Direction for the following 6 ( six ) items: Read the following two passages and answer the items (1-6) that follow each passage. Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only.

In general, religious traditions stress our duty to God, or to some universal ethical principle. Our duties to one another derive from these. The religious concept of rights is primarily derived from our relationship to this divinity or principle and the implication it has on our other relationships. This correspondence between rights and duties is critical to any further understanding of justice. But, for justice to be practiced; virtue, rights and duties cannot remain formal abstractions. They must be grounded in a community (common unity) bound together by a sense of common union (communion). Even as a personal virtue, this solidarity is essential to the practice and understanding of justice.

With reference to the passage, the following assumptions have been made:
1. Human relationships are derived from their religious traditions.
2. Human beings can be duty bound only if they believe in God.
3. Religious traditions are essential to practice and understand justice.
Which of these assumption(s) is/are valid?

The correct option is 1 only.

Let's analyze each of the assumptions step-by-step based on the provided passage to understand why only the first one is valid:

Assumption 1: Human relationships are derived from their religious traditions.
The passage opens by stating, "religious traditions stress our duty to God, or to some universal ethical principle. Our duties to one another derive from these." It goes on to explain that the religious concept of rights is derived from our relationship to this divinity or principle and "the implication it has on our other relationships." Since our mutual relationships and duties to one another are shown to derive from religious concepts and traditions, the assumption that human relationships are derived from their religious traditions is a valid inference drawn directly from the text.

Assumption 2: Human beings can be duty bound only if they believe in God.
The passage states that religious traditions stress our duty to "God, or to some universal ethical principle." It does not state that belief in God is the only way to be duty bound, nor does it exclude non-believers who might follow a "universal ethical principle" without a belief in a personal deity. Therefore, this assumption is an overgeneralization and is not validly supported by the text.

Assumption 3: Religious traditions are essential to practice and understand justice.
The passage mentions that the "correspondence between rights and duties is critical to any further understanding of justice" and that for justice to be practiced, virtue, rights, and duties must be "grounded in a community... bound together by a sense of common union (communion)." It also notes that "solidarity is essential to the practice and understanding of justice." While it connects religious concepts of rights and duties to justice, it does not state that religious traditions themselves are absolutely essential or the sole prerequisite to practice and understand justice. Thus, this assumption goes beyond what is strictly stated in the passage and is not valid.

Therefore, only Assumption 1 is valid, making "1 only" the correct choice.