Reading

Comprehension
ENGLISH

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Reading Comprehension
Reading Comprehension questions are designed to test a wide range of abilities that are required in order to
read and understand the kinds of prose commonly encountered in the competitive exams. Those
abilities include:

 Understanding the meaning of individual words and sentences.

 Understanding the meaning of paragraphs and larger bodies of text.

 Distinguishing between minor and major points.

 Summarizing a passage.

 Drawing conclusions from the information provided.

 Reasoning from incomplete data to infer missing information.

 Understanding the structure of a text in terms of how the parts relate to one another.

 Identifying the author's assumptions and perspective.

 Analyzing a text and reaching conclusions about it.

 Identifying strengths and weaknesses of a position.

 Developing and considering alternative explanations.

As this list implies, reading and understanding a piece of text requires far more than a passive understanding
of the words and sentences it contains; it requires active engagement with the text, asking questions,
formulating and evaluating hypotheses and reflecting on the relationship of the particular text to other texts
and information.

Types of Questions
Each Reading Comprehension question is based on a passage that may range in length from one paragraph to
several paragraphs. Based on that passage 5-10 questions will be asked. These questions can be direct or
inference based. The different types of questions that can be asked are given below:

 Among the given statements, which statement is true as per the passage?
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 Among the given statements, which statement is false as per the passage?

 Choose the correct antonym.

 Select the correct synonym.

 What should be the appropriate tone of the passage?

 Among the given statements, which statement can be inferred?

 Select an appropriate title for the passage.

 Direct questions from the passage.

 Paragraph completion

How to improve your comprehension skill

Students generally complain that they are not able to score good marks in this particular section, given below
are certain tips to improve your reading and comprehension skill.

 Read good materials, do not go for editorials straightaway, start from something easy that you find
interesting.

 While reading, do not read out loud, this process makes you a slow reader

 It is generally assumed that if you read slowly you understand better but it’s a myth, when you read slow
you are not utilizing your brain to its full capacity and as a result you understand less. Read fast it will
increase your concentration.

 Last but not the least do as much practice as you can.

How to speed up your Reading

We have to learn faster. And the most effective way to do that is to improve your reading speed and
comprehension. It requires discipline, but developing these skills will put you ahead of the pack. Here are 8
exercises to improve your reading speed and comprehension.

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Size-up the task

Assess the work you’re about to do. Skim the text first and look for important points. Catch the headings and
subheadings; read the first and the last paragraphs of several chapters; get accustomed to the writer’s style.

Grasp the forest before focusing on the trees. You should be able to identify the main ideas after a quick skim.

Ask questions
As you read through the text, create questions you are wanting to find answers to. Then anticipate finding the
answers to your questions. Focus on your interests and what you want to take away from the reading; skip
the irrelevant information.

It is impossible to remember everything you read, so learn to pull out what is relevant to your needs. You
know exactly what you need to take away from the reading.

Decrease subvocalization
When children first learn to read, they whisper the words or say them softly. At the next level, they read
silently but still move their lips as if saying each word. As adults, we say the words in our minds—it’s called
“subvocalization.”

However, subvocalization doesn’t allow us to read faster because we can only go as fast as we
speak. The average speaking rate is about 150 words per minute, while the average reading speed is about
200-300 words per minute.

So, to read faster, we need to silence that voice inside. How? Listening to music while reading helps. At first,
it will affect your comprehension. But soon you’ll notice your concentration increases. Paradoxically, the
music that distracted you earlier, will help you to focus and learn faster.

Read groups of words

Children learn to read starting with joining syllables. Later, they join words to understand sentences. We
often stop there. But, there is the another level—absorbing groups of words at once. Here’s how to get
started:

Grab a pencil and divide the page into 3 columns, so each of them has 2 to 4 words in a row. Try to read them
together jumping from one column to another. It is easier than you think. Once you get the hang of it, you
won’t need the columns.

We are just applying the same rule from comprehending words. We don’t read every letter but we recognize
the whole word. Now, instead of reading separate words, you are reading groups at once.

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Use a pointer
Remember as a child when you used a finger to follow the sentence when reading? It turns out this simple
method is great for adults to improve reading speed.

The trick is not only to point but do it fast. Your finger acts like a tracker for your eyes; not only does it help
with staying focused, but also sets the pace for reading. Keep increasing the speed as you read and working
on getting faster.

Expand your vocabulary

Not knowing the meaning of a word can slow down your reading. The wider your vocabulary is, the less time
you have to take to stop and look up the meanings of unknown words. Learn the meanings of new
words when you have spare time. It will boost both your reading skills and your overall intelligence.

Play the “recall” game

At the end of each page in a book or the end of a few paragraphs in an article, pause and recall what you just
read. Write a few key words in the margin. This will help you with comprehension.

Set goals and track your progress

Try to consistently read sections of the same word-count and time your results. Slowly push yourself to get
faster. Start with a baseline of how many pages/words you are reading per-minute and set yourself a goal of
how many words-per-minute you would like to reach.

How to Approach
One question that constantly confuses every student is - How to improve in reading comprehensions? One
must admit, Reading Comprehension questions are a tricky ball game. RC passages can be time consuming,
energy sapping and information intensive. On the other hand, the rewards they offer are fascinating: if you
grasp a passage well, you should be able to get most questions in a single passage correct, and this means you
gain quite a few marks by solving one set of questions. At the best of times, you are likely to find a passage
that you have never read previously. One of the most significant factors for solving reading comprehensions
and being accurate in this area actually revolves around the approach you adopt for this topic. How do you
cope with such a challenge actually becomes a central aspect of how you perform.
While ensuring that you strike a fine balance for this area, it is important that you keep a number of things in
your mind and ensure you do not fall into the common pitfalls. With regards to the approach you should
adopt for reading comprehensions, keep the following points in mind:
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Try not to put too much emphasis on trivialities

Details are important but don't be obsessed with examples, illustrations and so on. You just need to get a hang
of the main point and not the examples. Comprehending the overall flow and structure will help you analyze
and answer the questions.

Read the passage at a brisk pace, do not over-try memorizing

You do not need to memorize every word present in the passage. Understanding the flow, structure and the
main points in the passage should be your priority. For factual or specific point questions, you can always re-
read the passage.

Try to go through the questions first

Always go through the questions first and then the passage. This will prepare you to focus on the things you
need to look in the passage. Focus only on the questions, and not on a particular answer option. A quick
overview of the questions is sufficient.

Do not over-emphasize on vocabulary skills for RCs

Having a strong vocabulary is great however having Shakespearean vocabulary will not prevent you from
understanding the passage. So do not put yourself under stress in this area, and while reading the passage,
make sure that you understand the gist of the passage and do not get stuck on particular words.

Do not spend too much time on a RC which you cannot comprehend

At times we come across a passage that we are not able to comprehend. If you are struggling with one such
passage in the exam, make sure you have the patience to avoid such a passage. Focus on the ones that you
can manage easily. Go back to the tricky passage in case of absolute necessity.

Do not over-think, all answers must be based on the passage only

Any of the options that are out of scope is never the correct answer. The right answer is always based on the
information given within the passage. Do not focus on any of the options that distract you from the passage.

Look out for the word expressing ‘exceptions’

One may get entangled in the mesh of 'trigger words' if one doesn’t read carefully through the passage. A
passage may focus on one point in the major portion of the paragraph and then change it towards the end
with trigger words like 'but' or 'however'. This generally confuses readers who just skim through the passage
or rush through it in haste and doesn’t pay proper attention while they are reading the passage.

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Sample RC
Directions: Read the passage and answer the questions that follow: [Level: Easy]

The concept of ‘creative society’ refers to a phase of development of a society in which a large number of
potential contradictions become articulate and active. This is most evident when oppressed social groups get
politically mobilised and demand their rights. The upsurge of the peasants and tribals, the movements for
regional autonomy and self-determination, the environmental movements, and the women’s movements in
the developing countries are signs of emergence of creative society in contemporary times. The forms of
social movements and their intensity may vary from country to country and place to place within a country.
But the very presence of movements for social transformation in various spheres of a society indicates the
emergence of a creative society in a country.

Q. How can we describe 'creative society'?

1) The phase in which a large number of potential contradictions become articulate and active.

2) The phase in which a large number of creative thoughts become articulate and active.

3) The phase in which people contradict the law

4) Both 1 and 2

A. The correct answer is option 1.

It is mentioned that ''The concept of ‘creative society’ refers to a phase of development of a society in which a
large number of potential contradictions become articulate and active. ''

As you can see in option we are talking about creative thoughts but in passage it is given about potentials

And the third option is no where related to the passage

So, option 1 is correct.

Q. How do social groups justify the concept of 'creative society'?

1) By protesting

2) By demanding their rights

3) By raising issues

4) Both 2 and 3

A. The correct answer is option 2.

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It is mentioned that ''This is most evident when oppressed social groups get politically mobilized and demand
their rights. ''Here 'this' means the concept of a creative society.

So, option 2 is correct.

Q. Which of these does not show the emergence of the creative society?

1) Rise of peasants and tribals

2) Environmental movements

3) Women's movements

4) None of these

A. The correct answer is option 4.

It is mentioned that '' The upsurge of the peasants and tribals, the movements for regional autonomy and self-
determination, the environmental movements, and the women’s movements in the developing countries are
signs of the emergence of a creative society in contemporary times. ''

So, option 4 is correct.

Q. Social movements can occur in -

1) Various spheres of society

2) Places in the country

3) Government organizations

4) Both 1 and 2

A. The correct answer is option 4.

It is mentioned that ''The forms of social movements and their intensity may vary from country to country and
place to place within a country. But the very presence of movements for social transformation in various
spheres of a society indicates the emergence of a creative society in a country.'' There is no mention of
government organizations.

Q. Which word from the passage can substitute the phrase 'belonging to the present'?

1) Contemporary

2) Autonomy

3) Potential

4) Upsurge
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A. The correct answer is option 1.

Contemporary means belonging to the present.

For eg- There are so many problems in our contemporary society.

Autonomy means the right or condition of self-government.

Potential means having or showing the capacity to develop into something in the future.

Upsurge means an upward surge in the strength or quantity of something; an increase.

Comprehension ( Total Questions: 3 ) [Level: Difficult]

Direction: Read the following passage and answer the question on it based on your comprehension. The
answer should be according to the passage only.

For achieving inclusive growth there is a critical need to rethink the role of the state. The early debate among
economists about the size of the government can be misleading. The need of the hour is to have an enabling
government. India is too large and complex a nation for the state to be able to deliver all that is needed.
Asking the government to produce all the essential goods, create all necessary jobs, and keep a curb on the
prices of all goods is to lead to large cumbersome bureaucracy and widespread corruption.
The aim must be to stay with the objective of inclusive growth that was laid down by the founding fathers of
the nation and also to take a more modern view of what the state can realistically deliver.
This is what leads to the idea of an enabling state, that is, a government that does not try to directly deliver to
the citizens everything that they need. Instead, it (1) creates an enabling ethos for the market so that
individual enterprises can flourish and citizens can, for the most part, provide for the needs of one another,
and (2) steps in to help those who do not manage to do well for themselves, for there will always be
individuals, no matter what the system, who need support and help. Hence we need a government that, when
it comes to the market, sets effective, incentive-compatible rules and remains on the side lines with minimal
interference, and, at the same time, plays an important role indirectly helping the poor by ensuring that they
get basic education and health service and receive adequate nutrition and food.

Question 1: According to the passage, the strategy of inclusive growth can be effected by focusing on -

1) Meeting all the needs of every citizen in the country.

2) Increasing the regulations over the manufacturing sector.

3) Controlling the distribution of manufactured goods.

4) Delivery of the basic services to the deprived sections of the society.

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Option no 4 is the correct answer.

Key Points

 The lines form the last paragraph of the passage "Hence we need a government that,-----------adequate
nutrition and food" derives the answer.

 The main point of the last lines is given below-We need a kind of government that can set effective rules
and at the same time plays an important role in helping the poor by giving them basic needs (education,
health, nutrition and food) for inclusive growth.

Form the above explanation it is clear that option 4 is the correct answer.

Question 2: According to the passage:

A. The objective of inclusive growth was laid down by the founding fathers of the nation.

B. Need of the hour is to have an enabling government.

C. The government should engage in maximum interference in market processes.

D. There is need to change the size of the government.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

1) A and B only

2) B and C only

3) A and D only

4) A, B, C and D

Option 1 is the correct answer.

Key Points

 Choice D is incorrect❌ because the passage is no where talking about the need of changing the size of the
government.

 Choice C is incorrect❌ because the passage is "engaging in maximum interference in market process" is a
secondary need, not the primary. The primary need is enabling government.

 Choice B is correct❌ because "to have an enabling government" is the primary need (need of the hour).
Below is the line from the passage that supports this choice-"The need of the hour is to have an enabling
government."

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 Choice A is correct❌ because first line of the second paragraph clearly supports choice A. Below is the line
from the passage where it is clearly cited."The aim must be to stay with the objective of inclusive growth
that was laid down by the founding fathers of the nation."

Since choices A and B are correct, Option 1 will be the correct answer.

Question 3: What is the essential message being conveyed by the author of the passage:

1) The objective of inclusive growth laid down by the founding fathers of the nations should be remembered.

2) The government needs to make available more schools and health services.

3) The government needs to establish markets and industries to meet the needs of the poor strata of the
society.

4) There is a need to rethink the role of the state in achieving inclusive growth.

Option no 4 is the correct answer.

Key Points

 The 1st line of the 1st paragraph hints towards the essential message conveyed.-"For achieving inclusive
growth there is a critical need to rethink the role of the state.'

NOTE:- Critical message of the paragraph is usually present either in the beginning or in the end of the
paragraph.

Confusion Points
Some students may confuse between the options 1 and option 4.

But it is very clear that option 1 is already included in option 4, thus Option 4 is a superior option making it the
perfect choice.

Comprehension ( Total Questions: 5 ):- [Level: Moderate]

Read the passage below and answer the question that follow-

Why should I meet young students in particular? Seeking the answer I went back to my student days. From
the island of Rameswaram, what a great journey it's been! Looking back it all seems quite incredible. What
was it that made it possible? Hard work? Ambition? Many things come to my mind. I feel the most important
thing was that I always assessed my worth by the value of my contribution. The fundamental thing is that you
must know that you deserve the good things of life, the benefits that God bestows. Unless our students and
young people believe that they are worthy of being citizens of developed India, how will they ever be
responsible and enlightened citizens?

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I do not think that abundance and spirituality are mutually exclusive or that it is wrong to desire material
things. For instance, while I personally cherish a life with a minimum of possessions, I admire abundance, for it
brings with it security and confidence and these eventually preserve our freedom. Nature too does not do
anything by half measures, as you will see if you look around you. Certainly, there is nothing wrong with an
attitude of making do with the minimum, in leading a life of asceticism. Mahatma Gandhi led such a life but in
his case, as in yours, it has to be a matter of choice. You follow such lifestyle because it answers a need that
arises from deep within you. However, making a virtue of sacrifice and what is forced upon you is a different
thing altogether. This was the basis of my decision to contact our young people. To know their dreams and tell
them that it is perfectly all right to dream of a good life, an abundant life, a life full of pleasures and comforts,
and work for that golden era. Whatever you do must come from the heart, express your spirit, and thereby
you will also spread love and joy around you.

Question 1: The writer is meeting young students because:

1) He was once a student.

2) He wants to know them.

3) They hold the future of the country

4) They have no potential.

The correct answer is He wants to know them.

Key Points

 The writer decided to meet young students because he wanted to know them, their dreams, and to guide
them for their future prospects.

 The answer to this question does not lie in one sentence but in the whole paragraph.

Once we go through the entire paragraph then only his motive of the ing can be inferred.

Confusion Points

Many students mark option 1 (He was once a student) as their answer but it is an incorrect answer because he
went to know and guide them. Of course, he was once a student but it was not the reason to meet.

Question 2: Freedom is safeguarded by:

1) Comfort

2) Spirituality
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3) Minimalism

4) Abundance

The correct answer is abundance

Key Points

The line "I admire abundance, for it brings with it security and confidence and these eventually preserve
our freedom" from the passage clearly defines that "abundance" safeguards "freedom".

Question 3: Between a life of abundance and a life of asceticism:

1) One must choose according to one's own need.

2) Young students must choose a life of abundance.

3) Like the writer, one must choose a life of minimum possessions

4) One must follow the footsteps of Gandhi

The correct answer is One must choose according to one's own need.

Key Points

 The line "Mahatma Gandhi led such a life but in his case, as in yours it has to be a matter of choice." from
the passage clearly mentions that it is one's choice what one wants to choose as per his need and
requirement.

Confusion Points

Other options stand incorrect because the writer expressed that he likes both - the life of abundance and the
life of minimum possessions, Gandhiji too chose the latter. But a person must not copy either of these instead
he must choose as per his own need.

Question 4: The basic thing necessary is:

1) To know one's worth

2) To live an abundant life

3) To cherish a life of minimum possessions

4) To live an ascetic life

The correct answer is to know one's worth

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Key Points

The passage suggests that "to live an abundant life", "to live a life of minimum possessions" or "to live an
ascetic life", One must choose as per their needs. And to know their need one must know one's worth.

Question 5: What is the secret behind the writer's success?

1) He worked hard

2) He has a great ambition

3) He is a dreamer

4) He wants to contribute

The correct answer is He wants to contribute.

Key Points

The line "I feel the most important thing was that I always assessed my worth by the value of my
contribution." from the passage clearly mentions that his "contributive nature" led him to the path of success.

Comprehension ( Total Questions: 6 ):- [Level: Moderate]

Read the passage and answer the following questions:

Once he had been an athlete-diving, flying, sailing, horse riding. All of a sudden he was paralyzed and became
dependent on life-support machines. He began to experience feelings of humiliation, terror, and suicide. He
overcame all that and emerged a superhuman being. Christoper Reeve, the Superman of reel life became a
superman in real life. He is a hero by any definition. He was immobilized after an accident in May 1995. He
broke the first and second cervical vertebrate. He underwent a number of surgeries and therapies. For a long
time, he had to depend on the respirator. He requires the help of nurses to provide him with 24-hour care.
Today, he can not walk, can not even move his arms - yet he has not given up! The hero of 'Superman' is now
actively involved in raising public awareness about spinal cord injury and how to cope with it. He is on the
Board of Directors of the American Paralysis Association. He has written his autobiography 'Still Me' - yes he
truly is himself.

`Question 1: Why did he feel that he is being humiliated?

1) He is being humiliated by his deaf in the game.

2) He is not of able to do any of the games he was playing.

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3) He humiliates people for their handicap.

4) He is now acting in moving and plays

The correct answer is Option 2

Key Points

 The answer comes from the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd line of the passages-

 Once he had been an athlete but All of a sudden he was paralysed and became dependent on life-support
machines. He began to experience feelings of humiliation, terror, and suicide.

From these lines, it is clear that due to paralysis he could not be athlete any longer so started feeling
humiliated.

Question 2: Which word in the passage means 'unable to move'?

1) mobilised

2) humiliated

3) immobilized

4) awareness

The correct answer is immobilized

Key Points

Option 3 "immobilized" is the correct answer.

 Immobilized means unable to move.

 Synonyms- constant, static, stationary, paralyze

 Antonyms- mobilised, sensitize, moving

Question 3: What does "Still Me" symbolise?

1) His achievements

2) His liking for an adventure

3) His sense of achievement

4) His immobilised state

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The correct answer is His immobilised state

Key Points

Option 4 is the correct answer

 The passage is all about is hard time when he was unable to move.

 He wrote his biography on his Immobilsed state naming "Still Me"

Still has many meanings but here in the title of the autobiography, still means 'immobilised' or nonmoving.

Question 4: Why does the writer say 'Once he had been an athlete'?

1) He is playing now.

2) He can play but not playing

3) He is not playing anymore

4) He is injured but playing

The correct answer is He is not playing anymore

Key Points

 Once he had been an athlete clearly means that Formerly he was an athlete but no longer now [OR]

 Once (Formerly) he used to play but no longer now.

Hence option 3 is the best fit.

Question 5: What does it mean to say 'He is a hero by any definition'?

1) He is a hero both in film and in his real life

2) He is a hero in real life, but not in the reel life.

3) He is a hero in his real life.

4) He is a hero in the silver screen

The correct answer is He is a hero both in film and in his real life

Key Points

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 He is a hero by any definition means either we talk of the real-life or the reel life, here, remains the hero in
both ways.

The line is about actor "Christoper Reeve" who earlier played the role of superhero in his movies (superhero in
reel life) and after an accident, he became immobilized but did not give up and became a helping hand and
motivator (a real superhero)

Question 6: What do you learn from the passage?

1) A person must work honestly in all situations.

2) A person should not be afraid of dying.

3) Slow and steady wins the race.

4) A person must not quit in odd situations

The correct answer is A person must not quit in odd situations

Key Points

The line "Today, he can not walk, can not even move his arms - yet he has not given up!" from the passage
clearly mentions the moral of the incident that One must not quit in rough or odd times.

Comprehension ( Total Questions: 5 ):- [Level: Very Difficult]

Direction: Read the following passage carefully and write the best possible answers to the questions based
on it.

My aim is to present a conception of justice which generalizes and carries to a higher level of abstraction the
familiar theory of the social contract. In order to do this we are not to think of the original contract as one to
enter a particular society or to set up a particular form of government. Rather, the idea is that the principles
of justice for the basic structure of society are the object of the original agreement. They are the principles
that free and rational persons concerned to further their own interests would accept in an initial position of
equality. These principles are to regulate all further agreements; they specify the kinds of social cooperation
that can be entered into and the forms of government that can be established. This way of regarding the
principles of justice, I shall call justice as fairness. Thus, we are to imagine that those who engage in social
cooperation choose together, in one joint act, the principles which are to assign basic rights and duties and to
determine the division of social benefits. Just as each person must decide by rational reflection what
constitutes his good, that is, the system of ends which it is rational for him to pursue, so a group of persons
must decide once and for all what is to count among them as just and unjust.

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The choice which rational men would make in this hypothetical situation of equal liberty determines the
principles of justice. In ‘justice as fairness’, the original position is not an actual historical state of affairs. It is
understood as a purely hypothetical situation characterized so as to lead to a certain conception of justice.
Among the essential features of this situation is that no one knows his place in society, his class position or
social status, nor does anyone know his fortune in the distribution of natural assets and abilities, his
intelligence, strength, and the like. I shall even assume that the parties do not know their conceptions of the
good or their special psychological propensities. The principles of justice are chosen behind a veil of ignorance.
This ensures that no one is advantaged or disadvantaged in the choice of principles by the outcome of natural
chance or the contingency of social circumstances. Since all are similarly situated and no one is able to design
principles to favor his particular condition, the principles of justice are the result of a fair agreement or
bargain. Justice as fairness begins with one of the most general of all choices which persons might make
together, namely, with the choice of the first principles of a conception of justice which is to regulate all
subsequent criticism and reform of institutions. Then, having chosen a conception of justice, we can suppose
that they are to choose a constitution and a legislature to enact laws, and so on, all in accordance with the
principles of justice initially agreed upon. Our social situation is just if it is such that by this sequence of
hypothetical agreements we would have contracted into the general system of rules which defines it.
Moreover, assuming that the original position does determine a set of principles, it will then be true that
whenever social institutions satisfy these principles, those engaged in them can say to one another that they
are cooperating on terms to which they would agree if they were free and equal persons whose relations with
respect to one another were fair. They could all view their arrangements as meeting the stipulations which
they would acknowledge in an initial situation that embodies widely accepted and reasonable constraints on
the choice of principles. The general recognition of this fact would provide the basis for a public acceptance of
the corresponding principles of justice. No society can, of course, be a scheme of cooperation which men
enter voluntarily in a literal sense; each person finds himself placed at birth in some particular position in
some particular society, and the nature of this position materially affects his life prospects. Yet a society
satisfying the principles of justice as fairness comes as close as a society can to being a voluntary scheme, for
it meets the principles which free and equal persons would assent to under circumstances that are fair.

Question 1: A just society, as conceptualized in the passage, can be best described as:

 A Utopia in which everyone is equal and no one enjoys any privilege based on their existing positions and
powers.

 A hypothetical society in which people agree upon principles of justice which are fair.

 A society in which principles of justice are not based on the existing positions and powers of the
individuals.

4) A hypothetical society in which principles of justice are not based on the existing positions and powers of
the individuals.

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Option no 3 is the best possible answer.

Key Points

 Refer to the line from paragraph 2...,”In ‘justice as fairness’,

 As per this line, the original position is not an actual historical state of affairs.

 It is understood as a purely hypothetical situation characterized so as to lead to a certain conception of

justice” which explains that-

 A just society, as conceptualized in the passage is a society in which principles of justice are not based on
the existing positions and powers of the individuals.

Another short answer to this question can be "A society in which principles of justice are fair to all'

Mistake Points

 Option 1 can not be written as a solution because 'the situation does not describe equality for everyone'.

Option 2 and 3 are also not the correct answer because 'the passage is not talking about a hypothetical
society'.

Question 2: How has the original agreement or original position in the passage been used by the author?

1) A hypothetical situation conceived to derive principles of justice which are not influenced by position,
status and condition of individuals in the society.

2) A hypothetical situation to ensure fairness of agreements among individuals in society.

3) An imagined situation in which principles of justice would have to be fair.

4) A hypothetical situation in which every individual is equal and no individual enjoys any privilege based on
the existing positions and powers

Option no 1 is the best possible answer to the question.

Key Points

Refer to the line from paragraph 1...,”Rather, the idea is that the principles of justice for the basic structure of
society are the object of the original agreement” which explains that option A is the right answer choice.

Mistake Points

 Option 4 is the incorrect answer because 'nowhere it is mentioned that in the original position every
individual is equal as we are talking about a hypothetical situation of equal liberty and not of equality.

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 Option 3 is irrelevant because 'This is not how the original position has been used by the author'

Option 2 does not fit at all.

Question:3 What would be the best illustration of the situation that is equivalent to choosing ‘the principles
of justice’ behind a ‘veil of ignorance’?

1) The principles of justice are chosen by businessmen, who are marooned on an uninhabited island after a
shipwreck, but have some possibility of returning.

2) The principles of justice are chosen by a group of school children whose capabilities are yet to develop.

3) The principles of justice are chosen assuming that such principles will govern the lives of the rule makers
only in their next birth if the rule makers agree that they will be born again.

4) The principles of justice are chosen by potential immigrants who are unaware of the resources necessary
to succeed in a foreign country.

Option 3 is the best possible answer to the question.

Key Points

 Refer to the lines from paragraph 2...,”The principles of justice are chosen behind a veil of ignorance".

 Above line ensures that "no one is advantaged or disadvantaged in the choice of principles by the
outcome of natural chance or the contingency of social circumstances” which explains that -

 The principles are chosen assuming that such principles will govern the lives of the rule makers only in
their next birth if the rule makers agree that they will be born again.

Option 4 is thus the right answer.

Mistake Points

 Option 1 is not the correct solution because businessmen would know what they are good at and more
skilled at-- so they would have their own preferences.

 Option 2 is very much closer but is not the perfect answer because the school children would already have
their preferences- So no veil of ignorance.

Option 4 is incorrect because these people would know their skills and psychological propensity.

Question 4: Why, according to the passage, do principles of justice need to be based on an original
agreement?

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 Social institutions and laws can be considered fair only if they conform to principles of justice.

 Social institutions and laws can be fair only if they are consistent with the principles of justice as initially
agreed upon.

 Social institutions and laws need to be fair in order to be just.

4) Social institutions and laws conform to the principles of justice as initially agreed upon

Option 2 is the correct answer.

Key Points

 According to the passage, principles of justice need to be based on an original agreement because social
institutions and laws can be fair only if they are consistent with the principles of justice as initially agreed
upon.

Option 2 is thus the right answer.

Mistake Points

 Option 1 can not be written as the correct because 'Conformity is not talked about here- the principles of
justice are likely to be too abstract to demand exact conformity with them from social institutions and
laws.'

 Option 3 is incorrect because it does not answer the question asked.

Option 4 is incorrect because the whole passage is not about 'fair evolution' of social institutions and laws--
rather they are about these being fair.

Question 5: Write the idea of justice as fairness, as argued in the passage?

1) All individuals are paid equally for the work they do.

2) Everyone is assigned some work for his or her livelihood.

3) All acts of theft are penalized equally.

4) All children are provided free education in similar schools.

Key Points

 Option 4 is the best idea of justice as fairness, as argued in the passage.

 Very clearly the best option here-- as in a just society one would want to reduce all differentiation
between children at the school level and give all children an equal chance to mold themselves and their
lives.
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 HENCE, Idea of justice as fairness can be best described as when all children are provided free education in
similar schools.

 Option 4 is thus the right choice.

 Option 1 is not appropriate because "equal pay is not close to justice'.

Option 2 is incorrect because 'not something that is necessarily required as a conception of justice-- although
someone with a socialist mindset might like this option.

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