Q6: MPPSC Mains 2022 Paper-V: Mains Question

Read any ONE of the following two passages and answer the five questions given after it: Passage-A (Libraries in Ancient India): “Temples, monasteries and caves were once the principal places that housed manuscripts. The Buddhists, moreover, possessed their own private libraries. Collecting books before the growth of organised libraries was not as easy as it is today. The amount of wealth that is spent nowadays on an ordinary library was, in those days, sometimes required for the preparation of a single manuscript. Indian libraries were regarded as unrivalled in the world. From earliest times up to the medieval assemblies, the position remained the same. Scholars from vast countries like China and Persia undertook long journeys to India and returned laden with precious manuscripts.” Questions on Passage-A (i) Suggest a suitable title for the passage. (ii) What honour or glory did India receive because of its libraries? (iii) Why was the expenditure greater in ancient times? (iv) What is the most important means for the progress of literature? (v) At which places were the earliest libraries found? OR Passage-B (Culture and Civilisation): “‘Culture’ and ‘civilisation’ are two different words and their meanings also differ. Civilisation is that quality of man by which he improves his external mode of living, whereas culture is that quality by which he enriches his inner life. Pity, compassion, love and hospitality are signs of culture. Today's railways, motor-cars and aeroplanes, multi-storeyed houses and palatial buildings are proofs of civilisation, but their possession alone does not raise man. Our culture is the most ancient and refined in the world. It is not wealth, nor the art of making motors, houses or machines; culture is virtue. Culture is not meaningless gossip, nor is it idle thinking; rather, culture is the refinement of life.” Questions on Passage-B (i) What is meant by ‘civilisation’? (ii) What is meant by ‘culture’? (iii) In what way does culture differ from civilisation? (iv) What is the basic nature of culture? (v) In which matter does the humanity of a human being lie?