Read the passage carefully 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. Historical analysis combines several levels of thinking and study, posing a question about the past, setting up the problem in a form intended to facilitate its solution, solving the problem, and verifying the solution or interpretation. Academic history relies on formal analysis, based on rational and systematic apprehension of relevant evidence. Yet such formal analysis can be seen as a subset of the broader category of interpretation, including responses to evidence that are impressionistic and informal rather than formal and logically structured. Indeed, the many genres of academic and popular history run the full gamut from logically systematic to impressionistic.
Historians come from a widely varying range of philosophical traditions, and the varying philosophies lead to quite different ways of posing questions and answers. The distinctions among philosophical principles sketched here help to show how it is that different analytical priorities arise on the main topics proposed for analysis; they also show how historians can rely on similar data yet come to different or conflicting conclusions. Nineteenth century philosophical outlooks remain central to the world-historical analysis: most notably the dialectics of G.W.F. Hegel and the materialism of Karl Marx. Another great nineteenth-century current of thought was positivism, elaborated by Auguste Comte and focusing on study through breaking large problems into small ones, seeking deterministic relationship within the smaller problems. Philosophies of structuralism and post modernism have developed in more recent times, rejecting the positivist separation of problems into discrete sub-problems and emphasizing interaction among aspects of a problem.
Understanding Post-Modernism in History
Historical analysis involves multiple layers of thinking, from posing questions about the past to solving and verifying interpretations. Academic history often uses formal, systematic methods based on evidence. However, the passage points out that history encompasses a broader range of approaches, including those that are impressionistic and informal.
The passage also highlights how different philosophical traditions influence historians. These traditions shape how questions are asked, how evidence is interpreted, and ultimately, how historians arrive at conclusions, even when using similar data. Key 19th-century philosophies like Hegelian dialectics, Marxist materialism, and Comtean positivism are mentioned. Positivism, for example, focused on breaking large problems into smaller ones to find deterministic relationships. More recent philosophies, such as structuralism and post-modernism, have emerged with different perspectives.
Post-Modernism's Approach to Problems
According to the passage, post-modernism represents a more recent development in philosophical thought regarding history. It is characterized by a distinct stance on how historical problems should be approached. The text states: "Philosophies of structuralism and post modernism have developed in more recent times, rejecting the positivist separation of problems into discrete sub-problems and emphasizing interaction among aspects of a problem."
This means that post-modernism moves away from the positivist method of dissecting a historical issue into tiny, separate parts. Instead, it focuses on how different elements of a historical problem are interconnected and influence each other.
Analyzing the Options Based on the Passage
Let's examine each option in relation to the passage's description of the post-modernist approach:
-
Option 1: Post-modernist approach builds on positivism.
This is incorrect. The passage explicitly states that post-modernism is "rejecting the positivist separation of problems into discrete sub-problems." This indicates a departure from, rather than a building upon, positivism's methods.
-
Option 2: Post-modernist approach emphasises interaction among aspects of a problem.
This statement is partially true, as the passage does say post-modernism "emphasizing interaction among aspects of a problem." However, it does not capture the full picture presented by the passage, which also includes the rejection of problem separation. The provided correct answer offers a more complete description.
-
Option 3: Post-modernist approach rejects both; the separation of problems into sub-problems and interaction among them.
This option aligns with the core ideas presented in the passage. The passage states that post-modernism rejects the *positivist separation* of problems into discrete sub-problems. It also emphasizes *interaction among aspects of a problem*. Interpreting Option 3 in light of this, it suggests that post-modernism rejects the *positivist approach* as a whole, which involves both separating problems and analyzing interactions only within those isolated parts. Therefore, post-modernism rejects the fragmented method of separation and the limited view of interaction associated with it, favoring a more holistic understanding of interconnectedness.
-
Option 4: Post-modernist approach supports separation of problems and interaction among them.
This is incorrect. The passage clearly states that the post-modernist approach is "rejecting the positivist separation of problems into discrete sub-problems." This option contradicts that statement.
Based on the analysis, Option 3 best reflects the characteristics of the post-modernist approach as described in the provided text, highlighting its rejection of the positivist methodology.
Similar Questions
- According to the passage, what can adversely affect the walking tour ?
'The many genres of academic and popular history run the full gamut from logically systematic to impressionistic' means:
- What, according to the author, makes historians come to conflicting conclusions?
1. They are influenced by their philosophical beliefs in asking questions on the same data.
2. They apply different interpretations on the same data.
3. They go for the primary data and evidence.
4. They are influenced by the current political developments.
Select the correct answer using the code given below: - Which word(s) from the passage can be substituted for the assertion that "all events and human actions are ultimately shaped by causes external to the will" ?
- According to the passage, what is the primary purpose of a walking tour?
- According to the passage, a walking tour should be gone upon alone because :
- According to the passage, how should a walking tour conclude ?
- What is the meaning of the word "dilettantes" in the passage?
- Which of the following does not amount to historical analysis?
S1. The beauty of India’s democracy rests in the greatness of its Constitution.
S2. The Constitution of India upholds the collective values of the country’s civilizational ethos.
Important Questions from Reading Comprehension
What is the meaning of ‘intrigued’?
What are ice shelves?
What are icebergs?
When the iceberg turns upside down, it appears ________.
The use of science in its simple form has helped man to ____________
