What Arendt does for us is to remind us that our “publicness” is as important to our flourishing as our sociability and our privacy. She draws a distinction between what it means to act “socially” and what is means to act “politically.” The social realm for Arendt is both the context where all our basic survival needs “are permitted to appear in public” and also the realm of “behaviour.” One of the things she fears about modern societies is that society – focused on how we behave and what we will permit for ourselves and others – becomes the realm of conformism. This is worrying not just because we don’t really get vibrant societies out of conformism and sameness, but also, Arendt says because there is a risk that we think this is all there is to our living together. We lose ourselves in the tasks of managing behaviour and forget that our true public task is to act, and to distinguish ourselves in doing so. The risk, says Arendt, is therefore that we confuse behaviour with action, that in modern liberal societies “behaviour replaces action as the foremost mode of human relationship.” This confusion can happen in any area of our modern lives and institutions, secular or faith-based. None is immune.
Arendt wants to drive home the point that the healthy public life requires that we do not just see ourselves as social actors but also as fully public persons, committed to judging and acting as members of a common world we want to inhabit and pass on. Arendt tells us that public action is action in which we stand out, are individuated, become in some way excellent in a manner that is of service to others and a greater good. This is the space where we take risks, subject our common life to scrutiny, seek justice (that sometimes requires us to transgress what seem like accepted laws) in order to be increasingly open to the claims and needs of other humans – ones who are not our household and our kin.
According to the passage, who can be BEST categorised as a “public person”?
- A wildlife photographer who highlighted the plight of poverty-stricken migrants by posting their pictures.
- An online fraud victim who ran a campaign against online fraudsters.
- An NGO employee who was tasked to lead a campaign against tribal land acquisition.
- A parent who organized protests against the random fee hike by a local school.
- A local politician who filed RTI applications to unearth financial scams by a village panchayat.
The Correct Option is A
Approach Solution - 1
To determine who can be BEST categorized as a “public person” according to the given passage, we should understand the definition of a public person as described by Arendt. A “public person” is one who demonstrates public action, standing out, and who acts to distinguish themselves in service to a common good. This involves taking risks and scrutinizing common life. Let's analyze each option:
A wildlife photographer who highlighted the plight of poverty-stricken migrants by posting their pictures.
This person is highlighting a societal issue, bringing attention to the plight of marginalized groups, which qualifies as public action. This aligns with Arendt's description as it involves taking action to serve a greater social justice cause.
An online fraud victim who ran a campaign against online fraudsters.
While this is a form of action, it appears more personal in nature. Their campaign could be seen as addressing personal grievances rather than distinguishing themselves for a greater public or communal good.
An NGO employee who was tasked to lead a campaign against tribal land acquisition.
This role primarily involves fulfilling job responsibilities rather than personal initiative. Arendt emphasizes individuation and excellence in action, which may not be fully realized in this context tied to employment duty.
A parent who organized protests against the random fee hike by a local school.
This action has a more localized and personal focus, related to individual concerns rather than serving a broader public interest.
A local politician who filed RTI applications to unearth financial scams by a village panchayat.
This action is also public and serves the community’s interests. However, being a politician suggests that this might be part of their official duties rather than individuated public service in the Arendtian sense.
In light of the passage, the wildlife photographer, by bringing attention to the issue of poverty-stricken migrants, effectively acts in a manner that seeks justice and serves the common good in an individuated and distinctive way. Thus, the correct answer is:
A wildlife photographer who highlighted the plight of poverty-stricken migrants by posting their pictures.
Approach Solution -2
The passage distinguishes between behaviour in society (guided by acceptance and conformity) and public action, which is performed for a broader cause that goes beyond one’s personal interest.
A “public person” is therefore someone who acts in a way that brings awareness to or supports causes affecting society at large, irrespective of immediate personal gain or direct obligation.
Step 1: Analyse each option
- Option 1: The photographer draws attention to migrants’ suffering through his work. This goes beyond personal need, and directly serves a larger social cause → Fits the definition of a public person.
- Option 2: The fraud victim’s campaign is based on personal experience, so the primary motive is self-protection and justice, not broader public action.
- Option 3: The NGO employee is only assigned a role as part of their job, so it is a duty rather than a public-spirited action.
- Option 4: The parent is fighting against fee hikes, but mainly for personal benefit and local community impact, not broad public engagement.
- Option 5: The politician’s RTI work may seem like public action, but it is heavily tied to political motives rather than pure public spirit.
Step 2: Conclusion
The wildlife photographer’s initiative is purely a public action, raising awareness for society, without direct personal benefit. This best fits the idea of a “public person.”
Hence, the correct answer is Option (1).
Based on the passage, which of the following options BEST describes “public action”?
- Acting based on our core beliefs while being mindful of what society thinks
- Acting for a just cause regardless of what society thinks about it
- Acting in a way that is perceived to be anti-social
- Acting based on our conviction regardless of what society thinks
- Acting in a way that is seen as acceptable to the society
The Correct Option is B
Approach Solution - 1
The question asks us to identify which option BEST describes the term "public action," as defined in the given passage by Arendt. To solve this, we need to closely examine the concepts presented in the passage.
1. **Understanding "Public Action":**
Arendt highlights a critical distinction between social behavior and political action. She expresses concern that societal focus on conformism and behavior management obscures true public action. True public action involves standing out, asserting our individuality in service to others and the greater good, and sometimes challenging accepted norms to pursue justice.
2. **Analyzing Options:**
- **Option 1: Acting based on our core beliefs while being mindful of what society thinks.**
This option emphasizes concern for societal perception, which runs counter to Arendt's idea of public action, where societal norms are sometimes transgressed in pursuit of a just cause.
- **Option 2: Acting for a just cause regardless of what society thinks about it.**
This aligns with Arendt's definition of public action, which involves taking risks and acting for justice, even when it requires challenging societal norms.
- **Option 3: Acting in a way that is perceived to be anti-social.**
This implies intentionally opposing societal norms without the element of pursuing a greater good, which is a key component of Arendt's concept.
- **Option 4: Acting based on our conviction regardless of what society thinks.**
While similar to Option 2, it lacks the focus on a "just cause" and serving others, which are essential elements in Arendt's explanation of public action.
- **Option 5: Acting in a way that is seen as acceptable to society.**
This is the opposite of Arendt's idea, as it emphasizes conformism instead of standing out and taking risks.
3. **Conclusion:**
Option 2, "Acting for a just cause regardless of what society thinks about it," is the BEST description of "public action" based on the passage. It captures the essence of taking risks and acting with excellence to serve a greater good, which Arendt argues is essential for a healthy public life.
Approach Solution -2
The passage distinguishes between behaviour and public action. - Behaviour is shaped by societal approval and the need to be accepted by others. - Public action, however, arises when an individual or group acts beyond these social expectations, motivated by a just cause.
Public action is not about conformity (Option 5) or being anti-social (Option 3). It is also not just following convictions blindly (Option 4), nor a compromise between beliefs and social approval (Option 1). Instead, it is a deliberate act in the public domain, for justice or truth, even if society initially disapproves of it.
Therefore, the best description is Option (2): Acting for a just cause regardless of what society thinks about it.
Which of the following is the BEST reason for focusing on behaviour instead of acting in public?
- Our focus is to survive and not to flourish
- The foundation of any vibrant society is based on cooperation and not confrontation
- We are dependent on each other, leading to focus on what is accepted by others
- Our fear of being called out on our imperfect thoughts leads us to behave
- To survive is not to distinguish ourselves from others
The Correct Option is C
Approach Solution - 1
To solve this question, we need to understand the underlying concept discussed in the provided passage by Arendt regarding public behavior versus public action.
The passage emphasizes the difference between acting socially (concerned with behavior and conformity) and acting politically (where individuals stand out by taking risks for the greater societal good). Here, the passage discusses how modern societies may fall into the trap of focusing on behavior, which aligns with conformism, rather than on meaningful action that fosters a vibrant public life.
Let's evaluate each of the options:
Our focus is to survive and not to flourish
This option stresses survival over flourishing. However, the passage discusses flourishing through public action, not just survival, which makes this option irrelevant to the core argument.
The foundation of any vibrant society is based on cooperation and not confrontation
This option emphasizes cooperation, which, although beneficial, does not directly address the contrast between public behavior and action as discussed in the passage.
We are dependent on each other, leading to focus on what is accepted by others
This option is correct. The passage articulates that modern societies may incorrectly prioritize behavior over action, focusing too much on what is accepted by others—demonstrating dependency and conformity.
Our fear of being called out on our imperfect thoughts leads us to behave
While fear of judgment can lead to behavioral conformity, it doesn't fully capture the primary theme of confusing behavior (conformity) with true public action outlined by Arendt.
To survive is not to distinguish ourselves from others
This option suggests survival requires non-distinction; however, the passage advocates for distinction through public action for a vibrant society, making this option incorrect.
Thus, the best reason for focusing on behavior as stated in the correct answer is that we are dependent on each other, leading to a focus on what is accepted by others, which aligns with the thematic warnings Arendt presents about the repression of public action in favor of conformist behavior.
Approach Solution -2
Human behaviour in public is largely guided by the fact that we are social beings and rely heavily on one another for survival, growth, and progress. Because of this dependency, individuals instinctively focus more on behaviour—that is, how their actions align with what society accepts—rather than acting entirely on personal impulses.
- Option 1: Survival alone does not explain why we align behaviour to social norms. It is too limited.
- Option 2: Cooperation is important, but this option speaks about society in general, not why individuals personally focus on behaviour.
- Option 3: Correct — since we are dependent on others, our behaviour adapts to social approval and shared acceptance, ensuring smoother coexistence.
- Option 4: Fear of criticism can explain part of it, but it is not the fundamental reason.
- Option 5: This is vague and does not directly address the question of behaviour in public.
Hence, the best explanation is that our interdependence makes us align our behaviour with what is socially acceptable.
Top Questions on Reading Comprehension
- Shown below are letters ‘e’ taken from four popular logos, arranged in a sequence. Which of the options is the correct sequence?
- UCEED - 2026
- English Language Comprehension
- Reading Comprehension
- Shown below are four options, each showing consecutive frames representing the movement of a pendulum of an old-style wall clock for an animation movie. Which is the correct option?
- UCEED - 2026
- English Language Comprehension
- Reading Comprehension
- Acrucial moderating factor in how people experience comparisons is self-esteem. Individuals with high self-esteem are more likely to interpret upward comparison as informative rather than threatening. They are more resilient in the face of others’ success and more likely to believe they can reach their own goals. In contrast, people with low self-esteem are more prone to interpret comparison as judgment, reinforcing negative self-views and triggering feelings of inadequacy.
This dynamic creates a self-reinforcing loop. People with high self-esteem are less vulnerable to upward comparison, which intensifies those doubts. Those with a secure sense of self are more likely to use comparison as a learning tool. The same external stimulus—a colleague’s achievements, a friend’s popularity—can have radically different effects depending on internal stability.
Self-esteem also influences how people choose their comparison targets. Research has found that individuals often engage in “selective comparison,” seeking out those who confirm their existing beliefs about themselves. This can become a subtle form of self-sabotage. Someone who feels unworthy may subconsciously seek out targets that reinforce that sense, perpetuating a narrative of inferiority. One of the most promising antidotes to social comparison is temporal comparison—evaluating oneself not against others, but against one’s own past. This method has been shown to increase motivation and satisfaction, especially when individuals can see concrete progress. Temporal comparison activates the same reward circuits as social comparison but avoids the threat systems associated with social ranking. It also reinforces agency: individuals focus on what they can control and improve rather than what others control. In therapeutic and coaching settings, temporal comparison is used to help clients build self-efficacy and track growth over time.
Moreover, people who focus on self-improvement rather than social dominance are less likely to fall into cycles of envy or self-pity. They can still use others as inspiration, but they do so without attaching their self-worth to the outcome. This is not to say they never compare—but that they focus on learning, rather than judgment. The most skilful approach to comparison may lie in eliminating it, but in reframing it as feedback. When we interpret comparison as information rather than a verdict, we can ask, “What can I learn from this?” This shift turns comparison into a growth tool. Teachers mentor their students, not as rivals. Psychologists emphasize that the key variable here is mindset.
A fixed mindset sees comparison as a threat. If someone else is better, it means we are worse. A growth mindset sees comparison as a map. If someone else has reached a certain level, it means the path exists. This reframing is not just a cognitive trick. It changes the emotional tone of comparison, making it more likely to inspire than to wound. Reframing also requires emotional regulation—the ability to notice an initial pang of envy or shame without reacting impulsively. With practice, individuals can learn to pause, reflect, and reinterpret their emotional responses. Over time, this builds resilience and self-trust, allowing comparison to become a learning tool rather than a cage.- XAT - 2026
- Verbal and Logical Ability
- Reading Comprehension
When people who are talking don’t share the same culture, knowledge, values, and assumptions, mutual understanding can be especially difficult. Such understanding is possible through the negotiation of meaning. To negotiate meaning with someone, you have to become aware of and respect both the differences in your backgrounds and when these differences are important. You need enough diversity of cultural and personal experience to be aware that divergent world views exist and what they might be like. You also need the flexibility in world view, and a generous tolerance for mistakes, as well as a talent for finding the right metaphor to communicate the relevant parts of unshared experiences or to highlight the shared experiences while demphasizing the others. Metaphorical imagination is a crucial skill in creating rapport and in communicating the nature of unshared experience. This skill consists, in large measure, of the ability to bend your world view and adjust the way you categorize your experiences. Problems of mutual understanding are not exotic; they arise in all extended conversations where understanding is important.
When it really counts, meaning is almost never communicated according to the CONDUIT metaphor, that is, where one person transmits a fixed, clear proposition to another by means of expressions in a common language, where both parties have all the relevant common knowledge, assumptions, values, etc. When the chips are down, meaning is negotiated: you slowly figure out what you have in common, what it is safe to talk about, how you can communicate unshared experience or create a shared vision. With enough flexibility in bending your world view and with luck and charity, you may achieve some mutual understanding.
Communication theories based on the CONDUIT metaphor turn from the pathetic to the evil when they are applied indiscriminately on a large scale, say, in government surveillance or computerized files. There, what is most crucial for real understanding is almost never included, and it is assumed that the words in the file have meaning in themselves—disembodied, objective, understandable meaning. When a society lives by the CONDUITmetaphor on a large scale, misunderstanding, persecution, and much worse are the likely products.- XAT - 2026
- Verbal and Logical Ability
- Reading Comprehension
Later, I realized that reviewing the history of nuclear physics served another purpose as well: It gave the lie to the naive belief that the physicists could have come together when nuclear fission was discovered (in Nazi Germany!) and agreed to keep the discovery a secret, thereby sparing humanity such a burden. No. Given the development of nuclear physics up to 1938, development that physicists throughout the world pursued in all innocence of any intention of finding the engine of a new weapon of mass destruction—only one of them, the remarkable Hungarian physicist Leo Szilard, took that possibility seriously—the discovery of nuclear fission was inevitable. To stop it, you would have had to stop physics. If German scientists hadn’t made the discovery when they did, French, American, Russian, Italian, or Danish scientists would have done so, almost certainly within days or weeks. They were all working at the same cutting edge, trying to understand the strange results of a simple experiment bombarding uranium with neutrons. Here was no Faustian bargain, as movie directors and other naifs still find it intellectually challenging to imagine. Here was no evil machinery that the noble scientists might hide from the problems and the generals. To the contrary, there was a high insight into how the world works, an energetic reaction, older than the earth, that science had finally devised the instruments and arrangements to coart forth. “Make it seem inevitable,” Louis Pasteur used to advise his students when they prepared to write up their discoveries. But it was. To wish that it might have been ignored or suppressed is barbarous. “Knowledge,” Niels Bohr once noted, “is itself the basis for civilization.” You cannot have the one without the other; the one depends upon the other. Nor can you have only benevolent knowledge; the scientific method doesn’t filter for benevolence. Knowledge has consequences, not always intended, not always comfortable, but always welcome. The earth revolves around the sun, not the sun around the earth. “It is a profound and necessary truth,” Robert Oppenheimer would say, “that the deep things in science are not found because they are useful; they are found because it was possible to find them.”
...Bohr proposed once that the goal of science is not universal truth. Rather, he argued, the modest but relentless goal of science is “the gradual removal of prejudices.” The discovery that the earth revolves around the sun has gradually removed the prejudice that the earth is the center of the universe. The discovery of microbes is gradually removing the prejudice that disease is a punishment from God. The discovery of evolution is gradually removing the prejudice that Homo sapiens is a separate and special creation.- XAT - 2026
- Verbal and Logical Ability
- Reading Comprehension
Questions Asked in XAT exam
- An artificial swimming pool is circular and water is flowing clockwise at a speed of 3 km/hr. Two swimmers Ayub and Rana start from diametrically opposite points, Ayub in the anticlockwise direction and Rana in the clockwise direction. They first meet at a point such that Ayub has covered 60 m by that time. Their second meeting point is such that Rana has covered another 180 m after the first meeting point. If the speed of Rana in still water is 3 km/hr, find the time taken by Ayub to cover one full circle in the clockwise direction.
- XAT - 2026
- Time and Work
- Arrange the following generations from the oldest to the youngest:
1. Generation X
2. Silent Generation
3. Generation Alpha
4. Baby Boomers
5. Millennials
- XAT - 2026
- Current Affairs
- Read the following scenario and answer the THREE questions that follow.
Brijbhushan, a microfinancier, lends money at the rate of Rs.10 per square meter to small farmers at a village. He charges an annual interest rate of 10%. All the farming plots in that village are rectangular, with areas varying between a minimum of 1000 square meters and a maximum of 10,000 square meters.
This year, Brijbhushan has lent money only to five farmers: Aditya, Binod, Chhuttan, Dabloo and Govind. The perimeter of Chhuttan’s plot is 250 meters, with the length and width being at a ratio of 4:1. Aditya’s plot has an area three times the area of Govind’s plot. The area of Aditya’s plot is also the average of the areas of Govind’s plot and Dabloo’s plot. The plots belonging to Aditya, Binod and Dabloo are of the same width, but of different lengths. Moreover, the length of Binod’s plot is the sum of the lengths of Aditya’s plot and Dabloo’s plot.- XAT - 2026
- Mensuration
Light Chemicals is an industrial paint supplier with presence in three locations: Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. The sunburst chart below shows the distribution of the number of employees of different departments of Light Chemicals. There are four departments: Finance, IT, HR and Sales. The employees are deployed in four ranks: junior, mid, senior and executive. The chart shows four levels: location, department, rank and gender (M: male, F: female). At every level, the number of employees at a location/department/rank/gender are proportional to the corresponding area of the region represented in the chart.
Due to some issues with the software, the data on junior female employees have gone missing. Notice that there are junior female employees in Mumbai HR, Sales and IT departments, Hyderabad HR department, and Bengaluru IT and Finance departments. The corresponding missing numbers are marked u, v, w, x, y and z in the diagram, respectively.
It is also known that:
a) Light Chemicals has a total of 210 junior employees.
b) Light Chemicals has a total of 146 employees in the IT department.
c) Light Chemicals has a total of 777 employees in the Hyderabad office.
d) In the Mumbai office, the number of female employees is 55.
- XAT - 2026
- Pie Charts
An investment company, Win Lose, recruit's employees to trade in the share market. For newcomers, they have a one-year probation period. During this period, the employees are given Rs. 1 lakh per month to invest the way they see fit. They are evaluated at the end of every month, using the following criteria:
1. If the total loss in any span of three consecutive months exceeds Rs. 20,000, their services are terminated at the end of that 3-month period,
2. If the total loss in any span of six consecutive months exceeds Rs. 10,000, their services are terminated at the end of that 6-month period.
Further, at the end of the 12-month probation period, if there are losses on their overall investment, their services are terminated.
Ratan, Shri, Tamal and Upanshu started working for Win Lose in January. Ratan was terminated after 4 months, Shri was terminated after 7 months, Tamal was terminated after 10 months, while Upanshu was not terminated even after 12 months. The table below, partially, lists their monthly profits (in Rs. ‘000’) over the 12-month period, where x, y and z are masked information.
Note:
• A negative profit value indicates a loss.
• The value in any cell is an integer.
Illustration: As Upanshu is continuing after March, that means his total profit during January-March (2z +2z +0) ≥
Rs.20,000. Similarly, as he is continuing after June, his total profit during January − June ≥
Rs.10,000, as well as his total profit during April-June ≥ Rs.10,000.
- XAT - 2026
- Logical and Analytical Reasoning Skills