Comprehension
In the domain of education, the current pandemic has made three things clear. It has proved beyond any doubt that we need schools. Irrespective of which country one talks about, students and parents want schools to open and function in full glory, with appropriate precautions. Secondly, it has shown that technology may prove to be useful in education if it is employed thoughtfully. Random surfing of the Internet may lead to a collection of pieces of information that do not add up to any meaning. As Noam Chomsky says, “You cannot pursue any kind of inquiry without a relatively clear framework that is directing your search and helping you choose what is significant and what is not.” Moreover, there cannot be any hegemonic technomanagerial solutions to the linguistic and cultural heterogeneity of students; technology must help us to respect individual, peer group and community needs and aspirations. Thirdly, a convergence of the efforts of the public, civil society and private enterprise will have to take place if we wish technology to meaningfully mediate between school and home, particularly among underprivileged groups.
The concept, structure and functioning of a school/college should not be trivialised in any way. This institution has survived since ancient times in spite of proposals for “de -schooling” of various kinds. It is true that schools to a great extent perpetuate the status quo and, as Ivan Illich observed, encourage “consumerism” and “obedience to authority”; but it is also true that those who produced some of the most revolutionary moments in history, including quantum jumps in knowledge, also went to school. The kind of web of learners Illich imagines may in fact have its roots in schools. There are also people who trivialise schools for the kind of investments they demand in terms of space, buildings, teachers, libraries and labs and other infrastructure.
One thing you never forget is the school you went to, friends you made there and the kind of teachers who taught you; the kind of teachers you loved, the kind you mocked at with friends. You recollect nostalgically the sports and other co-curricular activities you took part in. Some of you may still have preserved your school blazer, trophies and photographs with a sense of joy. It is important to see school holistically; it is not a set of atomic items of rooms, library, assembly halls, canteen and playgrounds; it is all of these but in symbiotic relationship with each other, the contours of which are often far too obvious and often simply mysterious.
The concept, structure and functioning of a school/college should not be trivialised in any way. This institution has survived since ancient times in spite of proposals for “de -schooling” of various kinds. It is true that schools to a great extent perpetuate the status quo and, as Ivan Illich observed, encourage “consumerism” and “obedience to authority”; but it is also true that those who produced some of the most revolutionary moments in history, including quantum jumps in knowledge, also went to school. The kind of web of learners Illich imagines may in fact have its roots in schools. There are also people who trivialise schools for the kind of investments they demand in terms of space, buildings, teachers, libraries and labs and other infrastructure.
One thing you never forget is the school you went to, friends you made there and the kind of teachers who taught you; the kind of teachers you loved, the kind you mocked at with friends. You recollect nostalgically the sports and other co-curricular activities you took part in. Some of you may still have preserved your school blazer, trophies and photographs with a sense of joy. It is important to see school holistically; it is not a set of atomic items of rooms, library, assembly halls, canteen and playgrounds; it is all of these but in symbiotic relationship with each other, the contours of which are often far too obvious and often simply mysterious.
Question: 1
Which one of the following is the author trying to suggest by quoting Noam Chomsky?
Which one of the following is the author trying to suggest by quoting Noam Chomsky?
Updated On: Jul 15, 2026
- Technology shall be used in purposively structured manner in education.
- A relatively clear framework pursues any kind of inquiry.
- Technology helps to choose what is significant and reject what is not significant
- Technology must help us to respect individual, peer group and community needs and aspirations.
Show Solution
Verified By Collegedunia
The Correct Option is A
Approach Solution - 1
The correct Answer is (A):Technology shall be used in purposively structured manner in education.
Was this answer helpful?
0
0
Show Solution
Verified By Collegedunia
Approach Solution -2
This question asks what point the author is making by quoting Noam Chomsky about needing a clear framework to guide any inquiry.
- Technology shall be used in purposively structured manner in education: Chomsky's point is that a search or inquiry needs a clear guiding framework to be meaningful, and the author uses this to argue that technology in education must be applied with a defined purpose and structure rather than left open-ended. This matches the quote's role in the passage.
- A relatively clear framework pursues any kind of inquiry: This restates part of the quote but garbles the logic; it is the framework that guides the inquiry, the framework itself does not "pursue" anything. Because it misstates the relationship, this option does not correctly capture the point.
- Technology helps to choose what is significant and reject what is not significant: This describes what a clear framework does within an inquiry, but it credits technology itself with this function rather than the structured framework the author says technology needs. It shifts the emphasis away from what the author is actually arguing.
- Technology must help us to respect individual, peer group and community needs and aspirations: This is a separate point made elsewhere in the passage, about avoiding one-size-fits-all technological solutions, and is not what the Chomsky quote itself is introduced to support.
The author brings in Chomsky right after warning that random internet surfing produces meaningless information, so the quote is used to argue that technology needs a clear, purposeful structure in education.
Hence, the correct answer is Technology shall be used in purposively structured manner in education.
Was this answer helpful?
0
0
Question: 2
Which of the following is not a premise of author’s argument in favour of need for schools and colleges?
Which of the following is not a premise of author’s argument in favour of need for schools and colleges?
Updated On: Jul 15, 2026
- Schools and colleges provide opportunities for socialization
- The institution of schools and colleges has shown perseverance.
- The current pandemic has proved that students and parents want schools and colleges.
- Random surfing of the internet may lead to a collection of meaningless information.
Show Solution
Verified By Collegedunia
The Correct Option is D
Approach Solution - 1
The correct Answer is (D): Random surfing of the internet may lead to a collection of meaningless information.
Was this answer helpful?
0
0
Show Solution
Verified By Collegedunia
Approach Solution -2
This question asks which option is NOT one of the reasons given in support of the need for schools and colleges.
- Schools and colleges provide opportunities for socialization: The closing part of the passage describes friendships, teachers, sports and shared memories that come from attending school, which supports schools as places of socialization, so this is a premise for their value.
- The institution of schools and colleges has shown perseverance: The passage notes that this institution has survived since ancient times despite various "de-schooling" proposals, which is used as a premise supporting the continuing need for schools.
- The current pandemic has proved that students and parents want schools and colleges: The passage opens by saying the pandemic proved beyond doubt that people everywhere want schools to reopen, which is stated directly as a reason schools remain necessary.
- Random surfing of the internet may lead to a collection of meaningless information: This point appears in the passage, but it is made while discussing technology's limitations, not while arguing for the value of schools and colleges themselves. It supports a separate argument about how technology should be used, so it is not a premise for the need for schools.
Three options draw on reasons given for valuing schools directly, socialization, institutional endurance, and demonstrated demand during the pandemic, while the fourth is about technology's limits and belongs to a different part of the argument.
Hence, the correct answer is Random surfing of the internet may lead to a collection of meaningless information.
Was this answer helpful?
0
0
Question: 3
The expression ‘linguistic and cultural heterogeneity’ as used in the passage means
The expression ‘linguistic and cultural heterogeneity’ as used in the passage means
Updated On: Jul 15, 2026
- Linguistic and cultural unity.
- Linguistic and cultural unity in diversity.
- Linguistic and cultural diversity.
- Linguistic and cultural identity
Show Solution
Verified By Collegedunia
The Correct Option is C
Approach Solution - 1
The correct Answer is (C): Linguistic and cultural diversity.
Was this answer helpful?
0
0
Show Solution
Verified By Collegedunia
Approach Solution -2
This question tests the meaning of "heterogeneity" as used to describe students' linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
- Linguistic and cultural unity: Unity implies sameness or a single shared identity, which is the opposite of what "heterogeneity" describes.
- Linguistic and cultural unity in diversity: This phrase tries to combine both unity and difference, but heterogeneity on its own simply means variety or difference, without implying an underlying unity holding it together.
- Linguistic and cultural diversity: Heterogeneity means being made up of different, varied elements, so applied to students it describes their differing languages and cultural backgrounds. This matches the term directly.
- Linguistic and cultural identity: Identity refers to a single defining character, whereas heterogeneity is about variety among many, so this does not capture the word's meaning.
The term is used while warning against a single technological solution for all students, precisely because their linguistic and cultural backgrounds vary rather than being uniform.
Hence, the correct answer is Linguistic and cultural diversity.
Was this answer helpful?
0
0
Question: 4
Which of the following is not the learning outcome from pandemic?
Which of the following is not the learning outcome from pandemic?
Updated On: Jul 15, 2026
- Parents and students from around the world need schools
- Technology is undoubtedly and absolutely useful in education
- Technology may be used meaningfully to mediate between schools and home among underprivileged groups.
- None of the above.
Show Solution
Verified By Collegedunia
The Correct Option is B
Approach Solution - 1
The correct Answer is (B):Technology is undoubtedly and absolutely useful in education
Was this answer helpful?
0
0
Show Solution
Verified By Collegedunia
Approach Solution -2
This question asks which statement does NOT match what is said about the lesson learned from the pandemic regarding education.
- Parents and students from around the world need schools: This is stated directly as the first lesson: irrespective of country, people want schools open and functioning, so this is a genuine learning outcome.
- Technology is undoubtedly and absolutely useful in education: The actual wording used is careful and conditional, saying technology "may prove useful... if it is employed thoughtfully," not that it is useful without any doubt or condition. Turning that qualified claim into an absolute one changes its meaning, which is why this does not match.
- Technology may be used meaningfully to mediate between schools and home among underprivileged groups: This is stated as the third lesson, describing the need for convergence of public, civil society and private effort for this to happen, so it is a genuine learning outcome.
- None of the above: Since one of the three statements above does not match, "none of the above" cannot be correct.
The actual claim about technology is conditional, useful only when used thoughtfully, rather than the unconditional claim in the second option, which is why that option is the odd one out.
Hence, the correct answer is Technology is undoubtedly and absolutely useful in education.
Was this answer helpful?
0
0
Question: 5
The expression ‘symbiotic relationship’ as used in the passage means
The expression ‘symbiotic relationship’ as used in the passage means
Updated On: Jul 15, 2026
- Mutually inclusive relationship.
- Mutually exclusive relationship.
- Mutually beneficial relationship.
- Both (B) and (C).
Show Solution
Verified By Collegedunia
The Correct Option is C
Approach Solution - 1
The correct Answer is (C): Mutually beneficial relationship.
Was this answer helpful?
0
0
Show Solution
Verified By Collegedunia
Approach Solution -2
This question tests the meaning of "symbiotic" as applied to the different parts of a school working together.
- Mutually inclusive relationship: Mutually inclusive describes things that can occur together without necessarily benefiting each other, which is not the sense intended when describing a school's parts working as one whole.
- Mutually exclusive relationship: Mutually exclusive means the presence of one rules out the other, which is essentially the opposite of what a symbiotic relationship describes.
- Mutually beneficial relationship: Symbiosis is a biological term for two things that benefit from coexisting, and applied to a school's rooms, library, halls and playgrounds, it captures how these parts support and benefit from each other rather than functioning as isolated pieces. This matches the description of a school as more than the sum of its separate parts.
- Both (B) and (C): Since option (B), mutually exclusive, directly contradicts the meaning of symbiotic, combining it with option (C) cannot be correct either.
The school's elements are described as working "in symbiotic relationship with each other," which is a way of saying they support and benefit from one another rather than existing separately or in opposition.
Hence, the correct answer is Mutually beneficial relationship.
Was this answer helpful?
0
0
Top CLAT Questions
- In the realm of contemporary literature, the interplay between character and setting is a nuanced dance that shapes the narrative’s essence. The setting, often described with painstaking detail, becomes more than a backdrop; it becomes a character, influencing the plot and character development.
Consider, for instance, the barren expanse of the desert in Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake. The arid landscape mirrors the sense of isolation felt by the protagonist, Gogol, as he navigates his identity crisis in a foreign land. The relentless sun and vast sands are not mere descriptions; they are the silent witnesses to his inner turmoil.
On the other end of the literary spectrum, there is Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things. The lush, vibrant Kerala backwaters are not just the setting; they are a character woven into the fabric of the story. The teeming, humid landscape reflects the complex web of human relationships and secrets that unravel in the narrative. This interplay is not confined to contemporary literature alone. In Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy Macbeth, the eerie and foreboding setting of the Scottish moors casts a dark shadow over the characters’ actions. The moors, shrouded in mist and mystery, serve as an ever-present omen of the impending tragedy. - The crisis of justice that is the subject matter of discussion in the media today is in fact the crisis of “justice for the middle class”. The main difference between India and the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries is that whereas the middle class in these countries has reasonable access to justice, in India it does not. A vocal and powerful middle class has emerged in India since 1991. It is demanding reasonable access to justice. Much of the judicial reform effort will help meet this demand…
The question of justice for the poor is, however, an altogether different challenge. No country in the world has been able to secure justice for the poor. Most of the jails of the richest countries are filled with the poorest. The “masses” are more often victims of the criminal justice system than of crime. In India as well, jails are almost exclusively filled with the poor. The civil justice system is hardly accessible to them. They are often victimised by lawyers, touts and court staff. They are docket-excluded, a new type of untouchability. The language and the logic—and the colonial and feudal culture—of the judicial system are alien to them. It rarely takes cognisance of their needs and interests.
Their main concern, therefore, is to escape the attention of the justice system, criminal and civil. A landless Dalit person in the interior of Madhya Pradesh once gave me an insightful definition of a court from the perspective of the masses: “A court is a place where you are forcibly taken by the police to be punished; no one goes to a court.” In contrast, many lawyers and judges colloquially define a court as “a temple of justice where rights are protected”.
These sharply divergent visions mean that justice for one section is often injustice for another. Protecting the livelihood of traditional taxi and auto drivers from predatory pricing by corporate app-based taxi providers by imaginatively using the available tools of law to delay their incursion would be seen by the rich and by sections of the middle class as a failure of the judicial system, and possibly as also resulting in a downgrading of the “ease of doing business” measure. However, the masses would see such a judicial intervention as strong evidence of a good justice system. Although the conflict over competing visions of the nation and conflicting demands from social and economic segments have confined judicial reform of judicial administration mainly to “neutral” areas such as process reform, procedural law, technology, planning and court and case management, judge strength, and the workload of judges, there has been considerable improvement in these areas, and the judicial system has improved its performance.
[Extracted, with edits, from “Justice and the Two Ideas of India”, by G. Mohan Gopal, Frontline] - Everything she wanted was here, at Carignano, in Kasauli. Here, on the ridge of the mountain, in this quiet house. It was the place, and the time of life, that she had wanted and prepared for all her life-as she realized on the first day at Carignano, with a great, cool flowering of relief - and at last she had it. She wanted no one and nothing else. Whatever else came, or happened here, would be an unwelcome intrusion and distraction. This she tried to convey to the plodding postman with a cold and piercing stare from the height of the ridge onto his honest bull back. Unfortunately, he did not look up at her on the hilltop but stared stolidly down at the dust piling onto his shoes as he plodded on. A bullock-man, an oafish ox, she thought bitterly. She stepped backwards into the garden and the wind suddenly billowed up and threw the pine branches about as though to curtain her. She was grey, tall and thin and her silk sari made a sweeping, shivering sound and she fancied she could merge with the pine trees and be mistaken for one. To be a tree, no more and no less, was all she was prepared to undertake.
What pleased and satisfied her so, here at Carignano, was its barrenness. This was the chief virtue of all Kasauli of course-its starkness. It had rocks, it had pines, it had light and air. In every direction there was a sweeping view - to the north, of the mountains, to the south, of the plains. Occasionally an eagle swam through this clear unobstructed mass of light and air, that was all. And Carignano, her home on the ridge, had no more than that. Why should it? The sun shone on its white walls. Its windows were open the ones facing north opened on to the blue waves of the Himalayas flowing out and up to the line of ice and snow sketched upon the sky, while those that faced south looked down the plunging cliff to the plain stretching out, flat and sere to the blurred horizon.
Yes, there were some apricot trees close to the house. There were clumps of iris that had finished blooming. There was the kitchen with a wing of smoke lifting out of its chimney and a stack of wood outside its door. But these were incidental, almost unimportant.
[Extracted, with edits and revisions, from “Fire on the Mountain” by Anita Desai] - English literature is a vast and diverse field that has left an indelible mark on the world of letters. From the eloquent plays of William Shakespeare to the complex novels of Jane Austen and the profound poetry of William Wordsworth, English literature offers a window into the human experience. One of the luminaries of English literature is William Shakespeare, often hailed as the greatest playwright in the history of English language. His works, including Hamlet, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet, are celebrated for their exploration of human nature, love, ambition, and tragedy. His characters, such as the tormented Hamlet and the star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet, continue to captivate readers and audiences worldwide.
The 19th century ushered in a new era of literary giants. Jane Austen’s novels, such as Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, provide incisive social commentary through the lens of wit and romance. Austen’s heroines, like Elizabeth Bennet and Elinor Dashwood, remain beloved literary figures known for their intelligence and resilience. The Romantic era brought forth poets like William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who celebrated * 8 UG the beauty of nature and the emotional intensity of the individual. Wordsworth’s ‘‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’’ and Coleridge’s ‘‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’’ are testament to the power of the written words to evoke profound emotions and imagery. Moving towards 20th century, English literature continued to evolve. Virginia Woolf’s ground-breaking novel Mrs. Dalloway explored the inner thoughts and lives of its characters with a modernist narrative style. Dystopian visions, as seen in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four provided stark warnings about the dangers of totalitarianism and the erosion of individual freedom.
Today, English literature is a global phenomenon, transcending borders and languages. Indian authors like Arundhati Roy, with her novel The God of Small Things, have won prestigious international literary awards. The book not only explores intricate family dynamics but also delves into the broader socio-political landscape of India. In summary, English literature is a testament to the enduring power of storytelling and the written word. It encompasses an array of authors, themes, and styles that continue to captivate and inspire readers across the world. - On the evening of the 10th, General Dyer arrived at Amritsar, and the Deputy-Commissioner handed over the civil power to him. He issued a proclamation by word of mouth that no meetings should be held. Two days later, after there had been no sort of riot, nor murder, General Dyer heard that a meeting was to be held at the Jallianwala Bagh. He proceeded there with about fifty troops, half British, half Indian, and a certain number of Ghurkas, armed with their kukris. The Jallianwala Bagh is an open space, half a mile square, which has one entry wide enough for three persons. The troops got in and lined up on a mound of debris. The walls, seven feet high, and the surrounding houses enclosed the people. There were, too, three alleys through which the people might have been able to pass. Within thirty seconds of the troops getting in, General Dyer gave orders to fire, and the crowd of people, estimated at anything from 5,000 to 20,000, who were sitting on the ground peacefully listening to the mob oratory, were fired on. The result of the troops’ fire into the mass of people we do not know. But we do know that Dyer’s own estimate of the casualties resulting from ten minutes continual individual firing, was 400 to 500 killed and 1,500 wounded. The people were not able to escape. They were people who had not offered any violence and who had not been warned. These people were shot down. After ten minutes, the ammunition was exhausted and the troops marched off, and they left 1,500 wounded there. There were men lying there for two days, dying of thirst, eating the ground, bleeding to death and nobody to look after them. Those who lived nearby came and carried away some of the wounded from the heap of dead and dying, but the unfortunate country people died there miserably of their wounds. This is what is done in 1919 in British India…
Centuries hence you will find Indian children brought up to this spot, just as they visit now the Cawnpore Well, and you can imagine the feelings of these Indians for generations over this terrible business.
[Col. Wedgwood, MP, speaking in the British Parliament, 22 December 1919]
View More Questions