Multiple choice

What is the main difference between passage 1 and passage 2?

Answer the question based on the following passages.

Passage 1

            There is no family bonding or blood relation among the
            wretched Indian women who have been lynched on a mere
            suspicion of using witchcraft. The smoldering question: why
            do social evils and brutality in the name of faith continue to
(5)        bedevil our so called liberal society? Why could the education
            system not rid us from our taboos? We may be in the 21st century
            but we lose judgment when a black cat crosses our way; when
            we come across a broken mirror (supposedly boding ill luck).
            We do not know how the taboos originated but mostly we have
(10)      some ancient story related to it. The unforeseen, unexplained
            forces which deterred positivity in life became the basis of
            superstitions and, to guard against the ‘evil’, some rituals were
            devised which continue to survive till today. For example, it is
            common to say ‘touch wood’ after some good augury.
(15)      Some superstitions are held by a specific group. Gamblers believe
            in combination of numbers and a horseshoe as their lucky charm.
            Even the protagonists of the sliver screen are bewitched by
            superstition. They consult numerologists and astronomers for the
            date of release of their films so that no ill luck strikes their fate.
(20)      These superstitions have no scientific base but the desire to
            believe them is always existent in us as we wish well for the
            loved ones and that wish makes us abide by the superstitions.
            If we think walking under a ladder does not bode ill luck, how
            many of us do not think twice before doing so?

Passage – 2
            Illiteracy and ignorance often hinder the scientific
            temperament of a nation and lead to superstitious beliefs,
            but if the ‘scientist’ too happens to be superstitions there
            would be few to readily believe; for superstition and science
(5)        are generally considered antithetical.
            Voltaire called superstition a mad daughter of religion. Even
            Darwin’s Theory of Evolution has been criticized by the ‘faithful’
            because it debunks the ecclesiastic claim that God made
            man as superior to other organisms. But to ‘scientists’ too our
(10)      customs and beliefs gain precedence, which are sometimes
            more deeply ingrained than the scientific phenomena.
            Even a progressive western nation like ours that claims to virtually
            rule the world of science and research, with the world’s most
            scintillating innovations, has much of its population inclined to
(15)      believe in miracles. Many believe in the entity of ghosts and even
            have a vague trust in astrological findings.
            Then there are supposedly ‘scientific’ myths like one should
            avoid going out during eclipses to ward off radiation, pregnant
            women may get affected due to UV rays during such eclipses.
(20)      These are all unscientific but are commonly practiced because
            they have been carried for generations. Our intellect revolts,
            but our heart says why take a risk?

  1. Passage 1 relates with superstitions; passage 2 with scientific myths.

  2. Passage 1 deplores the inability of modern system to eradicate superstition; passage 2 deplores the inability of the expert to feel shy of superstitious beliefs.

  3. Passage 1 relates with social superstitions; passage 2 with mysteries of nature some of which have been scientifically proved wrong.

  4. Passage 2 invokes explained superstitions; passage 1 mentions unsolved mysteries.

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Passage 1: Lines 5-6: “Why could the education system not rid us from our taboos?” Passage 2: Line 3: “But if the 'scientist' too happens to be superstitions…”