SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 17 September 2025, Shift 1 · English Comprehension · Question 20 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.

According to the passage, what is required for the survival and relevance of Yoga and traditional medicine in modern India?

(a)Blind national pride
(b)Scientific rejection of tradition
(c)Dialogical integration of ancient and modern systems
(d)Exclusive use of foreign validation techniques

Answer

Why

Correct — C. The passage names the requirement in its last sentence: "What is needed is a dialogical framework where tradition and modernity co-evolve."

"Dialogical" means carried on as a dialogue, and "tradition and modernity" are the ancient and modern systems → option (c).

The sentence before it rules out both extremes: "Neither dogmatic revivalism nor dismissive scientism will suffice."

Why the others are wrong

(a)
Blind national pride — Blind national pride is close to "dogmatic revivalism", ruled out in "Neither dogmatic revivalism nor dismissive scientism will suffice", and to "romanticizing these systems as panaceas".
(b)
Scientific rejection of tradition — This is the "dismissive scientism" rejected in the same sentence, and the "discarding them as pre-scientific relics" the author calls a danger.
(d)
Exclusive use of foreign validation techniques — The passage asks for "transparent, rigorous scrutiny" but never mentions foreign methods, and "exclusive" cuts against its call for tradition and modernity to "co-evolve".

Concept

A "what is required" question points to the passage's conclusion, and here the last three sentences carry it.

First the author sets the condition: safeguard the systems' "philosophical depth" while subjecting them to "transparent, rigorous scrutiny".

Then both extremes are rejected, and the remedy follows: a dialogical framework, "not in opposition, but in mutual enrichment".

Key facts

"Dialogical" describes something carried on through dialogue, an exchange between two sides.
Scientism is an excessive belief in the power of scientific knowledge and methods.
The passage says relevance "will depend on the country’s ability to safeguard their philosophical depth while subjecting them to transparent, rigorous scrutiny".

Study next

Conclusion questions that rest on a passage's closing sentencesVocabulary inside comprehension: dialogical, scientism, revivalism, panaceaParaphrase matching: "tradition and modernity" → "ancient and modern systems"

Common traps

Picking (d) because critics want "evidence-based validation": the author asks for rigor, and nothing in the passage says foreign or exclusive.
Taking "Neither dogmatic revivalism nor dismissive scientism" as a rejection of tradition: it turns down two extremes and leaves the middle path.

The same passage sets 17 Sep 2025, 09:00, English Q.19, on the author's stance, answered a few sentences earlier at "they require epistemic humility and regulatory rigor". Read the ending closely and both questions follow.

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.