Comprehension

Teaching will, of course, predominate in the earlier work, and research will predominate in the advance work; but it is in the best interests of the University that the most distinguished of its professors should take part in the teaching of the undergraduates from the beginning of their University career. It is only by coming into contact with the junior students that a teacher can direct their minds to his own conception of his subject, and train them in his own methods and hence obtain the double advantage of selecting the best men for research, and getting the best work out of them. Again it is the personal influence of the man doing original work in his subject which inspires belief in it, awakens enthusiasm, gains disciples. His personality is the selective power by which those who are fittest for his special work are voluntarily enlisted in its services and his individual influence is reproduced and extended by the spirit which actuates his staff. Neither is it the few alone who gain; all honest students gain inestimably from association with teachers who show them something of the working of the thought of independent and original minds. ’Any one’, says Helmholtz, who has once come into contact with one or more men of the first rank must have had his whole mental standard altered for the rest of his life’. Lectures have not lost their use and books can never fully take the place of the living spoken word. Still less can they take the place of the more intimate teaching in laboratory and seminar, which ought not to be beyond the range of the ordinary course of a university education, and in which the student learns, not only conclusions and the reasons supporting them, all of which he might get from books but the actual process of developing thought, the working of the highly trained and original mind.

Question: 1

According to the passage, what is the main advantage of Professors taking up undergraduate teaching in the university?

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In questions asking for the "main advantage" or "primary reason," look for the most specific and direct benefit mentioned in the text. The passage might list several positive outcomes, but one is usually presented as the central or most important one.
Updated On: Oct 13, 2025
  • The best disciples can be identified.
  • To motive all the students to take up research.
  • Professors can recommend more reference books.
  • Lectures have not lost their place in the University.
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The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding the Question
The question asks for the primary benefit or main advantage for distinguished professors when they teach undergraduate students, as described in the passage.

Step 2: Locating the Main Advantage in the Passage
The passage explicitly states the advantage a professor gains from teaching junior students. It says by training them in his own methods, a professor can "obtain the double advantage of selecting the best men for research, and getting the best work out of them." It also mentions that the professor's personality is a "selective power by which those who are fittest for his special work are voluntarily enlisted." This process is about identifying and recruiting the best students, or disciples.

Step 3: Evaluating the Options


(A) The best disciples can be identified: This aligns perfectly with the passage's statements about "selecting the best men for research" and gaining "disciples." This is a direct advantage for the professor and their work.

(B) To motive all the students to take up research: While the professor's influence might motivate students, the passage frames the main advantage from the professor's perspective as *selecting* the best, not motivating *all* of them.

(C) Professors can recommend more reference books: The passage contrasts book learning with the "living spoken word" and intimate teaching, suggesting that recommending books is not the main advantage.

(D) Lectures have not lost their place in the University: This is a general statement made in the passage but not the specific advantage of professors teaching undergraduates. It's a supporting point, not the main one.


Step 4: Final Answer
The passage clearly emphasizes the professor's ability to select the most suitable students for future research as a key benefit of teaching undergraduates. Therefore, identifying the best disciples is the main advantage. Option (A) is the correct answer.
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