We are not only afraid of being in the dark; we are also suspicious of being kept in the dark. We often feel that the universe has a hidden order that we cannot quite comprehend. In ancient times, this order was attributed to the gods – omnipotent beings who controlled humans’ fates. Greek myths in particular portrayed humans as pawns in the great games played by the gods. More recently, there are suspicions of global conspiracies. These conspiracies are cited for events that are too important to be random. We no longer describe them as “Acts of God,” so they must be the work of other people - people who are hiding their in uence over us, covering up their involvement. They are keeping the rest of us in the dark. Among the events attributed to these people are political assassinations and UFO sightings. Examining these events in minute detail results in a long list of “coincidences” which, in the minds of the conspiracy buffs, are too numerous to be truly random. There must be a central planner who is at the hub of a sinister form of order. No one admits to the conspiracy, so there must be a cover - up. Better to think that we are all being kept in the dark by sinister forces than to admit that there is no order
Question: 1
Which of the following statements, if true, would weaken the underlying logic of the above passage?
i. The human need for order is a highly exaggerated notion. It more often than not leads to creation of theories about the universe. The more sensational the theory, the more prevalent it becomes.
ii. The universe is less guided by pure randomness than by well-defined natural processes which are subjected to randomness at varying intervals of time and space.
iii. To strengthen their case for a variety of conspiracies the conspiracy buffs are extrapolating from a very small set of observed “coincidences.”
iv. The persons propounding the different conspiracy theories are usually novelists who use these theories as a backdrop during the construction of the plots of the novels.
v. The human fear of being kept in the dark is much stronger than the fear of lack of order in the working of the universe.
Show Hint
In “weaken the argument” questions, focus on statements that directly undercut the assumption or reasoning behind the passage. Eliminate irrelevant or neutral statements.
Step 1: Recall the core claim of the passage.
The passage suggests that people believe in conspiracies because they refuse to accept that events are random. Conspiracy theorists assume there must be a hidden order or planner behind significant events.
Step 2: Check which statements weaken this claim.
- (i) Exaggerated human need for order → directly weakens the claim that conspiracies are driven by an actual underlying order. Shows the need is psychological, not real.
- (ii) Universe guided by natural processes → weakens the assumption that everything is random or sinister. It provides a rational explanation instead of conspiracy.
- (iii) Conspiracy theorists use a very small data set of coincidences → shows their reasoning is flawed, thus weakens.
- (iv) Novelists using conspiracy theories for plot building → irrelevant to the main argument (literary usage does not affect belief in conspiracies).
- (v) Fear of being in the dark stronger than fear of disorder → psychological detail, but neutral to the main logical claim.
Step 3: Final combination.
The weakening statements are (i), (ii), and (iii).
\[
\boxed{\text{Answer: A (i, ii, and iii)}}
\]
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Question: 2
Which of the following statements would, if true, strengthen the case for belief in sinister forces and conspiracies being at work in the above paragraph?
i. Though science has progressed a lot in the last two centuries or so, it is still unable to explain/account for more than 80% of the phenomena in the universe.
ii. There is now the existence of photographic evidence of presence of UFOs and a growing number of parallel studies showing that the human mind can easily be manipulated to do someone else’s will through various events that manipulate the ‘perceived reality’.
iii. The fear of our actions and thoughts being controlled by someone else has intensified with the widespread popularity of the depiction of its gory outcomes by different novelists and movie makers.
iv. There is a strong movement to reintroduce the teachings of the biblical evolutionary process and the presence of God in schools around the world.
v. The Darwinian study of evolution of species, the cornerstone of beliefs in fathomable randomness of the workings of the universe has come under a scathing attack for its inaccurate depiction of the causes and process of evolution.
Show Hint
When asked to “strengthen the case,” choose statements that show science is inadequate, provide direct evidence of hidden forces, or discredit existing rational theories.
Step 1: Recall the central idea.
The passage argues that people prefer to believe in sinister hidden forces or conspiracies rather than accept randomness. To strengthen this, we need statements that show:
- Science and rational explanations are insufficient.
- Evidence or examples support hidden forces.
- Accepted theories are unreliable.
Step 2: Evaluate each statement.
- (i) Science still cannot explain majority of phenomena → strengthens suspicion of hidden forces.
- (ii) Evidence of UFOs and studies on mind manipulation → directly supports belief in sinister external forces.
- (iii) Fear influenced by novels and movies → mostly cultural influence, does not add genuine support to sinister forces being real.
- (iv) Reintroduction of biblical teachings → irrelevant to conspiracy logic.
- (v) Darwin’s theory attacked → weakens scientific foundation, hence strengthens belief in alternative sinister explanations.
Step 3: Correct combination.
Statements (i), (ii), and (v) together strongly reinforce the claim that sinister forces may indeed be at work.
\[
\boxed{\text{Answer: D (i, ii and v)}}
\]
