“A good statesman, like any other sensible human being, learns more from his opponents than from his fervent supporters. For his supporters will push him to disaster unless his opponents show him where the dangers are. So if he is wise he will often pray to be delivered from his friends, because they will ruin him. But, though it hurts, he ought also to pray never to be left without opponents; for they keep him on the path of reason and good sense. The national unity of free people depends upon a sufficiently even balance of political power to make it impracticable for the administration to be arbitrary and for opposition to be revolutionary and irreconcilable.”

With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
I. In a democracy , a strong opposition is required only if the Head of Government is indifferent.
II. The more aggressive the opposition, the better is the governance in a democracy.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

The correct option is Neither I nor II.

Step-by-Step Analysis:

Analysis of Assumption I:

Assumption I states that a strong opposition is required only if the Head of Government is indifferent. The passage highlights a general principle: any statesman (sensible human being) needs opponents to show where dangers lie and to prevent supporters from pushing him to disaster, ensuring political power remains sufficiently balanced. It does not state that opposition is needed "only" when the Head of Government is indifferent. In fact, even a wise or active leader needs opponents to remain on the path of reason and good sense. Therefore, Assumption I is invalid.

Analysis of Assumption II:

Assumption II states that the more aggressive the opposition, the better is the governance in a democracy. The passage mentions that the political balance should make it impracticable "for opposition to be revolutionary and irreconcilable." This indicates that extreme or overly aggressive/revolutionary opposition is undesirable for national unity. The passage emphasizes an "even balance of political power" rather than an increasingly aggressive opposition. Therefore, Assumption II is invalid.

Since neither Assumption I nor Assumption II is valid, the correct answer is Neither I nor II.