Multiple choice

Why, according to the author, Indians are apathetic?

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

Apathy in addressing community matters has held us back from making progress which is otherwise within our reach. We see serious problems around us but do not try to solve them. We believe as if the problems do not exist or as if they belong to someone else. On the other hand, in the West, people approach societal problems proactively. There are several examples of our apathetic attitude. For instance, all of us are aware of the problem of drought in India. More than four decades ago, Dr. K.L.Rao, an irrigation expert, suggested the creation of a water grid connecting all the rivers in north and south India to solve this problem. Unfortunately, nothing has been done about this. The story of power shortage in Bangalore is another instance. In 1983, it was decided that a power plant would be built to meet Bangalore’s power requirements. Sadly, we have not yet started it. The Milan subway in Bombay has been in a deplorable state for the last four decades, and no action has been taken.
We Indians would do well to remember Thomas Hunter’s words that idleness travels very slowly and poverty soon overtakes it. What could be the reason for our apathy? We were ruled by foreigners for over a thousand years. So, we have always believed that public or societal issues belong to some foreign ruler and that we have no responsibility to solve them. We have got used to just executing someone else’s orders. ‘We are what we repeatedly do,’ said Aristotle. Having waited for some foreigner to tell us what to do over the last thousand years, the decision-makers in our society are not used to taking decisions on their own. They look to somebody else to take their decisions for them. Unfortunately, there is no body to look up to, and this is our tragedy.

 

  1. Because they are not equal to the challenges.

  2. Because they lack in expertise.

  3. Because they do not have self-belief.

  4. Because there is a lack of leadership.

  5. Because they are slavish by nature.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

Indians are apathetic because they have become accustomed to taking orders from others repeatedly, like slaves take orders from their masters. Having been ruled for over thousand years by foreigners of all descriptions, Indians have lost the drive that makes one decisive. It is because of this that they are reluctant to take any decision of their own. To buttress the point author has quoted Aristotle who said,' we are what we repeatedly do.' This is the answer to the question.

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