Directions: In this section, you have two short passages. After each passage, you will find some items based on the passage. Read the passage carefully and answer the items based on it. You are required to select your answers based solely on the contents of the passage and the opinion of the author, and indicate your response on the Answer Sheet accordingly. People do not understand the nature or ramifications of most educational changes. They become involved in change voluntarily or involuntarily and in either case experience ambivalence about its meanings, form, and consequences. I have implied that there are a number of things at stake-changes in goals, skills, philosophy or beliefs, behaviour, etc. Subjectively these different aspects are experienced in a diffuse, incoherent manner. Change often is not conceived of as being multidimensional. Objectively, it is possible to clarify the meaning of an educational change by identifying and describing its separate dimensions. Ignorance of these dimensions explains a number of interesting phenomena in the field of educational changes : for example, why some people accept an innovation they do not understand; why some aspects of a change are implemented and others not; why strategies for change neglect certain essential components. The concept of objective reality is tricky. Reality is always defined by individuals and groups. But individuals and groups interact to produce social phenomena (constitutions, laws, policies, educational change programmes), which exist outside any given individual. There is also the danger that the objective reality is only the reflection of the producers of change and thus simply a glorified version of their subjective conceptions. We can reduce this problem by following the practice of posing double questions : "What is the existing conception of reality on a given issue?" Followed quickly by "says who?"
Which two words in the passage mean the opposite of the word 'whole'?
Components and dimensions
Understanding Opposites of 'Whole' in Educational Change
This question requires us to identify two words from the provided passage that are antonyms for the word 'whole'. The word 'whole' signifies entirety, completeness, or an undivided entity. Its opposites would typically refer to parts, segments, or individual elements that make up a larger structure.
Analyzing the Passage for Key Terms
The passage discusses the complexities of educational change, suggesting that people often fail to grasp its full nature or the breakdown of its various aspects. It highlights the importance of identifying and describing separate parts of a change to understand it better.
Key phrases from the passage relevant to this concept include:
- "...clarify the meaning of an educational change by identifying and describing its separate dimensions."
- "...strategies for change neglect certain essential components."
These phrases directly refer to breaking down a larger concept (educational change, which could be considered the 'whole') into its constituent parts or aspects.
Evaluating Options for Antonyms
Let's examine each option to see which pair best fits the definition of opposites for 'whole' in the context of the passage:
Option 1: Version and ramifications
- 'Version' refers to a particular form or iteration of something, not necessarily a part of a whole.
- 'Ramifications' means consequences or results, which are outcomes, not parts of the original subject.
Therefore, this option does not provide opposites of 'whole'.
Option 2: Phenomena and programmes
- 'Phenomena' are observable facts or events, which are occurrences rather than parts of a whole entity.
- 'Programmes' are plans or systems, which are structures or sets of activities, not inherently parts opposing a whole.
This option also does not contain words that are opposites of 'whole'.
Option 3: Components and dimensions
- 'Components' are defined as parts or elements that make up a whole. This directly contrasts with the meaning of 'whole'.
- 'Dimensions' refer to different aspects or measures of something, essentially parts or facets that constitute the larger subject being analyzed.
As seen in the passage, identifying separate 'dimensions' and essential 'components' is crucial for understanding the entirety of an educational change. Thus, these words represent the parts that make up the whole, making them its opposites.
Option 4: Conceptions and programmes
- 'Conceptions' are ideas or ways of understanding, which are mental constructs, not physical or structural parts.
- 'Programmes', as discussed earlier, are plans or systems.
Neither 'conceptions' nor 'programmes' serve as direct opposites to 'whole'.
Conclusion: Identifying the Correct Antonyms
Based on the analysis, the words 'components' and 'dimensions' are used in the passage to refer to the individual parts or aspects that make up the larger concept of educational change. These terms directly represent the opposite meaning of 'whole', which is the entire entity.
Therefore, the pair of words from the passage that mean the opposite of 'whole' is 'Components and dimensions'.
The correct option is 3.
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