Para Summary Quiz Question - 6

  An individual is free and autonomous only because of the collective decisions taken after democratic debate, notably those decisions that guarantee each person access to public goods such as education, health care, etc. Some sense of social solidarity may remain, but it is so abstract that those for whom the wheel of fortune has spun so favourably feel little debt. They believe that they owe their status purely to merit, not to the collective efforts-state-funded schools, universities, etc. – that enabled them to realize their potential.

(a)   Individual success and autonomy are a result of the ability to exploit the system put together through collective efforts with a sense of social solidarity.

(b)   The decisions that guarantee each person access to public goods are collective in nature, and individual merit is a myth.

(c)    Individuals owe their success and autonomy to collective decisions and efforts that guarantee access to public goods like schools and universities.

(d)     Individual success and autonomy are a result of the systems made through collective efforts that guarantee each person access to these systems.

(e)   Individuals are free and autonomous only as far as they realize that they owe their success to collective decisions made with a sense of social solidarity.

Answer & Explaination

Ans.(c)

Sol. The gist of the paragraph is: The principle social solidarity through democratic debates establishes education, healthcare etc. accessible to individuals. Individuals exploit this system (schools, universities) and become successful. But they feel that their success is due to individual merit. Option (D) summarizes this best within the constraints of a précis. Option  (A) is a distortion in “exploit.” Option (B) is a distortion in “myth.” Option (D) is correct but option (C) is better as it specifies “owe their success” rather than “a result of.” Option (E) is not structured well and is vague.