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Directions
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow the passage. Your answers to these items should be based on the passage only.
To avoid the various foolish opinions to which mankind is prone, no superhuman brain is required. A few simple rules will keep you, not from all errors, but from silly errors. If the matter is one that can be settled by observation, make the observation yourself. Aristotle could have avoided the mistake of thinking that women have fewer teeth than men, by the simple device of asking Mrs. Aristotle kept her mouth open while he counted. Thinking that you know, when in fact you do not, is a bad mistake to which we are all prone. I believe myself that hedgehogs eat black beetles, because I have been told that they do; but . If I were writing a book on the habits of hedgehogs, I would not commit myself until I had seen one enjoying this diet.. Aristotle, however, was less cautious. Ancient and medieval writers knew all about unicorns and salamanders; not one of them thought it necessary to avoid dogmatic statements about them because he had never seen one of them.
The writer believes that :
  • a)
    most people could avoid making foolish mistakes if they were clever
  • b)
    through observation, we could avoid making many mistakes
  • c)
    Aristotle made many mistake because he was not observant
  • d)
    All errors are caused by our own error in thinking
Correct answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?
Verified Answer
DirectionsRead the following passage and answer the questions that fo...
“through observation, we could avoid making many mistakes” is correct as per passage
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Understanding the Correct Answer: Option B
The passage emphasizes the importance of observation in avoiding mistakes, particularly those that arise from unfounded beliefs or assumptions. Here’s a detailed breakdown of why option B is the correct answer:

Observation as a Tool for Knowledge
- The writer asserts that simple rules can help prevent silly errors and emphasizes making observations personally.
- The reference to Aristotle's mistake regarding the number of teeth in women and men highlights the necessity of verifying facts through direct observation.
- The writer’s intention is clear: to advocate for a methodical approach to knowledge, which includes empirical evidence rather than relying solely on hearsay or assumptions.

Consequences of Assumptions
- The passage illustrates how many ancient and medieval thinkers made dogmatic statements about creatures they had never observed, such as unicorns and salamanders.
- This tendency to speak confidently about the unknown leads to the perpetuation of false beliefs and demonstrates the value of firsthand observation.

Critical Thinking and Caution
- The writer admits to believing in unverified information about hedgehogs, which reflects a common human flaw—accepting information without evidence.
- By stating that he would only commit to knowledge after personal observation, the writer reinforces the notion that observation fosters a clearer, more accurate understanding.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the passage advocates for the practice of observation as a fundamental method to avoid many, if not all, silly errors. Therefore, option B correctly encapsulates the essence of the writer's argument that careful observation can significantly reduce the likelihood of making foolish mistakes.
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DirectionsRead the following passage and answer the questions that follow the passage. Your answers to these items should be based on the passage only.To avoid the various foolish opinions to which mankind is prone, no superhuman brain is required. A few simple rules will keep you, not from all errors, but from silly errors. If the matter is one that can be settled by observation, make the observation yourself. Aristotle could have avoided the mistake of thinking that women have fewer teeth than men, by the simple device of asking Mrs. Aristotle kept her mouth open while he counted. Thinking that you know, when in fact you do not, is a bad mistake to which we are all prone. I believe myself that hedgehogs eat black beetles, because I have been told that they do; but . If I were writing a book on the habits of hedgehogs, I would not commit myself until I had seen one enjoying this diet.. Aristotle, however, was less cautious. Ancient and medieval writers knew all about unicorns and salamanders; not one of them thought it necessary to avoid dogmatic statements about them because he had never seen one of them.The writer believes that :a)most people could avoid making foolish mistakes if they were cleverb)through observation, we could avoid making many mistakesc)Aristotle made many mistake because he was not observantd)All errors are caused by our own error in thinkingCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?
Question Description
DirectionsRead the following passage and answer the questions that follow the passage. Your answers to these items should be based on the passage only.To avoid the various foolish opinions to which mankind is prone, no superhuman brain is required. A few simple rules will keep you, not from all errors, but from silly errors. If the matter is one that can be settled by observation, make the observation yourself. Aristotle could have avoided the mistake of thinking that women have fewer teeth than men, by the simple device of asking Mrs. Aristotle kept her mouth open while he counted. Thinking that you know, when in fact you do not, is a bad mistake to which we are all prone. I believe myself that hedgehogs eat black beetles, because I have been told that they do; but . If I were writing a book on the habits of hedgehogs, I would not commit myself until I had seen one enjoying this diet.. Aristotle, however, was less cautious. Ancient and medieval writers knew all about unicorns and salamanders; not one of them thought it necessary to avoid dogmatic statements about them because he had never seen one of them.The writer believes that :a)most people could avoid making foolish mistakes if they were cleverb)through observation, we could avoid making many mistakesc)Aristotle made many mistake because he was not observantd)All errors are caused by our own error in thinkingCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? for UPSC 2024 is part of UPSC preparation. The Question and answers have been prepared according to the UPSC exam syllabus. Information about DirectionsRead the following passage and answer the questions that follow the passage. Your answers to these items should be based on the passage only.To avoid the various foolish opinions to which mankind is prone, no superhuman brain is required. A few simple rules will keep you, not from all errors, but from silly errors. If the matter is one that can be settled by observation, make the observation yourself. Aristotle could have avoided the mistake of thinking that women have fewer teeth than men, by the simple device of asking Mrs. Aristotle kept her mouth open while he counted. Thinking that you know, when in fact you do not, is a bad mistake to which we are all prone. I believe myself that hedgehogs eat black beetles, because I have been told that they do; but . If I were writing a book on the habits of hedgehogs, I would not commit myself until I had seen one enjoying this diet.. Aristotle, however, was less cautious. Ancient and medieval writers knew all about unicorns and salamanders; not one of them thought it necessary to avoid dogmatic statements about them because he had never seen one of them.The writer believes that :a)most people could avoid making foolish mistakes if they were cleverb)through observation, we could avoid making many mistakesc)Aristotle made many mistake because he was not observantd)All errors are caused by our own error in thinkingCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? covers all topics & solutions for UPSC 2024 Exam. Find important definitions, questions, meanings, examples, exercises and tests below for DirectionsRead the following passage and answer the questions that follow the passage. Your answers to these items should be based on the passage only.To avoid the various foolish opinions to which mankind is prone, no superhuman brain is required. A few simple rules will keep you, not from all errors, but from silly errors. If the matter is one that can be settled by observation, make the observation yourself. Aristotle could have avoided the mistake of thinking that women have fewer teeth than men, by the simple device of asking Mrs. Aristotle kept her mouth open while he counted. Thinking that you know, when in fact you do not, is a bad mistake to which we are all prone. I believe myself that hedgehogs eat black beetles, because I have been told that they do; but . If I were writing a book on the habits of hedgehogs, I would not commit myself until I had seen one enjoying this diet.. Aristotle, however, was less cautious. Ancient and medieval writers knew all about unicorns and salamanders; not one of them thought it necessary to avoid dogmatic statements about them because he had never seen one of them.The writer believes that :a)most people could avoid making foolish mistakes if they were cleverb)through observation, we could avoid making many mistakesc)Aristotle made many mistake because he was not observantd)All errors are caused by our own error in thinkingCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?.
Solutions for DirectionsRead the following passage and answer the questions that follow the passage. Your answers to these items should be based on the passage only.To avoid the various foolish opinions to which mankind is prone, no superhuman brain is required. A few simple rules will keep you, not from all errors, but from silly errors. If the matter is one that can be settled by observation, make the observation yourself. Aristotle could have avoided the mistake of thinking that women have fewer teeth than men, by the simple device of asking Mrs. Aristotle kept her mouth open while he counted. Thinking that you know, when in fact you do not, is a bad mistake to which we are all prone. I believe myself that hedgehogs eat black beetles, because I have been told that they do; but . If I were writing a book on the habits of hedgehogs, I would not commit myself until I had seen one enjoying this diet.. Aristotle, however, was less cautious. Ancient and medieval writers knew all about unicorns and salamanders; not one of them thought it necessary to avoid dogmatic statements about them because he had never seen one of them.The writer believes that :a)most people could avoid making foolish mistakes if they were cleverb)through observation, we could avoid making many mistakesc)Aristotle made many mistake because he was not observantd)All errors are caused by our own error in thinkingCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? in English & in Hindi are available as part of our courses for UPSC. Download more important topics, notes, lectures and mock test series for UPSC Exam by signing up for free.
Here you can find the meaning of DirectionsRead the following passage and answer the questions that follow the passage. Your answers to these items should be based on the passage only.To avoid the various foolish opinions to which mankind is prone, no superhuman brain is required. A few simple rules will keep you, not from all errors, but from silly errors. If the matter is one that can be settled by observation, make the observation yourself. Aristotle could have avoided the mistake of thinking that women have fewer teeth than men, by the simple device of asking Mrs. Aristotle kept her mouth open while he counted. Thinking that you know, when in fact you do not, is a bad mistake to which we are all prone. I believe myself that hedgehogs eat black beetles, because I have been told that they do; but . If I were writing a book on the habits of hedgehogs, I would not commit myself until I had seen one enjoying this diet.. Aristotle, however, was less cautious. Ancient and medieval writers knew all about unicorns and salamanders; not one of them thought it necessary to avoid dogmatic statements about them because he had never seen one of them.The writer believes that :a)most people could avoid making foolish mistakes if they were cleverb)through observation, we could avoid making many mistakesc)Aristotle made many mistake because he was not observantd)All errors are caused by our own error in thinkingCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? defined & explained in the simplest way possible. Besides giving the explanation of DirectionsRead the following passage and answer the questions that follow the passage. Your answers to these items should be based on the passage only.To avoid the various foolish opinions to which mankind is prone, no superhuman brain is required. A few simple rules will keep you, not from all errors, but from silly errors. If the matter is one that can be settled by observation, make the observation yourself. Aristotle could have avoided the mistake of thinking that women have fewer teeth than men, by the simple device of asking Mrs. Aristotle kept her mouth open while he counted. Thinking that you know, when in fact you do not, is a bad mistake to which we are all prone. I believe myself that hedgehogs eat black beetles, because I have been told that they do; but . If I were writing a book on the habits of hedgehogs, I would not commit myself until I had seen one enjoying this diet.. Aristotle, however, was less cautious. Ancient and medieval writers knew all about unicorns and salamanders; not one of them thought it necessary to avoid dogmatic statements about them because he had never seen one of them.The writer believes that :a)most people could avoid making foolish mistakes if they were cleverb)through observation, we could avoid making many mistakesc)Aristotle made many mistake because he was not observantd)All errors are caused by our own error in thinkingCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?, a detailed solution for DirectionsRead the following passage and answer the questions that follow the passage. Your answers to these items should be based on the passage only.To avoid the various foolish opinions to which mankind is prone, no superhuman brain is required. A few simple rules will keep you, not from all errors, but from silly errors. If the matter is one that can be settled by observation, make the observation yourself. Aristotle could have avoided the mistake of thinking that women have fewer teeth than men, by the simple device of asking Mrs. Aristotle kept her mouth open while he counted. Thinking that you know, when in fact you do not, is a bad mistake to which we are all prone. I believe myself that hedgehogs eat black beetles, because I have been told that they do; but . If I were writing a book on the habits of hedgehogs, I would not commit myself until I had seen one enjoying this diet.. Aristotle, however, was less cautious. Ancient and medieval writers knew all about unicorns and salamanders; not one of them thought it necessary to avoid dogmatic statements about them because he had never seen one of them.The writer believes that :a)most people could avoid making foolish mistakes if they were cleverb)through observation, we could avoid making many mistakesc)Aristotle made many mistake because he was not observantd)All errors are caused by our own error in thinkingCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? has been provided alongside types of DirectionsRead the following passage and answer the questions that follow the passage. Your answers to these items should be based on the passage only.To avoid the various foolish opinions to which mankind is prone, no superhuman brain is required. A few simple rules will keep you, not from all errors, but from silly errors. If the matter is one that can be settled by observation, make the observation yourself. Aristotle could have avoided the mistake of thinking that women have fewer teeth than men, by the simple device of asking Mrs. Aristotle kept her mouth open while he counted. Thinking that you know, when in fact you do not, is a bad mistake to which we are all prone. I believe myself that hedgehogs eat black beetles, because I have been told that they do; but . If I were writing a book on the habits of hedgehogs, I would not commit myself until I had seen one enjoying this diet.. Aristotle, however, was less cautious. Ancient and medieval writers knew all about unicorns and salamanders; not one of them thought it necessary to avoid dogmatic statements about them because he had never seen one of them.The writer believes that :a)most people could avoid making foolish mistakes if they were cleverb)through observation, we could avoid making many mistakesc)Aristotle made many mistake because he was not observantd)All errors are caused by our own error in thinkingCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? theory, EduRev gives you an ample number of questions to practice DirectionsRead the following passage and answer the questions that follow the passage. Your answers to these items should be based on the passage only.To avoid the various foolish opinions to which mankind is prone, no superhuman brain is required. A few simple rules will keep you, not from all errors, but from silly errors. If the matter is one that can be settled by observation, make the observation yourself. Aristotle could have avoided the mistake of thinking that women have fewer teeth than men, by the simple device of asking Mrs. Aristotle kept her mouth open while he counted. Thinking that you know, when in fact you do not, is a bad mistake to which we are all prone. I believe myself that hedgehogs eat black beetles, because I have been told that they do; but . If I were writing a book on the habits of hedgehogs, I would not commit myself until I had seen one enjoying this diet.. Aristotle, however, was less cautious. Ancient and medieval writers knew all about unicorns and salamanders; not one of them thought it necessary to avoid dogmatic statements about them because he had never seen one of them.The writer believes that :a)most people could avoid making foolish mistakes if they were cleverb)through observation, we could avoid making many mistakesc)Aristotle made many mistake because he was not observantd)All errors are caused by our own error in thinkingCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? tests, examples and also practice UPSC tests.
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