SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 17 September 2025, Shift 1 · English Comprehension · Question 19 of 100

We transcribed this text from the pictures on a candidate's response sheet for this shift; the answer is the key SSC colour-marked on that sheet. Solution last reviewed 13 September 2026.

Read the following passage and answer the questions based on the passage :
India’s legacy of healing practices—embodied in disciplines such as Yoga, Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani—presents a complex synthesis of philosophy, biology, and metaphysics. Far from being static relics of the past, these systems have exhibited an evolving dynamism, continuously negotiating their space within both indigenous frameworks and global health discourses. At the heart of this healing ethos lies the idea that the human body is not an isolated physiological entity but a site of interconnected energies and rhythms. Yoga, as codified in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, is not merely a physical regimen but a holistic path aimed at harmonizing the body, mind, and spirit. In the modern era, however, it has undergone commodification, particularly in the West, where its philosophical moorings are often diluted into mere physical exercise or stress-reduction techniques. This recontextualization, while facilitating global popularity, raises questions about cultural appropriation and epistemic erosion. Traditional medicine systems such as Ayurveda view disease as an imbalance in the tridosha—vata, pitta, and kapha—principles that regulate bodily function. These systems emphasize prakriti (constitution), ahara (diet), and dinacharya (daily routine) as central to preventive healthcare. Unlike allopathy’s symptom-targeting approach, traditional Indian medicine is premised on restoring equilibrium in the body’s internal ecology. This integrative vision aligns with contemporary calls for personalized and preventive medicine, though methodological differences continue to stoke skepticism in the biomedical community. State patronage of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy) underlines a renewed institutional interest in traditional systems. However, critics caution against uncritical endorsement, citing the lack of standardized clinical trials, variability in diagnostic models, and challenges in evidence-based validation. Furthermore, pharmaceutical commercialization of Ayurvedic formulations often sidelines traditional knowledge holders, reducing centuries-old practices to marketable commodities. The interface between Yoga and traditional medicine with modern healthcare is therefore both promising and fraught. While integrative models are being explored—especially in palliative care, mental health, and chronic disease management—they require epistemic humility and regulatory rigor. The danger lies in either romanticizing these systems as panaceas or discarding them as pre-scientific relics. Ultimately, the relevance of Yoga and traditional medicine in contemporary India will depend on the country’s ability to safeguard their philosophical depth while subjecting them to transparent, rigorous scrutiny. Neither dogmatic revivalism nor dismissive scientism will suffice. What is needed is a dialogical framework where tradition and modernity co-evolve—not in opposition, but in mutual enrichment.

What stance does the author take on integrating traditional medicine with modern healthcare?

(a)Traditional medicine must replace allopathy
(b)Modern science is superior to traditional systems
(c)Integration is possible with humility and standards
(d)The two should remain completely separate

Answer

Why

Correct — C. The author's own view is in one sentence: integrative models "are being explored" but "they require epistemic humility and regulatory rigor."

"Epistemic humility" is the humility, "regulatory rigor" is the standards, and "being explored" shows integration is possible → option (c).

The last line agrees: tradition and modernity should "co-evolve—not in opposition, but in mutual enrichment."

Why the others are wrong

(a)
Traditional medicine must replace allopathy — The author rejects "dogmatic revivalism" and warns against "romanticizing these systems as panaceas", so replacing allopathy is the extreme the passage argues against.
(b)
Modern science is superior to traditional systems — The author rejects "dismissive scientism" just as firmly, and warns against "discarding them as pre-scientific relics". The passage never ranks one system above the other.
(d)
The two should remain completely separate — The author asks for a "dialogical framework" in which tradition and modernity co-evolve "in mutual enrichment", the opposite of keeping them apart.

Concept

An author's stance question asks where the writer lands, not what the passage reports others saying.

This author names two extremes and turns both down: "romanticizing these systems as panaceas" and "discarding them as pre-scientific relics".

What remains is conditional integration: explore it, but with humility and "transparent, rigorous scrutiny".

The critics' doubts about clinical trials are reported, not endorsed. The author's own voice is in "they require", "The danger lies" and "What is needed".

Key facts

The passage names palliative care, mental health, and chronic disease management as areas where integrative models are being explored.
The author describes "The interface between Yoga and traditional medicine with modern healthcare" as "both promising and fraught".
The author turns down two positions in one sentence: "Neither dogmatic revivalism nor dismissive scientism will suffice."

Study next

Author's stance and tone questions: balanced, critical, supportive, dismissiveReading "Neither … nor …" as a rejection of both extremesSeparating the author's view from views the passage credits to critics

Common traps

Picking (b) because the passage reports doubts about clinical trials: those are the critics' points, and the author also rejects "dismissive scientism".
Reading "Unlike allopathy’s symptom-targeting approach" as a vote for traditional medicine: it states a difference, and the author still asks for "transparent, rigorous scrutiny".

A stance question keyed to the balanced middle also appears at 16 Sep 2025, 12:30, English Q.22: the author's stance on freedom in democracy is keyed "Balanced and cautionary", against "Cynical and dismissive" and "Overly optimistic".

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Reading comprehension — all 128 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.

Read the following passage and answer the questions based on the passage :
India’s legacy of healing practices—embodied in disciplines such as Yoga, Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani—presents a complex synthesis of philosophy, biology, and metaphysics. Far from being static relics of the past, these systems have exhibited an evolving dynamism, continuously negotiating their space within both indigenous frameworks and global health discourses. At the heart of this healing ethos lies the idea that the human body is not an isolated physiological entity but a site of interconnected energies and rhythms. Yoga, as codified in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, is not merely a physical regimen but a holistic path aimed at harmonizing the body, mind, and spirit. In the modern era, however, it has undergone commodification, particularly in the West, where its philosophical moorings are often diluted into mere physical exercise or stress-reduction techniques. This recontextualization, while facilitating global popularity, raises questions about cultural appropriation and epistemic erosion. Traditional medicine systems such as Ayurveda view disease as an imbalance in the tridosha—vata, pitta, and kapha—principles that regulate bodily function. These systems emphasize prakriti (constitution), ahara (diet), and dinacharya (daily routine) as central to preventive healthcare. Unlike allopathy’s symptom-targeting approach, traditional Indian medicine is premised on restoring equilibrium in the body’s internal ecology. This integrative vision aligns with contemporary calls for personalized and preventive medicine, though methodological differences continue to stoke skepticism in the biomedical community. State patronage of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy) underlines a renewed institutional interest in traditional systems. However, critics caution against uncritical endorsement, citing the lack of standardized clinical trials, variability in diagnostic models, and challenges in evidence-based validation. Furthermore, pharmaceutical commercialization of Ayurvedic formulations often sidelines traditional knowledge holders, reducing centuries-old practices to marketable commodities. The interface between Yoga and traditional medicine with modern healthcare is therefore both promising and fraught. While integrative models are being explored—especially in palliative care, mental health, and chronic disease management—they require epistemic humility and regulatory rigor. The danger lies in either romanticizing these systems as panaceas or discarding them as pre-scientific relics. Ultimately, the relevance of Yoga and traditional medicine in contemporary India will depend on the country’s ability to safeguard their philosophical depth while subjecting them to transparent, rigorous scrutiny. Neither dogmatic revivalism nor dismissive scientism will suffice. What is needed is a dialogical framework where tradition and modernity co-evolve—not in opposition, but in mutual enrichment.