passage carefully and answer the THREE questions that follow.
What Arendt does for us is to remind us that our “publicness” is as important to our flourishing as our sociability and our privacy. She draws a distinction between what it means to act “socially” and what is means to act “politically.” The social realm for Arendt is both the context where all our basic survival needs “are permitted to appear in public” and also the realm of “behaviour.” One of the things she fears about modern societies is that society – focused on how we behave and what we will permit for ourselves and others – becomes the realm of conformism. This is worrying not just because we don’t really get vibrant societies out of conformism and sameness, but also, Arendt says because there is a risk that we think this is all there is to our living together. We lose ourselves in the tasks of managing behaviour and forget that our true public task is to act, and to distinguish ourselves in doing so. The risk, says Arendt, is therefore that we confuse behaviour with action , that in modern liberal societies “behaviour replaces action as the foremost mode of human relationship.” This confusion can happen in any area of our modern lives and institutions, secular or faith-based.
None is immune.
Arendt wants to drive home the point that the healthy public life requires that we do not just see ourselves as social actors but also as fully public persons, committed to judging and acting as members of a common world we want to inhabit and pass on. Arendt tells us that public action is action in which we stand out, are individuated, become in some way excellent in a manner that is of service to others and a greater good. This is the space where we take risks, subject our common life to scrutiny, seek justice (that sometimes requires us to transgress what seem like accepted laws) in order to be increasingly open to the claims and needs of other humans – ones who are not our household and our kin.
4. According to the passage, who can be BEST categorised as a “public person”?
A An NGO employee who was tasked to lead a campaign against tribal land acquisition.
B A wildlife photographer who highlighted the plight of poverty-stricken migrants by posting their pictures.
C An online fraud victim who ran a campaign against online fraudsters.
D A parent who organized protests against the random fee hike by a local school.
E A local politician who filed RTI applications to unearth financial scams by a village panchayat.
EXPLANATION
.B
Options C and D are incorrect as they seek justice for their cause. Option A and E are incorrect as they are paid for what they do. In option B, a wildlife photographer posts pictures of migrants and seeks justice for the public.
Therefore, he is considered as a public person.
Answer is option B.
5. Based on the passage, which of the following options BEST describes “public action”?
A Acting based on our core beliefs while being mindful of what society thinks
B Acting for a just cause regardless of what society thinks about it
C Acting in a way that is perceived to be anti-social
D Acting based on our conviction regardless of what society thinks
E Acting in a way that is seen as acceptable to the society
EXPLANATION
B
Public action as mentioned in the passage is ‘the space where we take risks, subject our common life to scrutiny, seek justice (that sometimes requires us to transgress what seem like accepted laws) in order to be increasingly open to the claims and needs of other humans’. Option B conveys the given point in the passage.
Answer is option B.
6. Which of the following is the BEST reason for focusing on behaviour instead of acting in public?
A We are dependent on each other, leading to focus on what is accepted by others
B Our fear of being called out on our imperfect thoughts leads us to behave
C Our focus is to survive and not to flourish
D To survive is not to distinguish ourselves from others
E The foundation of any vibrant society is based on cooperation and not confrontation
EXPLANATION
A
As we live together, we are socially dependent and we focus on the way how people accept us.
Answer is option A
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