Directions for questions 37 to 39: The passage given below is followed by a set of three questions.
Choose the most appropriate answer to each question.
Tom O'Riordan for example, in his 1976 book, Environmentalism, distinguished four ideologically diverse
propositions for tackling the current environmental crisis by means of institutional reform. For the sake of
clarity, these four propositions can be ordered as follows. In the first place, a distinction can be made
between statist and anti-statist propositions. The anti-statist propositions can then be divided into proposals
for global or for local (communal or regional) policies. Finally, the proposals for local policies can be divided
into authoritarian and anti-authoritarian solutions.
But O'Riordan considers only one position, one centred on the nation-state, centralised authoritarianism.
This is the position represented in particular by William Ophuls who, together with Paul Ehrlich and Garret
Hardin, ranks as a prominent advocate of so-called 'lifeboat ethics' according to which rich countries
should not be too ready to help poor countries lest the world population continue to grow and put even
greater pressure on already scarce food supplies and strategic resources. In the light of ecological scarcity,
frugality is a must, says Ophuls; we should be aiming for a 'steady-state society' in which the population
and the means of subsistence are in balance. Liberal democracy is not equipped to achieve this aim,
however; what is needed is a Hobbesian sovereign, a 'green Leviathan'. Ophuls leaves us in no doubt as to
who shall be in charge of this future state.
"The ecological complex steady-state society may… require, if not a class of ecological guardians, then at
least a class of ecological mandarins who possess the esoteric knowledge needed to run it well…. The
steady-state society will not only be more authoritarian and less democratic than the industrial societies of
today…but it will also in all likelihood be much more oligarchic as well, with only those possessing the
ecological and other competences to make prudent decisions allowed full participation in the political
process."In view of the authority enjoyed by ecologists in Ophuls' steady-state society, his position could also be
described as 'eco-cratic.'
37. What is the primary purpose of the author in this passage?
(a) To advocate O'Riordan's approach to address the environmental crisis through institutional reforms.
(b) Discuss at length an approach to institutional reform that addresses environmental concerns.
(c) Describe different approaches to creating an "eco-cratic" society.
(d) Identify the steps needed for institutional reform with an eye to the environmental crisis.
38. Which of the following statements is true in light of the passage?
(a) According to Ophuls, judicious decisions cannot be taken in a democratic society.
(b) Ophul's ideology is described as a "green Leviathan" since it proposes a sovereign state with no
democratic leanings.
(c) In a steady-state society, individual accountability will be proportional to individual capability.
(d) Riordan's book largely deals with a single authoritarian approach to institutional reform.
39. Which of the following is an assumption in Ophuls' formulation of a steady-state society?
(a) In a steady-state society, resources will not be limited.
(b) There won't be any resistance to the shift from a democratic to an eco-cratic society.
(c) In general, humans are not ecologically aware by nature.
(d) Ecological knowledge is all it takes to run a steady-state society.
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