Comprehension
Read the following passage and answer the questions:
"There are several factors that contribute to wisdom. Of these I should put first a sense of proportion; the capacity to take account of all the important factors in a problem and to attach to each its due weight. This has become more difficult than it used to be owing to the extent and complexity of the specialized knowledge required of various kinds of technicians. Suppose, for example, that you are engaged in research in scientific medicine. The work is difficult and is likely to absorb the whole of your intellectual energy. You have no time to consider the effect which your discoveries or invention may have outside the field of medicine. You succeed (let us say), as modern medicine has succeeded, in enormously lowering the infant death-rate, not only in Europe and America, but also in Asia and Africa. This has the entirely unintended result of making the food supply inadequate and lowering the standard of life in the most populous parts of the world. To take aneven more spectacular example, which is in everybody's mind at the present time- you study the composition of the atom from a disinterested desire for knowledge and incidentally place in the hands of powerful lunatics the means of destroying the human race. In such ways the pursuit of knowledge may become harmful unless it is combined with wisdom; and wisdom in the sense of comprehensive vision is not necessarily present in specialists in the pursuit of knowledge. Comprehensiveness alone, however, is not enough to constitute wisdom. There must be, also, certain awareness of ends of human life. This may be illustrated by the study of history. Many eminent historians have done more harm than good because they viewed facts through the distorting medium of their own passions. Hegel had a philosophy of history which did not suffer from any lack of comprehensiveness, since it started from earliest time and continued into an indefinite future. But the chief lesson of history which he sought to inculcate was that from the year A.D. 400 down to his own time, Germany had been the most important nation and the standard bearer of progress in the world. Perhaps one could stretch the comprehensiveness that constitutes wisdom to include not only intellect but also feeling. It is by no means uncommon to find men/ women whose knowledge is wide but those feelings are narrow. Such men / women lack what I am calling wisdom. I think the essence of wisdom is emancipation, as far as possible, from the tyranny of the here and the now. We cannot help the egoism of our senses. Sight, sound and touch are bound up with our own bodies and cannot be made impersonal. Our emotions start similarly from ourselves. An infant feels hunger or discomfort; gradually with the years his horizon widens, and, in proportion as his thoughts and feelings become less personal and less concerned with his own physical states, he achieves growing wisdom. This is of course a matter of degree. No one can view the world with complete impartiality; however, it is possible to make a continual approach towards impartiality, on the one hand, by knowing things somewhat remote in time or space, and, on the other hand, by giving to such things their due weight in our feelings. It is this approach towards impartiality that constitutes growth in wisdom. Perhaps in this sense the wisdom can be taught. I think that this teaching should have a larger intellectual element than has been customary in what has been thought of as moral instruction. I think that the disastrous result of hatred and narrow mindedness to those who fed them can be pointed out incidentally in the course of giving knowledge. Knowledge and morals ought not to be too much separated. It is true that the kind of specialized knowledge which is required for various kinds of skills has very little to do with wisdom. But it should be supplemented in education by wider surveys calculated to put it in its place in the totality of human activities. Even the best technicians should also be good citizens, i.e. citizens of the world and not of any one nation. 
With every increase of knowledge and skill, wisdom becomes more necessary for every such increase augments our capacity of realizing our purposes, and therefore augments our capacity for evil, if our purposes are unwise. The world needs wisdom as it has never needed it before; and if knowledge continues to increase, the world will need wisdom in the future even more than it does now.
Question: 1

According to the author what results in growth of wisdom ?

Updated On: Sep 3, 2025
  • Widening Knowledge and narrowing feelings
  • Acquiring specialized knowledge which is required for various kinds of skills
  • Viewing the world with complete impartiality
  • None of the above
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

In analyzing the passage, we identify that the author discusses several factors contributing to the growth of wisdom and touches upon the importance of comprehensiveness and impartiality. The passage elaborates on how specializing solely in knowledge without an accompanying growth in wisdom can lead to unintended negative consequences. The author's essential thesis is articulated in the last portion of the passage, where it is stated: "No one can view the world with complete impartiality; however, it is possible to make a continual approach towards impartiality...It is this approach towards impartiality that constitutes growth in wisdom." Thus, according to the author, the growth of wisdom results from "Viewing the world with complete impartiality," or as much as is humanly possible, emphasizing the gradual approach toward impartiality in both thought and feeling.
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Question: 2

According to the author the essence of wisdom is ______

Updated On: Sep 3, 2025
  • Deliverance from the oppression of here and now
  • Subduing from the oppression of here and now
  • Captivity from the oppression of here and now
  • All of the above
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The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

To determine the essence of wisdom according to the author, we examine the passage provided. The author asserts that wisdom involves several elements, but emphasizes the gradual emancipation from the 'tyranny of the here and the now.' This means subduing oneself from immediate pressures and biases by striving for impartial understanding and knowledge beyond immediate circumstances. Within the passage, the author contrasts the need for comprehensive vision with specialized knowledge, and stresses the importance of moving beyond personal biases and emotions to achieve wisdom. Hence, the essence of wisdom as explained by the author is "Subduing from the oppression of here and now," which aligns with the correct answer provided.
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Question: 3

What according to the author is the relationship between knowledge and wisdom ?

Updated On: Sep 3, 2025
  • As human wisdom increases there is increase in knowledge created
  • As knowledge keeps on increasing there is lesser need of wisdom
  • As knowledge keeps on increasing there is a higher need for wisdom
  • As growth in wisdom stops, knowledge creation stagnates.
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

In analyzing the passage, the author discusses the intricate relationship between knowledge and wisdom. He emphasizes that while knowledge pertains to facts and specialized skills, wisdom involves a broader, more comprehensive vision, incorporating moral insights and impartiality. The author's argument suggests that as knowledge expands, so does the necessity for wisdom, to ensure that knowledge is not misused for harmful purposes. This notion is supported in the passage: "With every increase of knowledge and skill, wisdom becomes more necessary for every such increase augments our capacity of realizing our purposes, and therefore augments our capacity for evil, if our purposes are unwise." Therefore, according to the passage, the relationship is such that as knowledge increases, so does the need for wisdom, to harness knowledge ethically and effectively. This aligns with the provided correct answer: "As knowledge keeps on increasing there is a higher need for wisdom."
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Question: 4

The example used by the author to explain the ways in which the pursuit of knowledge can be harmful, unless combined with wisdom, is

Updated On: Sep 3, 2025
  • the space mission
  • medicine that lowers infant mortality across the world.
  • the progress of Germany.
  • none of the above.
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The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

The author uses the example of medical advances in lowering infant mortality across the world to illustrate how the pursuit of knowledge can be harmful if not combined with wisdom. In the given passage, the author mentions that while research in scientific medicine has significantly reduced the infant death-rate in many regions, this success has had unintended consequences, such as making the food supply inadequate and lowering the standard of life in densely populated areas. This demonstrates that without a comprehensive understanding or wisdom, scientific achievements can lead to negative repercussions. Therefore, the correct answer is medicine that lowers infant mortality across the world.

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Question: 5

What factors according to the author, contribute to wisdom ?

Updated On: Sep 3, 2025
  • a sense of proportion, giving knowledge, study of history, emancipation
  • a sense of proportion, dignity, knowledge, skill
  • comprehensiveness, a sense of proportion, awareness of the end of human life, emancipation from the tyranny of the present
  • none of the above.
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

To determine the factors contributing to wisdom according to the author, we need to analyze the passage carefully. The author begins by emphasizing the importance of a sense of proportion, which is described as the ability to consider all important factors of a problem and to assign them appropriate importance. This sense of proportion is vital but challenging to maintain due to the complexity and specialization in various fields. 
The author continues to describe 'wisdom' as the necessary complement to knowledge, using the examples of medical research and atomic studies to highlight the potential negative implications of knowledge when not paired with wisdom. Wisdom is described further as a comprehensive vision encompassing more than intellect, with a necessary awareness of human life's ends. This is illustrated through the study of history and the pitfalls of viewing it through personal biases.
Moreover, the essence of wisdom is discussed as emancipation from 'the tyranny of the here and now.' This means overcoming personal biases and emotions tied to immediate circumstances. The author links wisdom to the growth of impartiality, achieved by understanding things remotely and evaluating them appropriately in our feelings.
Finally, the author argues that wisdom involves integrating specialized knowledge with broader intellectual perspectives. Wisdom becomes increasingly necessary as knowledge and skills expand, posing potential dangers if paired with unwise intentions. In summary, the factors contributing to wisdom according to the author are comprehensiveness, a sense of proportion, awareness of the end of human life, and emancipation from the tyranny of the present. The correct answer is:Comprehensiveness, a sense of proportion, awareness of the end of human life, emancipation from the tyranny of the present.

 

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