Read the following passage and answer the item that follows. Your answer to this item should be based on the…
Read the following passage and answer the item that follows. Your answer to this item should be based on the passage only.
Passage:
Inequality violates a basic democratic norm: the equal standing of citizens. Equality is a relation that obtains between persons in respect of some fundamental characteristic that they share in common. Equality is, morally speaking, a default principle. Therefore, persons should not be discriminated on grounds such as race, caste, gender, ethnicity, disability, or class. These feature of human condition are morally irrelevant. The idea that one should treat persons with respect not only because some of these persons some special features or talent, for example skilled cricketers, gifted musicians, or literary giants, but because persons are human being, is by now part of commonsense morality.
With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
1. Equality is a prerequisite for people to participate in the multiple transactions of society from a position of confidence.
2. Occurrence of inequality is detrimental to the survival of democracy.
3. Equal standing of all citizens is an idea that cannot actually be realised even in a democracy.
4. Right to equality should be incorporated into our values and day-to-day political vocabulary.
Which of the above assumptions are valid?
1 and 2 only
2 and 3 only
1 and 4 only
3 and 4 only
Solution
Statement 1 is valid: since the passage talks about removal of inequalities, it assumes equality is a prerequisite for confident social participation. Statement 2 is valid: the passage links inequality to violation of democratic norms, so its occurrence threatens democracy. Statement 3 is invalid as it is counterintuitive to the theme. Statement 4 is invalid: it is a recommendation, not an assumption. Hence option (a).