Statement and Arguments - Base Level
Practice and master this topic with our carefully crafted questions.
Study the following instructions carefully and then answer the questions that follow.
In making decisions about important questions it is desirable that a candidate is able to distinguish between 'strong' and 'weak' arguments so far as they relate to the questions.
'Weak' arguments may not be directly related to the questions and may be of minor importance or may be related to the trivial aspect of the question.
Each question below is followed by two arguments I and II. You have to decide which of the arguments is a 'strong' argument and which is a 'weak' argument.
Give Answer
(a) Only argument I is strong
(b) Only argument II is strong
(c) Either I or II is strong
(d) Neither I nor II is strong
(e) Both I and II are strong
Statement: Is paying ransom or agreeing to the conditions of kidnappers of political figures, a proper course of action ?
Arguments:
(I) Yes. The victims must be saved at all cost.
(II) No. It encourage the kidnappers to continue their sinister activities.
Both are arguments are strong enough. The conditions have to be agreed to, in order to save the life of victims, though actually they ought not to be agreed to, as they encourage the sinister activities of the kidnappers.
Statement: Should higher education be restricted to only those who can bear the expenditure ?
Arguments:
(I) Yes. Higher education is very costly, hence it should not be given free.
(II) No. There are a large number of brilliant students who cannot afford to pay and they should be given higher education.
For the all - round progress of the nation, all the students, especially the talented and intelligent ones,must avail of higher education, even if the government has to pay for it. So, only argument II holds.
Statement: Should the vehicles older than 15 years be rejected in metros in India ?
Arguments:
(I) Yes. this is a significant step to lower down the pollution level in metros.
(II) No. It will be very difficult for vehicle owners to shift to other parts in country because they will not get suitable job for their very existence.
Clearly, 15 year old vehicles are not Euro - complaint and hence cause much more pollution then the recent ones. So, argument I holds. Argument II is vague since owners of these vehicles need to shift themselves. They might sell of their vehicles and buy new ones - a small price which every citizen can afford for a healthy environment.
Statement: Should the railways in India be privatized in a phased manner like other public sector enterprises ?
Arguments:
(I) Yes. This is the only way to bring in competitiveness and provide better services to the public.
(II) No. this will pause a threat to the national security of our country as multinationals will enter into the fray.
Privatization would no doubt lead to better services. But saying that this is the 'only way' is wrong. So, argument I does not hold. Argument II also seems to be vague.
Statement: Should India develop a national water gird by connecting all the rivers in the country ?
Arguments:
(I) No.This is not just possible as we do not have the technical knowhow.
(II) Yes. this will greatly help the entire country by effectively channeling the excess water to the areas having shortage.
A single network of all the rivers in the country would surely enable a good distribution of water to all areas. So, argument II holds strong. Also, a policy beneficial to the nation cannot be hindered owing to lack of know how. Ways can be devised to build up such a network. So, argument I is vague.
Statement: Should there be compulsory medical examination of both the man and the woman before they marry each other ?
Arguments:
(I) No. This is an intrusion to the privacy of an individual and hence cannot be tolerated.
(II) Yes. This will substantially reduce the risk of giving birth to children with serious ailment.
Clearly, such a step would help to prevent the growth of diseases like AIDS. So, only argument II is strong.
Statement: Should import duty on all the electronic goods be dispensed with ?
Arguments:
(I) No. This will considerably reduce the income of the government and will adversely affect the developmental activities.
(II) No. The local manufacturers will not be able to compete with the foreign manufacturers who are technologically far superior.
Abolishing the import duty on all goods shall reduce the cost of imported goods and adversely affect the sale of domestic products, thus giving a setback to the Indian electronic industry . So, argument II holds strong. Argument I does not provide a convincing reason.
Statement: Should there be a maximum limit for the number of ministers in the Central Government ?
Arguments:
(I) No. The political party in power should have the freedom to decide the number of ministers to be appointed.
(II) Yes. The number of ministers should be restricted to a certain percentage of the total number of seats in the parliament to avoid unnecessary expenditure.
Clearly, there should be some norms regarding the number of ministers in the Government as more number of ministers would unnecessarily add to the Government expenditure. o, argument II holds strong. Also, giving liberty to the party in power could promote extension of unreasonable favour to some people at the cost of government funds. So, argument I does not hold.
Statement: Should all the unauthorized structures in the city be demolished ?
Arguments:
(I) No. Where will the people residing in such houses live ?
(II) Yes. This will give a clear message to general public and they will refrain from constructing unauthorized buildings.
The demolition of unauthorized building would teach a lesson to the unscrupulous builders and also serve as a warning for the citizens not to indulge in such activities in the future. This is essential, as unauthorized constructions impose undue burden on the city's infrastructure. So, only argument II holds strong.
Statement: Should all the colleges in India be allowed to devise their own curriculum and syllabus for the vocational courses promoting self-employment ?
Arguments:
(I) Yes. This is an important step to generate employment ?
(II) No. This will affect the quality of education due to lack of uniformity in syllabus.
Clearly, colleges, if given a free hand, would to through individual efforts come up with fresh, competent courses to draw in more students. This would open up new avenues for employment. So, argument I holds strong. In the light of this, argument II appears to be vague.