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 like small children. For example, we do not know how to manage our machines. Machines were made to be man's servants; yet he has grown to dependent on them that they are in a fair way to become his masters. Already most men spend most of their lives looking after and waiting upon machines. And the machines are very stern masters. They must be fed with coal, and given petrol to drink, and oil to wash with, and 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 round them. 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 the time may come when they will rule us altogether, just as we rule the animals.
Which of the following adjectives have been used in the passage to explain the temperamental nature of machines?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Stern
The passage says "the machines are very stern masters". Stern means strict and severe, demanding obedience: machines must be fed and kept at the right temperature, or they sulk and refuse to work.
Example: The stern headmaster would not allow any talking in the hall.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Rigid — Incorrect. Not mentioned: rigid means stiff, not able to bend or change; the passage never uses this word.
Option 2: Timid — Incorrect. Contradicted: timid means shy and easily frightened; machines that burst with rage and blow up are anything but timid.
Option 4: Stupid — Incorrect. Wrong focus: the passage never calls machines stupid; it describes their moods, not their intelligence.