CUET PG COQP12 Previous Paper (2023 Shift-1)

Civilization has not succeeded so far, in creating an environment suitable to mental and moral activities of mankind. The low intellectual and spiritual value of most human beings is due largely to deficiencies of their psychological atmosphere. The supremacy of matter and the dogmas of industrial religion have destroyed culture, beauty and morals. The immense spread of newspapers, cheap literature, radios and cinemas has contributed only to the degeneration of culture. Unintelligence is becoming more and more general, in spite of the course given in schools, colleges, and universities. School children and students form their minds on the silly programmes of public entertainments. Social environment instead of favoring the growth of intelligence, opposes it with all its might.

Moral sense is almost complete ignored by modem society. We have in fact, suppressed its manifestation. All are imbued with irresponsibility. Those who discern good and evil, who are industrious, and provident, remain poor and are looked upon as morose. The woman who has several children, who devotes herself to their education instead of to her own career, is considered weak-minded. If a man saves a little money for his wife and the education of his children, this money is stolen from him by enterprising financers or taken by the government and distribute to those who have been reduced to want by their own improvidence and the short-sightedness of manufacturers, bankers and economists. Artists and men of science supply the community with beauty, healthy and wealth. They live and die in poverty. Robbers enjoy prosperity and peace. Gangsters are protected by politicians and respected by judges. They are the heroes whom children admire at the cinema and imitate in their games. A rich man has every right. He may discard his money to him, without losing the consideration of his friends. Sexual morals have been cast aside. Psychoanalysts supervise men and women in their conjugal relations. There is no difference between wrong and right, just and unjust. No one makes any objection to there presence. Ministers have rationalized religion they have destroyed its mystical basis. But they do not succeed in attracting modem men. In their half-empty churched they vainly preach a weak morality, They are content with part of policemen, helping in the interest of the wealthy to preserve the framework of present society. Or, like politicians they flatter the appetites of the crowed.

Men are powerless against such psychological attacks. They necessarily yield to the influence of their group. If one lives in the company of fools or criminals, one becomes a fool or criminal. Isolation is the only hope of salvation. But where will the inhabitants of the new city find solitude? Said Marcus Aurelius 'No retreat is more peaceful or less troubled than that encountered by man is his own soul.' But we are not capable of such an effort. We cannot fight out social surroundings victoriously.

Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow:

Man's growth from barbarism into civilization is supposed to be the theme of history. But sometimes, looking at great stretches of history, it is difficult to believe that this ideal has made such progress or that we are very much civilized or advanced. There is enough of want of co-operation today, of one country or people selfishly attacking or oppressing another, of one man exploiting another.

It is well to remember that man in many ways has not made very great progress from other animals. It may be that in certain ways some animals are superior to him. Still we look down upon the insects as almost the lowest of living things, and yet the tiny bees and ants have learn the art of co-operation and of sacrifice for the good of society are the test of civilization, we may say that the bees and ants are in this respect superior to man. In one of our old Sanskrit books there is a verse which can be translated as follows: "For the family, sacrifice the individual, for the community, the family, for the country, the community, and for the soul, the whole world." What the soul is few of us can know or tell, and each on of us can interpret it in a different way. But the lesson this Sanskrit verse teaches us in the same lesson of co-operation and sacrifice for the larger good. We in India had forgotten this sovereign path to real greatness for a long time, we had so fallen. But gain we seem to have glimpses of it and all the country is astir. How wonderful it is to see men and women, and boys and girls. smilingly going ahead in India's cause without caring about any pain or suffering? Well may they smile and be glad for the joy of serving a great cause which is theirs; and for those who are fortunate, comes the joy of sacrifice also.