GATE EE 2017 Set 2 — Question 61

MCQ+2 / -0.67EasyReading ComprehensionVerbal AptitudeGeneral Aptitude

General Aptitude → Verbal Aptitude → Reading Comprehension

Last updated 5 September 2026

Question

"We lived in a culture that denied any merit to literary works, considering them important only when they were handmaidens to something seemingly more urgent - namely ideology. This was a country where all gestures, even the most private, were interpreted in political terms." The author's belief that ideology is not as important as literature is revealed by the word:

Correct answer (B) 'seemingly' Solution The author states that literary works were considered important "only when they were handmaidens to something seemingly more urgent - namely ideology." The word "seemingly" implies that the urgency of ideology was not real or truly important in the author's view. This suggests that the author believes ideology is not as important as it appears or is made out to be, thus revealing their belief that literature holds more intrinsic merit than ideology. Option A ('culture') is a general term and doesn't directly convey the author's specific belief about the relative importance of literature and ideology. Option C ('urgent') describes the perceived importance of ideology, but it's the qualifier 'seemingly' that reveals the author's skepticism. Option D ('political') describes the context in which gestures were interpreted, but not the author's judgment on ideology's importance. Turn this into a strength. Explore AI-powered practice and doubt support with Success Tracker.

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Correct answer (B) 'seemingly' Solution The author states that literary works were considered important "only when they were handmaidens to something seemingly more urgent - namely ideology." The word "seemingly" implies that the urgency of ideology was not real or truly important in the author's view. This suggests that the author believes ideology is not as important as it appears or is made out to be, thus revealing their belief that literature holds more intrinsic merit than ideology. Option A ('culture') is a general term and doesn't directly convey the author's specific belief about the relative importance of literature and ideology. Option C ('urgent') describes the perceived importance of ideology, but it's the qualifier 'seemingly' that reveals the author's skepticism. Option D ('political') describes the context in which gestures were interpreted, but not the author's judgment on ideology's importance.

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