Question

Read the passage and accordingly, fill in the blank:

Some people think that Silence is golden. Words they must use, but they have no love for them. Speech is to them a danger, a device for entangling men. They feel that all may be understood so long as nothing is said; that only in silence can one reach out to the mind and the heart be known. In the exchange of words their personalities do not expand but contract; they see the lovely procession of thought and feeling turn into a dusty and disorderly crowd of words and phrases. They see the talkers with mingled fear and contempt, stripping themselves in public, like exhibitionists. The talkers cannot understand the silent; nor can the silent explain their attitude, except in speech. This illuminates the weakness of their belief, that they must convince us of the uselessness of speech by means of speech.

One weakness of the attitude of the silent is that _______________.

• A. They can confuse people
• B. Their words are disorderly
• C. They can't practise what they preach
• D. Their personalities shrink

Answer 1

Answer: (C)

They can't practise what they preach

Option C: They can't practise what they preach.
It's mentioned in the passage: "The talkers cannot understand the silent; nor can the silent explain their attitude, except in speech. This illuminates the weakness of their belief, that they must convince us of the uselessness of speech by means of speech."
These lines mean that the talkers cannot understand the silent (because they do not speak) and the only way that the silent can explain their attitude, is by talking to them (talkers). This throws light on the weakness of their belief, that they have to justify their silence through speech.
It means that the silent people have to use speech - something that they preach not to use (they feel that all may be understood so long as nothing is said) - in order to justify their silent attitude. This is their weakness, that they themselves cannot practise what they preach.
The same is mentioned in option C. Hence it is correct.
Option A: The passage does not imply this.
Option B: This is one of their beliefs, not their weakness, as mentioned:"[T]hey see the lovely procession of thought and feeling turn into a dusty and disorderly crowd of words and phrases."Option D: This expresses the effect on the silent people, not their weakness:
"In the exchange of words their personalities do not expand but contract"Hence options A, B and D are incorrect.