Direction for the following 8 (eight) items: Read the following eight passages and answer the items (1-8) that follow the passages. Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only.

The very first lesson that should be taught to us when we are old enough to understand it, is that complete freedom from the obligation to work is unnatural, and ought to be illegal, as we can escape our share of the burden of work only by throwing it on someone else’s shoulders. Nature ordains that the human race shall perish of famine if it stops working. We cannot escape from this tyranny. The question we have to settle is how much leisure we can afford to allow ourselves.

The main idea of the passage is that

The correct option is it is essential for human beings to work.

Step-by-Step Explanation:

1. Analyzing the Passage:
The passage emphasizes that complete freedom from work is unnatural and should be illegal because escaping work forces someone else to bear that burden. It explicitly states that "Nature ordains that the human race shall perish of famine if it stops working," establishing that work is an inescapable necessity for human survival.

2. Identifying the Main Idea:
While the passage mentions leisure at the very end, its primary assertion and foundation center around the absolute necessity of work for the survival of the human race. Thus, the core message or main idea is that working is essential for human beings.

3. Evaluating the Options:
• it is essential for human beings to work. – Correct, as it accurately reflects the passage's central theme that work is indispensable to avoid famine and extinction.
• there should be a balance between work and leisure. – Incorrect, as leisure is only mentioned as a secondary question regarding how much we can afford, not as the primary thesis.
• working is a tyranny which we have to face. – Incorrect, the word "tyranny" refers to nature's demand for work, but calling work itself just a tyranny misses the main point of its essential nature for survival.
• human’s understanding of the nature of work is essential. – Incorrect, while the author talks about the lesson to be taught, the main focus is on the necessity of work itself rather than just understanding it.