Read the following passage and answer the questions based on the passage:
While education and wisdom are often conflated in colloquial discourse, a discerning mind perceives a fundamental divergence between the two. Education is the formal acquisition of knowledge, often measured through degrees, academic accolades, and proficiency in structured disciplines. It is delivered through systematic curricula, institutionalized assessment, and theoretical frameworks. However, wisdom transcends this rigidity; it is the judicious application of knowledge to real-life contexts, enriched by experience, introspection, and emotional intelligence. An individual may be extensively educated yet remain bereft of wisdom if they lack the discernment to apply their learning ethically and effectively. Conversely, many wise individuals—farmers, artisans, elders—may not possess formal education, but their decisions exhibit prudence and sagacity cultivated through lived realities. Thus, education equips the mind, but wisdom enriches the soul. In an era dominated by information overload and algorithmic thinking, the schism between the two has widened. Educational institutions often prioritize rote memorization and standardized testing over critical thinking and moral reasoning. Consequently, society produces individuals proficient in problem-solving but deficient in decision-making that requires empathy, patience, or foresight. Wisdom, being innately human, cannot be downloaded or fast-tracked; it is earned through trial, failure, reflection, and a nuanced understanding of human nature. Furthermore, while education is temporally bounded—ending with formal schooling or academic milestones—wisdom is a lifelong pursuit. It does not boast certificates but manifests in humility, ethical consistency, and the ability to navigate ambiguity with grace. Ultimately, the highest form of intelligence lies not merely in knowing what is right, but in consistently choosing to do it, especially when it is inconvenient.
According to the author, why has the gap between education and wisdom widened in recent times?
- (a)Due to overuse of social media
- (b)Because wisdom is no longer valued
- (c)Because of rote learning and algorithmic methods
- (d)Because people stop learning after school
Answer
Why
Correct — C. The widening is stated in one sentence: 'In an era dominated by information overload and algorithmic thinking, the schism between the two has widened.'
The next sentence adds what schools do: 'Educational institutions often prioritize rote memorization and standardized testing over critical thinking and moral reasoning.'
'Rote learning and algorithmic methods' compresses those two sentences → option (c).
Why the others are wrong
- (a)Due to overuse of social media — The passage says information overload, never social media. Naming a likely modern culprit the author does not mention is importing outside knowledge.
- (b)Because wisdom is no longer valued — No longer claims that attitudes to wisdom have changed, and the passage describes no such change. Its stated causes are the algorithmic era and rote-heavy schooling.
- (d)Because people stop learning after school — The passage says education is temporally bounded, ending with formal schooling. That is a further point about education's limits, not the cause of the widening, and it never says people stop learning.
Concept
A cause question ('why has…') is answered by the sentence that states the effect and the one that explains it. Find the effect word first — here widened — then read the lines on either side.
The passage's word for the gap is schism, a split or division.
The keyed option reuses the passage's own cause words, 'rote' and 'algorithmic', while each distractor offers a cause the passage never states.
Option (c) joins two adjacent sentences: the 'algorithmic thinking' of the era and the 'rote memorization' of institutions. Neither sentence alone supplies both halves, so read past the sentence that contains 'widened'.
Key facts
- Schism means a split or division — the passage's word for the gap between education and wisdom.
- The passage places the widening in 'an era dominated by information overload and algorithmic thinking'.
- It says educational institutions prioritize 'rote memorization and standardized testing' over critical thinking and moral reasoning.
Study next
Common traps
- Choosing social media because it sounds like the modern cause — the passage says information overload.
- Reading 'ending with formal schooling' as 'people stop learning after school' — the line describes education's limits, not the reason for the gap.
The same passage also sets English Q.15 to Q.18 of this shift.
Q.18 asks for the central contrast — education against wisdom — that this question takes as given.
Related PYQs
No directly related past PYQ was found.