Direction for the following 4 (four) items: Read the following four passages and answer the items (21-24) that follow. Your answer to these items should be based on the passages only.

Aristocratic government ruins itself by limiting too narrowly the circle within which power is confined; oligarchic government ruins itself by the incautious scramble for immediate wealth. But even democracy ruins itself by excess of democracy. Its basic principle is the equal right of all to hold office and determine pubic policy. This is, at first glance, a delightful arrangement; it becomes disastrous because the people are not properly equipped by education to select the best rulers and the wisest courses. The people have no understanding and only repeat what their rulers are pleased to tell them. Such a democracy is tyranny or autocracy. – Plato

Which one of the following statements best reflects the crux of the passage given above?

Correct Option: Any form of government trends to deteriorate by excess of its basic principle.

Step-by-Step Explanation:

1. Understanding the Core Message of the Passage:
The passage discusses how various forms of government lead to their own downfall:

• Aristocratic government ruins itself by limiting the circle of power too narrowly.
• Oligarchic government ruins itself through the incautious scramble for immediate wealth.
• Democracy ruins itself by the excess of democracy (equal right of all to hold office/determine policy without proper education/understanding).

2. Analyzing the Options:

• Option 1: "Human societies experiment with different forms of governments."
This is an empirical observation not central to the passage's argument about self-ruin.

• Option 2: "Any form of government trends to deteriorate by excess of its basic principle."
This correctly captures the main thesis/crux, as the passage explicitly illustrates how aristocracy, oligarchy, and democracy each ruin themselves through the exaggeration/excess of their underlying defining principle.

• Option 3: "Education of all citizens ensures a perfect, functional and sustainable democracy."
While lack of education is mentioned as a flaw in democracy, claiming it ensures a "perfect" democracy goes beyond the scope of the passage.

• Option 4: "Having a government is a necessary evil because tyranny is inherent in any form of government."
The passage only states that an uneducated democracy turns into tyranny, not that tyranny is inherent in all forms of government or that government is a necessary evil.

Thus, the statement that best reflects the crux of the passage is: Any form of government trends to deteriorate by excess of its basic principle.