JIPMAT 2024
VA
Reading Comprehension
Medium
Read the paragraph and answer the questions that follow.
All great thinkers live and move on a high plane of thought. It is only there they can breathe freely. It is only in contact with spirits like themselves they can live harmoniously and attain that serenity which comes from ideal companionship. I have always thought that the strongest argument in favour of the Baconian theory was, that no man, however indubitable his genius, could have written the plays and sonnets that have come down to us under Shakespeare's name who had not the liberal education of Bacon. How this habit of intercourse with the gods makes one impatient of mere men. The magnificent ideals that have ever haunted the human mind, and given us our highest proofs of a future immortality by reason of the impossibility of their fulfillment here, are splintered into atoms by contact with life's realities. Hence comes our sublime discontent. It may be spiritual or intellectual pride that is engendered on the high plane of intellectual life. But whatever it is, it becomes inevitable. A habitual meditation on the vast problems that underline human life, and are knit into human destinies. It is easy to understand, therefore, why such thinkers fly to the solitude of their own thoughts, or the silent companionship of the immortals; and if they care to present their views in prose or verse to the world, that these views take a sombre and melancholy setting from "the pale cast of thought"in which they were engendered.According to the author, why do the great thinkers need to attain and remain at high plane of thought?(A) Because they want to enjoy harmony and serenity from ideal companionship.(B) Because the experience of greatness makes them impatient of being ordinary men.(C) Because the high plane of intellectual life instills a spiritual and intellectual pride in them.(D) Because they are apathetic to commoners and solely eager to attain lofty ideals.Choose most appropriate answer from the options given below :
According to the author, why do the great thinkers need to attain and remain at high plane of thought?(A) Because they want to enjoy harmony and serenity from ideal companionship.(B) Because the experience of greatness makes them impatient of being ordinary men.(C) Because the high plane of intellectual life instills a spiritual and intellectual pride in them.(D) Because they are apathetic to commoners and solely eager to attain lofty ideals.Choose most appropriate answer from the options given below :
✅ Correct Option: 1
According to the author, the great thinkers need to attain and remain at a high plane of thought for (A), (B) and (C) only.The passage indicates three main reasons why great thinkers need to attain and remain at a high plane of thought:1. To enjoy harmony and serenity from ideal companionship - "It is only in contact with spirits like themselves they can live harmoniously and attain that serenity which comes from ideal companionship."2. Their experience of greatness makes them impatient of being ordinary men - "How this habit of intercourse with the gods makes one impatient of mere men."3. The high plane of intellectual life instills a spiritual and intellectual pride in them - "It may be spiritual or intellectual pride that is engendered on the high plane of intellectual life."The passage does not suggest that great thinkers are apathetic to commoners solely to attain lofty ideals (option D). Rather, their impatience with ordinary people is presented as a consequence of their intellectual elevation, not a motivation for it.Hence, the correct answer is Option 1: (A), (B) and (C) only.