Direction: Read a passage and answer the items based on it. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and the opinion of the author only. The third great defect of our civilization is that it does not know what to do with its knowledge. Science has given us powers fit for the gods, yet we use them as small children. For example, we do not know how to manage our machines. Machines were made to be humanity's servants, yet man has grown so dependent on them that they are in a fair way to become his masters. Already most people spend most of their lives looking after and waiting upon machines. And the machines are very stern masters. They must be kept at the right temperature. And if they do not get their meals when they expect them, they grow sulky and refuse to work or burst with rage and blow up and spread ruin and destruction all around. So we have to wait upon them very attentively and do all that we can to keep them in a good temper. Already we find it difficult either to work or play without the machines, and a time may come when they will rule us altogether, just as we rule the animals. And this brings me to the point at which I asked, "What do we do with all the time which the machines have saved for us, and the new energy they have given us?" On the whole, it must be admitted, we do very little. For the most part, we use our time and energy to make more and better machines which will give us still more time and still more energy, and what are we to do with them? The answer, I think, is that we should try to become more civilized. For the machines themselves, and the power which the machines have given us, are not civilization but aids to civilization. But you will remember that we agreed at the beginning that being civilized meant making and linking beautiful things, thinking freely and living rightly and maintaining justice equally among people. A person has a better chance today to do these things than he/she ever had before; he/she has more time, more energy, less to fear and less to fight against. If he/she will give his/her time and energy which his/her machines have won for him/her to make more beautiful things, to find out more and more about the universe, to remove the cause of quarrels between nations, to discover how to prevent poverty, then I think our civilization would undoubtedly be the greater as it would be more lasting than it has ever been.
According to the passage, our civilization would be made greater
The passage discusses a significant flaw in modern civilization: our inability to effectively utilize the vast knowledge and power granted by science and technology, particularly machines. The author argues that instead of using machines as tools to improve human life and pursuits, we have become overly dependent on them, essentially becoming their servants.
The core question addressed by the author is what we should do with the increased time and energy that machines provide. The passage states that we largely fail to use this surplus time and energy for meaningful advancement, instead focusing on creating even more machines. The author suggests that this saved time and energy should be directed towards becoming "more civilized".
The passage provides a definition of being civilized, which includes:
- Making and linking beautiful things
- Thinking freely
- Living rightly
- Maintaining justice equally among people
The author then directly links these activities to making civilization greater and more lasting. The passage explicitly states:
"If he/she will give his/her time and energy which his/her machines have won for him/her to make more beautiful things, to find out more and more about the universe, to remove the cause of quarrels between nations, to discover how to prevent poverty, then I think our civilization would undoubtedly be the greater as it would be more lasting than it has ever been."
Let's examine the options provided based on this statement from the passage:
| Option | Statement | Alignment with Passage |
| 1 | if man devotes his time to make more beautiful things | The passage explicitly lists "to make more beautiful things" as one of the ways to use time/energy that would make civilization greater. This aligns directly. |
| 2 | if man looks after and waits upon machines | The passage describes this as the current problematic state where machines are becoming masters, not something that makes civilization greater. This contradicts the author's point. |
| 3 & 4 | if man discovers how to prevent poverty | The passage also lists "to discover how to prevent poverty" as one of the ways to use time/energy that would make civilization greater. |
According to the passage, channeling the time and energy saved by machines into meaningful human pursuits, such as making beautiful things, is what leads to a greater and more lasting civilization. Option 1 directly reflects one of the key examples provided by the author for achieving this goal.
Passage Analysis on Civilization and Machines
The author presents a critical view of how society currently interacts with technology. While scientific knowledge provides immense power, its application is often misguided. The relationship with machines serves as a primary example. Initially created to serve humanity, machines have, paradoxically, led to humans spending most of their time and energy catering to the machines' needs (maintenance, temperature, etc.). This dependence is seen as a regression, not an advancement, towards becoming truly civilized.
The central argument for making civilization greater rests on how we utilize the benefits (time, energy) derived from technology. Instead of focusing outwards on humanistic goals or intellectual growth, the focus remains inwards on the technology itself (making more and better machines). The author advocates for a shift towards activities that define a truly civilized society.
Making Civilization Greater According to the Author
The passage clearly outlines the paths to a greater civilization. These involve using the surplus time and energy for:
- Creating aesthetic value (making beautiful things).
- Expanding knowledge (finding out more about the universe).
- Promoting peace and cooperation (removing the cause of quarrels between nations).
- Addressing social issues (discovering how to prevent poverty).
Engaging in these activities, rather than merely serving machines or building more of them, is the author's prescription for elevating civilization.
Revision Table: Understanding Passage Concepts
| Concept | Author's View | Impact on Civilization |
| Knowledge/Science | Provides great power | Potential for good, but often misused (defect) |
| Machines | Made to be servants, but becoming masters due to dependence | Time/energy saved is misused; focus shifts from human goals to machine maintenance |
| Being Civilized | Making beautiful things, thinking freely, living rightly, maintaining justice | True goal; requires directing time/energy towards these pursuits |
| Making Civilization Greater | Using time/energy for humanistic pursuits (arts, knowledge, peace, social welfare) | Achieves the potential of knowledge/science; leads to a more lasting society |
Additional Information: The Author's Critique
The passage presents a strong critique of technological determinism and the uncritical embrace of progress defined solely by machine development. The author suggests that true progress lies in human flourishing, intellectual exploration, and ethical conduct, all of which require conscious effort and the wise allocation of resources like time and energy. The machines are merely aids; civilization is defined by human endeavors and values.
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