Read the following passage and answer the questions based on the passage :
The relationship between morality and legality is neither linear nor synonymous. Though often conflated in everyday discourse, they belong to distinct conceptual realms. Legality refers to conformity with codified rules enforced by the state, whereas morality is guided by principles of right and wrong, which are often subjective and culturally contingent. The divergence between what is legal and what is moral forms one of the most enduring dilemmas in jurisprudence and civil ethics. Laws, by their very nature, are prescriptive and institutionalized, grounded in the need for order, predictability, and enforceability. Yet, legal codes are ultimately constructed within specific historical, political, and social contexts, and thus may reflect prevailing power structures more than universal justice. For instance, colonial laws legalizing racial segregation or past statutes criminalizing homosexuality demonstrate how legality can institutionalize what many later recognize as moral failures. Conversely, acts of civil disobedience—illegal by definition—often draw moral legitimacy from a higher ethical calling. Mahatma Gandhi’s Salt March or Rosa Parks’ defiance on a segregated bus were technically unlawful, yet they served as moral catalysts for transformative legal reform. This underscores a vital point: legality does not always equate to justice, and at times, morality must challenge the law to realign it with evolving human values. However, conflating morality with legality can be equally dangerous. In pluralistic societies, what constitutes “moral” varies widely across cultures, religions, and ideologies. If law were to enforce a singular moral worldview, it would risk descending into authoritarianism or theocracy. Hence, modern democratic legal systems are designed to be procedurally neutral, relying on constitutional frameworks that protect individual rights while accommodating moral diversity. The tension between morality and legality is also palpable in emerging debates around technology, bioethics, and freedom of expression. Laws often lag behind technological advances, creating grey zones where ethical concerns arise before legal clarity is established. Consider data privacy or artificial intelligence—practices that may be legal today but pose moral quandaries about consent, autonomy, and manipulation. Ultimately, an ideal legal system should neither operate in moral vacuum nor serve as a mere extension of moral absolutism. Instead, it must strike a delicate balance—upholding constitutional values while remaining responsive to the ethical pulse of the time. Citizens, too, bear a responsibility: to not only obey the law but to question it when it stagnates or strays from principles of justice.
Why does the author mention acts like Gandhi’s Salt March and Rosa Parks’ defiance?
- (a)To show how legal systems support all moral actions
- (b)To illustrate when legal disobedience is morally valid
- (c)To argue for stricter law enforcement
- (d)To show that all moral actions are illegal
Answer
Why
Correct — B. The examples follow this sentence: "Conversely, acts of civil disobedience—illegal by definition—often draw moral legitimacy from a higher ethical calling."
The Salt March and Rosa Parks' defiance "were technically unlawful, yet they served as moral catalysts for transformative legal reform."
They are there to show law-breaking that is morally legitimate → option (b).
Why the others are wrong
- (a)To show how legal systems support all moral actions — support all moral actions is the reverse of the example. These moral acts were technically unlawful, so the law of the time did not support them.
- (c)To argue for stricter law enforcement — stricter law enforcement appears nowhere. The passage credits these unlawful acts with bringing legal reform, which argues for changing laws, not enforcing them harder.
- (d)To show that all moral actions are illegal — all moral actions overreaches. The passage calls civil disobedience illegal by definition, a claim about one kind of act, not about every moral action.
Concept
A why does the author mention question asks what job an example does in the argument, not what the example is about.
Find the claim the example sits under. Here it is the sentence just before: civil disobedience, illegal by definition, can draw moral legitimacy from a higher ethical calling.
The examples prove that claim, and the next sentence draws the point: legality does not always equate to justice.
The option's words legal disobedience have to mean disobeying the law. The passage calls these acts technically unlawful and civil disobedience illegal by definition, so read that way, (b) is the passage's own point.
Key facts
- The passage calls acts of civil disobedience illegal by definition.
- It names Gandhi's Salt March and Rosa Parks' defiance on a segregated bus as technically unlawful.
- It says those acts served as moral catalysts for transformative legal reform.
Study next
Common traps
- Choosing (d) because the passage calls civil disobedience illegal by definition, and stretching that to all moral actions
- Rejecting (b) because legal disobedience sounds like a contradiction, when here it can only mean disobeying the law
A purpose-of-example question on a different passage is keyed at 18 Sep 2025, 12:30, English Q.19: career choices are mentioned to illustrate the illusion of self-determination shaped by societal filters.
The same passage also carries English Q.16, Q.18, Q.19 and Q.20.
Related PYQs
No directly related past PYQ was found.