There is an essential and irreducible ‘duality’ in the normative conceptualization of an individ ual person. We can see the person in terms of his or her ‘agency’, recognizing and respecting his or her ability to form goals, commitments, values, etc., and we can also see the person in terms of his or her ‘well-being’. This dichotomy is lost in a model of exclusively self-interested motivation, in which a person’s agency must be entirely geared to his or her own well-being. But once that straitjacket of self-interested motivation is removed, it becomes possible to rec ognize the indisputable fact that the person’s agency can well be geared to considerations not covered- or at least not fully covered- by his or her own well-being. Agency may be seen as important (not just instrumentally for the pursuit of well-being, but also intrinsically), but that still leaves open the question as to how that agency is to be evaluated and appraised.
Even though the use of one’s agency is a matter for oneself to judge, the need for careful assess ment of aims, objective, allegiances, etc., and the conception of the good, may be important and exacting. To recognize the distinction between the ‘agency aspect’ and the ‘well-being aspect’ of a person does not require us to take the view that the person’s success as an agent must be independent, or completely separable from, his or her success in terms of well-being. A person may well feel happier and better off as a result of achieving what he or she wanted to achieve- perhaps for his or her family, or community, or class, or party, or some other cause. Also it is quite possible that a person’s well-being will go down as a result of frustration if there is some failure to achieve what he or she wanted to achieve as an agent, even though those achievements are not directly concerned with his or her well-being.
There is really no sound basis for demanding that the agency aspect and the well-being aspect of a person should be independent of each other, and it is, I suppose, even possible that every change in one will affect the other as well. However, the point at issue is not the plausibility of their independence, but the sustainability and relevance of the distinction. The fact that two variables may be so related that one cannot change without the other, does not imply that they are the same variable, or that they will have the same values, or that the value of one can be obtained from the other on basis of some simple transformation. The importance of an agency achievement does not rest entirely on the enhancement of well-being that it may indirectly cause. The agency achievement and well-being achievement, both of which have some distinct importance, may be casually linked with each other, but this fact does not compromise the specific importance of either. In so far as utility-based welfare calculations concentrate only on the well-being of the person, ignoring the agency aspect, or actually fails to distinguish between the agency aspect and well-being aspect altogether, something of real importance is lost.
According to the ideas in the passage, the following are not true except:
Show Hint
When passages discuss “distinctions,” correct answers usually preserve the independence of concepts, while wrong ones overstate dependence/independence.
- The value of a person’s well-being cannot be obtained from the value of her agency.
- A person’s agency aspect is independent of her well-being aspect.
- A person’s agency is important because her well-being must depend on her agency.
- A person’s agency must be entirely geared towards her own well-being.
- A person’s well-being will be dependent on her agency in all circumstances.
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Step 2: Option (A) aligns with this idea—it emphasizes that the value of well-being cannot be obtained merely from the value of agency.
Step 3: Options (B), (D), and (E) claim total independence or complete dependence, both of which are denied in the passage. Option (C) incorrectly assumes that agency’s importance is entirely due to well-being.
Step 4: Therefore, only (A) is consistent with the passage.
In the case of Japan, there is a strong empirical evidence to suggest that systematic departure from self-interested behavior, in the direction of duty, loyalty and goodwill have played a substantial part in industrial success. Which of the following is closest to the ideas presented in the passage?
Show Hint
Look for the answer that reflects the key philosophical point of the passage—in this case, agency functioning beyond self-interest.
- Japanese are duty bound selfless people.
- The sense of well-being of the Japanese people gets consistently enhanced due to this systematic departure from the self-interested behavior.
- Had there been no enhancement of their own well-being, the Japanese people would have not been dutiful.
- However the agency of the Japanese people in their industrial success is probably derived from factors beyond this sense of well-being.
- Japanese people’s adherence to ethos of duty, loyalty and goodwill can well be explained within the paradigm of self-interested behavior.
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
Step 2: Japanese people’s success was due to duty, loyalty, and goodwill—factors not reducible to mere self-interest or individual well-being.
Step 3: Option (D) captures this best, showing agency functioning independently of well-being.
Step 4: Options (A), (B), (C), and (E) misinterpret by oversimplifying into self-interest or well-being dependence.
Of the options presented below, which one is the best example for the ideas propounded in the passage?
Show Hint
In application questions, choose the example that shows the interplay of both agency (acting for causes) and well-being (personal/social benefit).
- ‘Change for Equality’ was a campaign by women of Iran to remove discrimination against women in their country. Activities of the movement were attacked and jailed by the government, but the campaign continued.
- In January 2011, the Egyptian people came out against the regime to topple it. Their grievances included police atrocities, state emergency laws, lack of free election, and lack of freedom of speech, corruption, unemployment, food price inflation and low minimum wages.
- A worker immolated himself to highlight injustice being perpetrated by the management against the employees in the company.
- The factory workers carried on with the strike in demand for increased wages, even though they were not paid wages for the duration they were on strike.
- A politician went on a hunger strike against corruption which not only galvanized the state government in enacting new laws, but also increased his image in the minds of the voters.
The Correct Option is
Solution and Explanation
Step 2: Option (E) reflects this duality—the politician’s agency (hunger strike) pursued a collective goal (anti-corruption laws) and also enhanced personal standing (well-being).
Step 3: Other options illustrate protests or actions but don’t combine the dual role of agency and well-being as clearly.
Step 4: Hence, option (E) best matches the passage’s philosophical framework.
Read the sentences given below and choose the option that is best in accordance with the ideas in the passage.
I. There is a need to distinguish between the agency aspect and the well-being aspect of a person.
II. A person can be conceptualized in terms of either agency or well-being.
III. A person is important, not just instrumentally, for the pursuit of well-being.
I. There is a need to distinguish between the agency aspect and the well-being aspect of a person.
II. A person can be conceptualized in terms of either agency or well-being.
III. A person is important, not just instrumentally, for the pursuit of well-being.
Show Hint
When given multiple statements, eliminate those that oversimplify or contradict the nuanced balance in the passage.
- I only
- II only
- III only
- I and III
- II and III
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
Step 2: It also highlights that agency has intrinsic importance, not just as an instrument for well-being, supporting statement III.
Step 3: Statement II is incorrect—the passage rejects the notion of choosing only one; both aspects must be recognized together.
Step 4: Hence, the correct choice is (D) I and III.
The idea of agency, as used in the passage, is implied in all the options given below, except:
Show Hint
Agency in philosophy means intentional action with goals—eliminate choices that describe passive, non-instrumental activities.
- A student arguing for a grade revision
- A lawyer arguing the case for his rich client
- A politician on dharma to gain publicity
- A hungry child crying for food
- An ascetic praying for world peace
The Correct Option is
Solution and Explanation
Step 2: Options (A), (B), (C), and (D) all involve deliberate goal-directed action tied to agency.
Step 3: Option (E) involves praying, which does not reflect agency in the passage’s sense—it is neither goal-directed in practical action nor evaluable in terms of agency vs well-being distinction.
Step 4: Therefore, (E) is the exception.
Top Questions on Reading Comprehension
Trade is essentially the buying and selling of items produced elsewhere. All the services in retail and wholesale trading or commerce are specifically intended for profit. The towns and cities where all these works take place are known as trading centres. The rise of trading from barter at the local level to money-exchange on an international scale has produced many centres and institutions, such as trading centres or collection and distribution points.
Trading centres may be divided into rural and urban marketing centres. Rural marketing centres cater to nearby settlements. These are quasi-urban centres. They serve as trading centres of the most rudimentary type. Here, personal and professional services are not well-developed. These form local collecting and distributing centres. Most of these have mandis (wholesale markets) and also retailing areas. They are not urban centres per se but are significant centres for making available goods and services which are most frequently demanded by rural folk.
Periodic markets in rural areas are found where there are no regular markets and local periodic markets are organised at different temporal intervals. These may be weekly, bi-weekly markets where people from the surrounding areas meet their temporally accumulated demand. These markets are held on specified dates and move from one place to another. The shopkeepers, thus, remain busy all day while a large area is served by them.
Urban marketing centres have more widely specialised urban services. They provide ordinary goods and services as well as many of the specialised goods and services required by people. Ur- ban centres, therefore, offer manufactured goods as well as many specialised developed markets, e.g. markets for labour, housing, semi-or finished products. Services of educational institutions and professionals such as teachers, lawyers, consultants, physicians, dentists and veterinary doctors are available.- CUET (UG) - 2025
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- India even now possesses a wealth of manuscripts running into many millions. Tradi- tionally, they were written on materials such as birch bark (bh¯urja pattra) and palm leaves. Birch bark was mainly used for north Indian scripts, and the writing was done with ink made of finely ground charcoal powder in a medium of gum, or soot from oil lamps. With palm leaves, there was no ink; rather, a sharp point was used to tear the leaf’s surface film; it would then be smeared with a paste of charcoal powder mixed in oil.
The art of paper making was introduced into India by the 11th century CE, perhaps from China through Nepal. The earliest extant Indian paper manuscript is dateable to 1105 CE; it was made from the fibers of a mountain plant. By the later half of the 15th century, Kashmir was producing paper of attractive quality from the pulps of rags and hemp, with lime and soda added to whiten the pulp. Sialkot, Zafarabad, Patna, Murshidabad, Ahmedabad, Aurangabad and Mysore were among the well- known centers of paper production.- CUET (UG) - 2025
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- CUET (UG) - 2025
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- CUET (UG) - 2025
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The prisoners in the concentration camps in World War-II had lost faith in the future. Being in the camp, I felt disgusted with the state of affairs and I forced my thoughts to turn to another subject. ”Suddenly, I saw myself standing on the platform of a well-lit, warm and pleasant lecture room. In front of me, the attentive audience were seated in comfortable upholstered seats. I saw myself giving a lecture on hope, optimism, and resilience under difficult circumstances.” Suddenly, all that oppressed me stopped giving me pain and distress. This practice was so impactful that I could succeed in rising above the situation and the sufferings of the moment.”
- CUET (UG) - 2025
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Match the following renowned Indian personalities with their respective awards.
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Match the following airlines with the countries where they are headquartered.
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The diagram below represents a road network connecting five towns, namely Meeren, Lannisport, Winterfell, Oldtown, and Gulltown. The maximum speed limits along any stretch of road are as shown in the diagram. The straight road that connects Meeren to Gulltown passes through Oldtown. Another straight road, running west to east, connecting Meeren to Winterfell, passes through Lannisport. Further, two straight roads, one from Lannisport to Oldtown and another from Winterfell to Gulltown, are perpendicular to the road joining Meeren to Winterfell, and run from south to north.
Consider a car always travelling at the maximum permissible speed, and always taking the shortest route. It takes 1 hour to reach Oldtown from Meeren, 2 hours to reach Gulltown from Oldtown, and 45 minutes to reach Winterfell from Gulltown. (For this problem, always consider the shortest route in terms of distance.)
- XAT - 2025
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The plots below depict and compare the average monthly incomes (in Rs. ’000) of males and females in ten cities of India in the years 2005 and 2015. The ten cities, marked A-J in the records, are of different population sizes. For a fair comparison, to adjust for inflation, incomes for both the periods are scaled to 2025 prices. Each red dot represents the average monthly income of females in a particular city in a particular year, while each blue dot represents the average monthly income of males in a particular city in a particular year. The gender gap for a city, for a particular year, is defined as the absolute value of the average monthly income of males, minus the average monthly income of females, in that year.
- XAT - 2025
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