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Question

John Locke says that the child's mind is a 'Tabula Rasa,' a _______________ term meaning 'clean slate.'

The correct answer is
Latin

John Locke's 'Tabula Rasa': Understanding the Origin

The question asks about the origin of the term 'Tabula Rasa,' which John Locke used to describe the state of a child's mind at birth. He famously proposed that the mind is born as a 'Tabula Rasa', meaning a 'clean slate' upon which experience writes.

Analyzing the 'Tabula Rasa' Term

The phrase 'Tabula Rasa' is central to understanding John Locke's empiricist philosophy. Empiricism emphasizes the role of experience and sensory perception in the development of knowledge, contrasting with rationalism which stresses innate ideas.

Let's examine the origin of the term:

  • The term 'Tabula Rasa' literally translates from its source language to 'scraped tablet' or 'blank tablet'.
  • This was historically used to refer to wax tablets used for writing in ancient times.
  • John Locke adopted this metaphor to suggest that humans are not born with pre-existing knowledge or ideas; instead, their minds are blank canvases filled through sensory experiences and reflection.

Determining the Language Origin

The options provided are different languages. We need to identify which language 'Tabula Rasa' belongs to.

  • 'Tabula Rasa' is a well-known phrase derived from classical antiquity.
  • Considering the options: Italian, Latin, Sanskrit, French.
  • The phrase 'Tabula Rasa' originates from the Latin language. It directly translates to 'blank tablet'.

Therefore, the correct answer identifies Latin as the language of the term 'Tabula Rasa'.

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Important Questions from Reading Comprehension (Notes)

  1. Rearrange the following sentences into a logical and meaningful paragraph.
    (A) A famous Japanese rock garden is at Ryoan-si in Northwest Kyoto, Japan.
    (B) The rocks of various sizes are arranged on small white pebbles in five groups, each comprising five, two, three, two and three rocks.
    (C) The garden is 30 meters long from East to West and 10 metres from North to South.
    (D) The garden contains 15 rocks arranged out on surface of white pebbles in such a manner that visitors can see only 14 of them at once from whichever angle the garden is viewed.
    (E) There are no trees, just 15 irregularly shaped rocks of varying sizes, some arranged by gravel that is raked everyday.
    Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

  2. Choose the most appropriate sentence from the options given below to logically complete the following paragraph:
    The highest ideals of the age today are humanism and scientific spirit. There has been an apparent conflict between the two. But the great upheaval of thought today, with its questioning of all values, is removing the old boundaries between the external world of science and the internal world of introspection.
  3. The full form of CABE is ______
  4. ______ was appointed as a chairman of the Secondary Education on 1952.
  5. The commission which determines and coordinates the standards of teaching, examination and research in Universities is ______.
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