Question:
Given below is a statement followed by two arguments. Read carefully and decide which of the arguments strongly support the statement.
Statement: Should the age of marriage be raised to 25 years for boys and 21 for girls?
Arguments:
(i) No, it is difficult to change a social practice in Indian conditions.
(ii) Yes, by that age people develop a sense of responsibility and also complete their education.
Given below is a statement followed by two arguments. Read carefully and decide which of the arguments strongly support the statement.
Statement: Should the age of marriage be raised to 25 years for boys and 21 for girls?
Arguments:
(i) No, it is difficult to change a social practice in Indian conditions.
(ii) Yes, by that age people develop a sense of responsibility and also complete their education.
Statement: Should the age of marriage be raised to 25 years for boys and 21 for girls?
Arguments:
(i) No, it is difficult to change a social practice in Indian conditions.
(ii) Yes, by that age people develop a sense of responsibility and also complete their education.
Show Hint
Saying a change is hard to bring about is not the same as saying the change is bad. Check which argument actually speaks to whether the higher age is worth having.
Updated On: Jul 17, 2026
- Argument (i) is strong.
- Argument (ii) is strong.
- Both (i) and (ii) are strong.
- Neither (i) nor (ii) is strong.
Show Solution
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The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Understanding the Question:
The proposal is to raise the legal age of marriage to 25 for boys and 21 for girls. The arguments must be judged on whether they show the proposal is desirable or undesirable.
Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
Separate two different questions. One is whether a change is good. The other is whether the change is easy to bring about. An argument that only says the change is hard does not touch the question of whether it should be made, so it is weak. An argument that names a real benefit of the change is strong.
Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
Argument (i) says social practice is hard to change in Indian conditions. Difficulty is not a reason against doing something worth doing. If it were, no reform would ever be attempted, and India would still have had many practices that law has since ended. The argument also confuses effort with merit, which is the classic mark of a weak argument. It gives no reason why an older marriage age would be a bad thing. Weak.
Argument (ii) says people develop a sense of responsibility by that age and also finish their education. Both parts are real gains. Marriage brings duties towards a spouse, a household and later children, and greater maturity makes those duties easier to carry. Finishing education first protects a young person's career and independence, and it is exactly what early marriage tends to cut short. Since the two benefits flow straight from the higher age being proposed, the argument is strong.
Only argument (ii) survives.
Step 4: Why the other options fail:
Option (A) treats mere difficulty of implementation as a reason against the proposal.
Option (C) needs both, and (i) does not address desirability at all.
Option (D) rejects (ii) although maturity and completed education are real and direct benefits of a later marriage age.
Step 5: Final Answer:
Argument (ii) alone is strong, so the answer is option (B).
The proposal is to raise the legal age of marriage to 25 for boys and 21 for girls. The arguments must be judged on whether they show the proposal is desirable or undesirable.
Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
Separate two different questions. One is whether a change is good. The other is whether the change is easy to bring about. An argument that only says the change is hard does not touch the question of whether it should be made, so it is weak. An argument that names a real benefit of the change is strong.
Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
Argument (i) says social practice is hard to change in Indian conditions. Difficulty is not a reason against doing something worth doing. If it were, no reform would ever be attempted, and India would still have had many practices that law has since ended. The argument also confuses effort with merit, which is the classic mark of a weak argument. It gives no reason why an older marriage age would be a bad thing. Weak.
Argument (ii) says people develop a sense of responsibility by that age and also finish their education. Both parts are real gains. Marriage brings duties towards a spouse, a household and later children, and greater maturity makes those duties easier to carry. Finishing education first protects a young person's career and independence, and it is exactly what early marriage tends to cut short. Since the two benefits flow straight from the higher age being proposed, the argument is strong.
Only argument (ii) survives.
Step 4: Why the other options fail:
Option (A) treats mere difficulty of implementation as a reason against the proposal.
Option (C) needs both, and (i) does not address desirability at all.
Option (D) rejects (ii) although maturity and completed education are real and direct benefits of a later marriage age.
Step 5: Final Answer:
Argument (ii) alone is strong, so the answer is option (B).
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