Read the passage carefully and answer the following questions:
Some people say that man’s desire for war is due to his fight for survival and that war is necessary to preserve his virility. Yet war nowadays leaves a legacy of the weakest men and stimulates not the noble but the bestial qualities of mankind. Adventure of some kind is necessary for man; he will inevitably deteriorate physically if his life is one of ease lived in an atmosphere of luxury and ‘Safety first’. This is the real reason behind our love of sports. A rich man with chronic indigestion is far less happy than a tramp with good innards. Nothing that money can buy is worthwhile without good health. There is no better way to perfect health and physical fitness than to walk over and climb hills and mountains. Mountains give us much more than physical fitness; they exercise the mental faculties as well. Climbing a high and difficult peak is as much a mental exercise as a physical one. It calls for a sense of judgment and planning and thinking ahead, for anticipating difficulties and dangers, for responsibility towards one’s companions, and best of all, it brings the mountaineer into touch with the beauties of the universe.
What kind of life does the writer mean by a life of luxury and ‘Safety first’?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → A comfortable life that avoids every risk and challenge
The writer says “Adventure of some kind is necessary for man”.
- Without it, man will “deteriorate physically”. Deteriorate means to become worse.
- This happens when his life is “one of ease” with luxury and ‘Safety first’. Ease means comfort and rest. ‘Safety first’ means never taking a risk.
- So the writer means a soft, comfortable life with no risk in it. It is the opposite of adventure.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: A careful life that follows every rule of good health — Incorrect. Wrong meaning: The writer says this life makes a man weaker in body. So it cannot be a life of good health.
Option 2: A rich life spent in helping others stay safe — Incorrect. Misread: ‘Safety first’ is about keeping oneself safe. The passage says nothing about helping others.
Option 3: A busy life with no time left for sport — Incorrect. Opposite meaning: A life “of ease” is relaxed, not busy. The person has free time but no adventure.