Question:medium

Given below is a statement followed by two arguments. Read carefully and decide which of the arguments strongly support the statement.

Statement: Should the pay scale and conditions of service of government employees be made applicable to private sector employees?

Arguments:
(i) No, this will develop inertia, inefficiency and would adversely affect spirit of competition.
(ii) Yes, this will enhance dedication to work and institutional loyalty.

Show Hint

Ask what government service conditions really mean in practice, that is security and time based pay, and then ask which argument traces a believable effect from that.
Updated On: Jul 17, 2026
  • Argument (i) is strong.
  • Argument (ii) is strong.
  • Both (i) and (ii) are strong.
  • Neither (i) nor (ii) is strong.
Show Solution

The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

This is a statement and argument question about extending government pay scales and service conditions to private sector employees. An argument counts as strong only when it stays on the topic and shows a real, likely effect of the proposal. Vague benefits, emotional appeals and hopeful predictions are all weak. Let us take the two arguments one at a time.

  1. Argument (i), No, this will develop inertia, inefficiency and would adversely affect spirit of competition: Government service is built on security of tenure and pay that rises with years served. Copy that into private firms and the reward stops depending on output. Once a worker cannot be removed and still gets the same increment, effort becomes optional, and the competitive edge private companies live on is blunted. The reasoning moves straight from the proposal to a real consequence, so this argument is strong.
  2. Argument (ii), Yes, this will enhance dedication to work and institutional loyalty: Nothing here explains why security should produce dedication. People stay in a job for many reasons, and a protected pay packet is at least as likely to reduce effort as to raise it. The argument states a hoped for result and stops, so it is weak.

Only the first argument gives a concrete, defensible outcome, so option (A) is correct.

Let us summarize:

  • A strong argument names a real consequence and shows the link to the proposal.
  • Argument (i) links guaranteed pay and security to reduced effort and weaker competition, which holds up.
  • Argument (ii) only promises loyalty and dedication with no mechanism behind it.
  • Options (B), (C) and (D) all fail because they either accept the weak argument or reject the strong one.

So the correct choice is Argument (i) is strong.

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