Read the following passage and answer the questions based on the passage :
The proliferation of social media has fundamentally transformed the democratic landscape, acting both as a catalyst for civic engagement and a conduit for manipulation. Platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, once relegated to the domain of personal expression, now serve as powerful instruments of political discourse, enabling citizens to articulate opinions, mobilize for causes, and scrutinize authority in real-time. At its core, democracy thrives on the free flow of information, and social media ostensibly democratizes this process by dismantling traditional gatekeeping. Political leaders communicate directly with constituents, bypassing editorial filters, while grassroots movements harness virality to amplify marginalized voices. During critical events—be it elections, protests, or legislative debates—social media acts as a digital agora, fostering participatory dialogue that was once confined to town halls or print columns. However, this unprecedented openness is double-edged. The same platforms that disseminate truth can also propagate misinformation, polarize public opinion, and algorithmically reinforce ideological silos. Electoral interference through fake accounts, coordinated trolling, and the spread of disinformation campaigns have threatened electoral integrity in several democracies. Moreover, emotionally charged content, optimized for engagement rather than accuracy, often eclipses nuanced debate, reducing political discourse to a cacophony of outrage. The role of social media in democracy, therefore, is contingent not just on its technological architecture, but on the ethical frameworks governing its use. Regulatory oversight, media literacy, and algorithmic transparency are essential to harness its democratic potential while mitigating its subversive tendencies. In essence, social media is neither inherently virtuous nor inherently corrosive—it is a mirror of societal intent. Whether it becomes a pillar of democratic resilience or a tool of populist distortion depends largely on how it is wielded by citizens, institutions, and platforms alike.
What does the author suggest as a critical solution to social media misuse in democracies?
- (a)Enhanced meme culture
- (b)Legalizing all content
- (c)Algorithmic transparency and media literacy
- (d)Global censorship policies
Answer
Why
Correct — C. The author names the remedy in so many words: "Regulatory oversight, media literacy, and algorithmic transparency are essential to harness its democratic potential while mitigating its subversive tendencies."
The question's misuse is those subversive tendencies: misinformation, fake accounts, coordinated trolling, disinformation campaigns. Two of the three remedies in that sentence make up option (c).
Why the others are wrong
- (a)Enhanced meme culture — Meme culture is never mentioned. The nearest thing, "emotionally charged content, optimized for engagement rather than accuracy", is part of the problem the author describes, not the cure.
- (b)Legalizing all content — The author asks for regulatory oversight, the reverse of legalizing all content. Nothing in the passage proposes removing limits on what may be posted.
- (d)Global censorship policies — Censorship is not the author's word, and no global policy is proposed. Oversight supervises how platforms work; the passage pairs it with media literacy and transparency, not bans.
Concept
A solution question asks what the author prescribes, so look for the sentence of remedy. Here it is signalled by are essential to.
The passage first praises the openness of social media, turns with However to its dangers, and only then names what is needed. The keyed option comes from that last move; the other options are either absent from the passage or contrary to it.
The keyed option names two of the three remedies and leaves out regulatory oversight. That is fine: nothing in it goes beyond what the passage says.
Key facts
- The remedy sentence: "Regulatory oversight, media literacy, and algorithmic transparency are essential".
- The misuse it answers includes misinformation, fake accounts, coordinated trolling and disinformation campaigns.
- However marks the turn from the benefits of social media to its dangers.
Study next
Common traps
- Choosing global censorship policies because it sounds like strong regulation. The author asks for oversight and never mentions censorship.
- Rejecting the keyed option because it omits regulatory oversight. An option may carry part of the author's list.
The same passage is examined at English Q.15 (the primary democratic function), Q.16 (why social media is double-edged), Q.17 (what amplifies marginalized voices) and Q.19 (what decides whether social media supports or undermines democracy). Here the answer is a phrase lifted from one sentence.
Related PYQs
No directly related past PYQ was found.