Read the following passage and answer the item that follows. Your answers to this item should be based on the passage only. There has been a significant trend worldwide towards regionalism in government, resulting in a widespread transfer of powers downwards towards regions and communities since 1990s. This process, which involves the creation of new political entities and bodies at a sub-national level and an increase in their content and powers, is known as devolution. Devolution has been characterized as being made up of three factors-political legitimacy, decentralization of authority and decentralization of resources. Political legitimacy here means a mass demand from below for the decentralization process, which is able to create a political force for it to take place. In many cases, decentralization is initiated by the upper tier of government without sufficient political mobilization for it at the grassroots level, and in such cases the decentralization process often does not fulfill its objectives. Which among the following is the most logical, rational and critical inference that can be made from the above passage?

Read the following passage and answer the item that follows. Your answers to this item should be based on the passage only. There has been a significant trend worldwide towards regionalism in government, resulting in a widespread transfer of powers downwards towards regions and communities since 1990s. This process, which involves the creation of new political entities and bodies at a sub-national level and an increase in their content and powers, is known as devolution. Devolution has been characterized as being made up of three factors-political legitimacy, decentralization of authority and decentralization of resources. Political legitimacy here means a mass demand from below for the decentralization process, which is able to create a political force for it to take place. In many cases, decentralization is initiated by the upper tier of government without sufficient political mobilization for it at the grassroots level, and in such cases the decentralization process often does not fulfill its objectives. Which among the following is the most logical, rational and critical inference that can be made from the above passage? Correct Answer    Devolution, to be successful, requires a democracy in which there is free expression of the will of the people at lower level and their active participation at the grassroots level.

The correct answer is Devolution, to be successful, requires a democracy in which there is free expression of the will of the people at lower level and their active participation at the grassroots level.

Key Points

  • Let's learn the meanings of these terms to understand this passage better:
  • Devolution the transfer or delegation of power to a lower level, especially by the central government to the local or regional administration.
    Decentralization the transfer of control of an activity or organization to several local offices or authorities rather than one single one.
    Political Legitimacy In political science, legitimacy is the right and acceptance of an authority, usually a governing law or a regime, and it is considered a basic condition for governing, without which a government will suffer legislative deadlock(s) and collapse.
    Political Mobilization  It refers to activities that intend to motivate masses of organized or unorganized participants to express themselves and to undertake a particular political action to accomplish political aims.
  • The whole passage revolves around the idea of Devolution and how the factors -political legitimacy, decentralization of authority, and decentralization of resources are important to make it successful.
  • Although, the last line of the passage states about the general scenario of the devolution that how in many cases, devolution is initiated by the upper tier of government without any proper political mobilization at the mass level, which leads to its failure.
  • From the above lines, we can infer that- Devolution, to be successful, requires a democracy in which there is free expression of the will of the people at lower level and their active participation at the grassroots level.

​​Hence, option 3 is the correct choice

Related Questions

A passage is given with five questions following it. Read the passage carefully and select the best answer to each question out of the given fouralternatives. Just as space permeates everything in the universe, love permeates every part, every aspect of creation. If there is one answer to the question, “How and why doesthis world exist?” the answer, in one word, is Love. Rather, the answer is Pure Love, since the word love has lost its meaning. Your very existence is an expression of pure unconditional love of the Source (you may call it Consciousness, Creator, God, Divine Self). This is the truth of your being.True love transcends both love and hatred. It is unconditional, unquestioning, boundless, unchanging love. It is overflowing love of the Source for the Source throughall of creation. True love is way beyond the personalized love that two or more individuals assert on one another. Personalized love, though apparently selfless, is rooted in desiresand conditional satisfaction. We have been brought up in a society that judges love based on conditions. We have been made to believe that we can receive love only when we fit into peoplesexpectations. If we are not good enough, we will be deprived of love. These beliefs have influenced the collective psyche of families, groups, communities, and societies since generations to such an extent that love has been reduced tofear of denial. We need to shift from the paradigm of false conditional love to the essence of pure unconditional love . The experience of true love comes with surrender of the false I, in letting go of the feeling of separateness. Without this sacrifice, it is not possible to attain divinelove. When this separate I is discarded, you embrace everything in oneness and catch a glimpse of pure love. True love can be experienced only through giving, not by demanding. People who exist in your life are not here to love you. They are here to remind you that you arethe Source of Love. By knowing that you are the Source of love, you can love yourself, instead of waiting to receive love from the world. Ask yourself, “Why do I need an agent to love myself?” Waiting for the world to love you, is like hiring an agent to love yourself! It is time for you to honor yourself as the Source of love. You have undertaken this human journey to realize and express the boundless love that you truly are. What does source refers to in the last line of the second para of the passage?
A passage is given with five questions following it. Read the passage carefully and select the best answer to each question out of the given fouralternatives. Just as space permeates everything in the universe, love permeates every part, every aspect of creation. If there is one answer to the question, “How and why doesthis world exist?” the answer, in one word, is Love. Rather, the answer is Pure Love, since the word love has lost its meaning. Your very existence is an expression of pure unconditional love of the Source (you may call it Consciousness, Creator, God, Divine Self). This is the truth of your being.True love transcends both love and hatred. It is unconditional, unquestioning, boundless, unchanging love. It is overflowing love of the Source for the Source throughall of creation. True love is way beyond the personalized love that two or more individuals assert on one another. Personalized love, though apparently selfless, is rooted in desiresand conditional satisfaction. We have been brought up in a society that judges love based on conditions. We have been made to believe that we can receive love only when we fit into peoplesexpectations. If we are not good enough, we will be deprived of love. These beliefs have influenced the collective psyche of families, groups, communities, and societies since generations to such an extent that love has been reduced tofear of denial. We need to shift from the paradigm of false conditional love to the essence of pure unconditional love . The experience of true love comes with surrender of the false I, in letting go of the feeling of separateness. Without this sacrifice, it is not possible to attain divinelove. When this separate I is discarded, you embrace everything in oneness and catch a glimpse of pure love. True love can be experienced only through giving, not by demanding. People who exist in your life are not here to love you. They are here to remind you that you arethe Source of Love. By knowing that you are the Source of love, you can love yourself, instead of waiting to receive love from the world. Ask yourself, “Why do I need an agent to love myself?” Waiting for the world to love you, is like hiring an agent to love yourself! It is time for you to honor yourself as the Source of love. You have undertaken this human journey to realize and express the boundless love that you truly are. According to the passage, which of the following statement is not TRUE?
A passage is given with five questions following it. Read the passage carefully and select the best answer to each question out of the given fouralternatives. Just as space permeates everything in the universe, love permeates every part, every aspect of creation. If there is one answer to the question, “How and why doesthis world exist?” the answer, in one word, is Love. Rather, the answer is Pure Love, since the word love has lost its meaning. Your very existence is an expression of pure unconditional love of the Source (you may call it Consciousness, Creator, God, Divine Self). This is the truth of your being.True love transcends both love and hatred. It is unconditional, unquestioning, boundless, unchanging love. It is overflowing love of the Source for the Source throughall of creation. True love is way beyond the personalized love that two or more individuals assert on one another. Personalized love, though apparently selfless, is rooted in desiresand conditional satisfaction. We have been brought up in a society that judges love based on conditions. We have been made to believe that we can receive love only when we fit into peoplesexpectations. If we are not good enough, we will be deprived of love. These beliefs have influenced the collective psyche of families, groups, communities, and societies since generations to such an extent that love has been reduced tofear of denial. We need to shift from the paradigm of false conditional love to the essence of pure unconditional love . The experience of true love comes with surrender of the false I, in letting go of the feeling of separateness. Without this sacrifice, it is not possible to attain divinelove. When this separate I is discarded, you embrace everything in oneness and catch a glimpse of pure love. True love can be experienced only through giving, not by demanding. People who exist in your life are not here to love you. They are here to remind you that you arethe Source of Love. By knowing that you are the Source of love, you can love yourself, instead of waiting to receive love from the world. Ask yourself, “Why do I need an agent to love myself?” Waiting for the world to love you, is like hiring an agent to love yourself! It is time for you to honor yourself as the Source of love. You have undertaken this human journey to realize and express the boundless love that you truly are. According to the passage, whom to honour as the source of love?
A passage is given with five questions following it. Read the passage carefully and select the best answer to each question out of the given fouralternatives. Just as space permeates everything in the universe, love permeates every part, every aspect of creation. If there is one answer to the question, “How and why doesthis world exist?” the answer, in one word, is Love. Rather, the answer is Pure Love, since the word love has lost its meaning. Your very existence is an expression of pure unconditional love of the Source (you may call it Consciousness, Creator, God, Divine Self). This is the truth of your being.True love transcends both love and hatred. It is unconditional, unquestioning, boundless, unchanging love. It is overflowing love of the Source for the Source throughall of creation. True love is way beyond the personalized love that two or more individuals assert on one another. Personalized love, though apparently selfless, is rooted in desiresand conditional satisfaction. We have been brought up in a society that judges love based on conditions. We have been made to believe that we can receive love only when we fit into peoplesexpectations. If we are not good enough, we will be deprived of love. These beliefs have influenced the collective psyche of families, groups, communities, and societies since generations to such an extent that love has been reduced tofear of denial. We need to shift from the paradigm of false conditional love to the essence of pure unconditional love . The experience of true love comes with surrender of the false I, in letting go of the feeling of separateness. Without this sacrifice, it is not possible to attain divinelove. When this separate I is discarded, you embrace everything in oneness and catch a glimpse of pure love. True love can be experienced only through giving, not by demanding. People who exist in your life are not here to love you. They are here to remind you that you arethe Source of Love. By knowing that you are the Source of love, you can love yourself, instead of waiting to receive love from the world. Ask yourself, “Why do I need an agent to love myself?” Waiting for the world to love you, is like hiring an agent to love yourself! It is time for you to honor yourself as the Source of love. You have undertaken this human journey to realize and express the boundless love that you truly are. Which of the following statement(s) is/are TRUE about pure love?
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Read the following passage and answer the item that follows. Your answers to this item should be based on the passage only. Many farmers use synthetic pesticides to kill infesting insects. The consumption of pesticides in some of the developed countries is touching 3000 grams/hectare. Unfortunately, there are reports that these compounds possess inherent toxicities that endanger the health of the farm operators, consumers and the environment. Synthetic pesticides are generally persistent in environment. Entering in food chain they destroy the microbial diversity and cause ecological imbalance. Their indiscriminate use has resulted in development of resistance among insects to insecticides, upsetting of balance in nature and resources of treated populations. Natural pest control using the botanical pesticides is safer to the user and the environment because they break down into harmless compounds within hours or days in the presence of sunlight. Plants with pesticidal properties have been in nature for millions of years without any ill or adverse effects on the ecosystem. They are easily decomposed by many microbes common in most soils. They help in the maintenance of biological diversity of predators and human health hazards. Botanical pesticides formulated from plants are biodegradable and their use in crop protection is a practical sustainable alternative. On the basis of the above passage, the following assumptions have been made: 1. Synthetic pesticides should never be used in modern agriculture. 2. One of the aims of sustainable agriculture is to ensure minimal ecological imbalance. 3. Botanical pesticides are more effective as compared to synthetic pesticides. Which of the assumptions given above is/are correct?