Directions (Q. 1 – 20): Each question given below is followed by two arguments numbered I and II. You have to decide which of the arguments is a ‘strong’ argument and which is a ‘weak’ argument.
Give answer (a) if only argument I is strong
(b) if only argument II is strong
(c) if either I or II is strong
(d) if neither I nor II is strong; and
(e) if both I and II are strong.
1. Statement: Should a total ban be put on trapping wild animals?
Arguments: I. Yes. Trappers are making a lot of money.
II. No. Bans on hunting and trapping are not effective.
2. Statement: Should military service be made compulsory in our country?
Arguments: I. No. It is against the policy of non-violence.
II. Yes. Every citizen should protect his country.
3. Statement: Should all the remote parts of a country be connected by road?
Arguments: I. No. It will disturb peaceful simple life of the villagers.
II. Yes.It must be done immediately.
4. Statement: Should government jobs in rural areas have more incentives?
Arguments: I. Yes. Incentives are essential for attracting government servants there.
II. No. Rural areas are already cheaper, healthier and less complex than big towns. So, why offer extra incentives!
5. Statement: Should religion be taught in our schools?
Arguments: I. No.Ours is a secular state.
II. Yes. Teaching religion helps inculcate moral values among children.
6. Statement: Should non-vegetarian food be totally banned in our country?
Arguments: I. Yes. It is expensive and therefore beyond the means of
most people in our country.
II. No. Nothing should be banned in a democratic country.
7. Statement: Should films be included in the Concurrent List?
Arguments: I. Yes. It will give respect to the views of the states.
II. No. It will deteriorate the standards of films.
8. Statement: Should there be only one university throughout
India?
Arguments: I. Yes. This is the only way to bring about uniformity in educational standards.
II. No. This is administratively impossible.
9. Statement: Should mercy death be legalised?
Arguments: I. Yes. Patients undergoing terrible suffering and having
absolutely no chance of recovery should be liberated from suffering through mercydeath.
II. No. Even mercy death is a sort of killing and killing can never be legalised.
10. Statement: Should there be a world government?
Arguments: I. Yes. It will help in eliminating tensions among
the nations.
II. No. Then only the developed countries will dominate in the government.
11. Statement: Can pollution be controlled?
Arguments: I. Yes. If every one realizes the hazard if may create and
cooperates to be rid of it, pollution may be controlled.
II. No. The crowded highways, factories and industries and an ever-growing population eager to acquire more and more land for
constructing houses are beyond control.
12. Statement: Should there be no place for interview in selection?
Arguments: I. Yes. It is very subjective in assessment.
II. No. It is the only instrument to judge the candidates’ motives and personality.
13. Statement: Should private companies be allowed to operate air
services in India?
Arguments: I. Yes. Indian private managements usually give better
services.
II. No. We should not ape the western countries.
14. Statement: Should computers be used in all possible sectors in India?
Arguments: I. Yes. It will bring efficiency and accuracy in the work.
II. No. It will be an injustice to the monumental human resources which are at present under utilised.
15. Statement: Should India go in for computerisation in industry?
Arguments:I. No.Computerisationdemands a lot of money. We should not
waste money on it.
II. Yes. When advanced countries are introducing computers in various
areas, how can we afford to lag behind?
16. Statement: Should so much money be spent on games and sports?
Arguments: I. Yes. We are a rich nation and can easily spare any
amount of money for games and sports.
II. No. Our teams are unable to put up a good show in international competitions.
17. Statement: Should workers be allowed to participate in the management of factories in India?
Arguments: I. Yes. It is the present management theory.
II. No. Many workers are illiterate and, so, their contributions will not be of any value.
18. Statement: Should women be provided more job opportunities?
Arguments: I. No. They are entrusted with household world.
II. Yes. They should also go into the outside world.
KEY
1 –d, 2 – d, 3 – d, 4 – e, 5 – b, 6 – d, 7 –d, 8 – b, 9 – e, 10 – e,
11 – e,12 – e, 13 – a, 14 – e, 15 – d, 16 – d, 17 – d, 18 – b.
Answers with Explanations
1 – d, None is strong. If trappers make money, they should not be stopped solely on this ground. And if bans are not effective, then care should be taken to enforce them strictly instead of not banning at all.
2 – d, If non-violence is that strong a principle then we should not have any army either?! Second argument lacks proper relation. None is strong.
3 – d, None is strong. I is rejected because it may not happen. II is rejected because it is too simple and does not have argumentative
substance.
4 – e, Both are strong. Incentives do lure people. Second is also an established fact.
5 – b, Second is strong. First is not very clear. If the state is secular, it means it is against religious bias but not against religion as such. Second is in consonance with the prevailing notions of truth.
6 – d, Both are weak. It is for the people to decide whether they want to eat, expensive food. A ban should not be enforced upon them. Second is weak because if is not an acceptable truth. Nobody has said that “democratic” means a country where nothing could be banned, however, harmful it was.
7 –d, Both are weak. First is weak as it is not sure that including films in concurrent list would give respect to people’s views. Second will not follow, hence it is weak.
8 – b, Second is strong. First is weak because it is not correct. Second is perhaps correct,
on logical thinking.
9 – e, Both are strong. They mention a positive and a negative feature of mercy death; both these features are desirable/ harmful
respectively and both are related with important aspects of the topic of mercy death.
10 – e, Both are strong. On logical thinking both look probable, both are desirable and both touch significant aspects of the issue.
11 – e, Both are strong. Although both arguments contradict each other, yet both are based upon sound assumptions or facts and hence, independently, both are strong.
12 – e, I is strong as a subjective mode of selection is not desirable. II is of course, right.
13 – a, First is strong as it is based upon an established fact. Second is based upon example; hence it is a weak argument.
14 – e, Both are strong. Using computer does have the positive feature as mentioned in I but the negative feature as mentioned in II.
15 – d, None is strong. We do not ‘waste’ money if we invest in computers. The second is based upon example.
16 – d, None is strong. It is not true that we are a rich nation. Similarly, the reasons mentioned in the second are not sufficient
to put a stop on money-spending.
17 – d, None is strong. First is based upon example. Second says that many workers are illiterate. What about the remaining ones who are illiterate and whose suggestions will be of some value?
18 – b, Second is strong. First is not because it is not a sufficient reason to withhold them from going out.