Each question given below consists of a statement, followed by two arguments numbered I and II. You have to decide which of the arguments is a 'strong' argument and which is a 'weak' argument. Give answer: (A) If only argument I is strong (B) If only argument II is strong (C) If either I or II is strong (D) If neither I nor II is strong (E) If both I and II are strong.
Statement: Should fashionable dresses be banned?
Arguments:
1. Yes. Fashions keep changing and hence consumption of cloth increases.
2. No. Fashionable clothes are a person's self expression and therefore his/her fundamental right
Answer: B
Clearly, imposing ban on fashionable dresses will be a restriction on the personal choice and hence the right to freedom of an individual. So, only argument II is strong.
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Statement: Should all the drugs patented and manufactured in Western countries be first tried out on sample basis before giving licence for sale to general public in India?
Arguments:
1. Yes. Many such drugs require different doses and duration for Indian population and hence it is necessary.
2. No. This is just not feasible and hence cannot be implemented.
Answer: A
Clearly, health of the citizens is an issue of major concern for the Government. So, a product like drugs, must be first studied and tested in the Indian context before giving licence for its sale. So, only argument I holds strong
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Is paying ransom or agreeing to the conditions of kidnappers of political figures, a proper course of action?
Arguments:
1. Yes. The victims must be saved at all cost.
2. No. It encourages the kidnappers to continue their sinister activities.
Answer: E
Both the arguments are strong enough. The conditions have to be agreed to, in order to save the life of the victims, though actually they ought not to be agreed to, as they encourage the sinister activities of the kidnappers.
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Statement: Should cottage industries be encouraged in rural areas?
Arguments:
1. Yes. Rural people are creative.
2. Yes. This would help to solve the problem of unemployment to some extent.
Answer: B
Clearly, cottage industries need to be promoted to create more job opportunities for rural people in the villages themselves. The reason that rural people are creative is vague. So, only argument II holds
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Statement: Should 'computer knowledge' be made a compulsory subject for all the students at secondary school level?
Arguments:
1. No, our need is 'bread' for everyone, we cannot follow western models.
2. Yes. We cannot compete in the international market without equipping our children with computers
Answer: B
Nowadays, computers have entered all walks of life and children need to be prepared for the same. So, argument II is strong. Argument I holds no relevance
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Statement: Is buying things on instalments profitable to the customer?
Arguments:
1. Yes. He has to pay less.
2. No, paying instalments upsets the family budget.
Answer: D
In buying things on instalments, a customer has to pay more as the interest is also included. So, argument I does not hold. Moreover, one who buys an item on instalments maintains his future budget accordingly as he is well acquainted with when and how much he has to pay, beforehand. So, argument II is also not valid.
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Statement: Should all the legislators be forced to resign from their profession?
Arguments:
1. Yes. They will be able to devote more time for the country.
2. No, nobody will contest election
Answer: A
The legislators should surely not be engaged in any other profession because only then will they be able to work with devotion. So, argument I holds. Also, if such a law is enforced, only those people will contest elections who are really prepared to work for the country. So, argument II is vague
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Statement: Should import duty on all the electronic goods be dispensed with?
Arguments:
1. No. This will considerably reduce the income of the government and will adversely affect the developmental activities.
2. No. The local manufacturers will not be able to compete with the foreign manufacturers who are technologically far superior.
Answer: B
Abolishing the import duty on electronic goods shall reduce the costs of imported goods and adversely affect the sale of the domestic products, thus giving a setback to the Indian electronics industry. So, argument II holds strong. Argument I does not provide a convincing reason.
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Statement: Should colleges be given the status of a university in India?
Arguments:
1. Yes. Colleges are in a better position to assess the student's performance and therefore the degrees will be more valid.
2. No. It is Utopian to think that there will not be nepotism and corruption in awarding degrees by colleges.
Answer: D
Clearly, at the college level, all the students are assessed according to their performance in the University Exams and not on the basis of any criteria of a more intimate dealings with the students. So, argument I is vague. Also, at this level the awarding of degrees is impartial and simply based on his performance. So, argument II also does not hold
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Statement: Should India make efforts to harness solar energy to fulfil its energy requirements?
Arguments:
1. Yes, Most of the energy sources used at present are exhaustible.
2. No. Harnessing solar energy requires a lot of capital, which India lacks.
Answer: A
Clearly, harnessing solar energy will be helpful as it is an inexhaustible resource unlike other resources. So, argument I holds. But argument II is vague as solar energy is the cheapest form of energy.
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