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 man who is perpetually hesitating about which of the two things he will do first will do neither. The man who resolves, but suffers his resolution to be changed after the first counter-suggestion of a friend—who fluctuates from opinion to opinion and veers from plan to plan—can never accomplish anything. He will at best be stationary and probably retrograde in all. It is only the man—who first consults wisely, then resolves firmly and then executes his purpose with inflexible perseverance, undismayed by those petty difficulties which daunt a weaker spirit—that can advance to eminence in any line.

The keynote that seems to be emerging from the passage is that

The correct option is: we should first consult wisely and then resolve firmly.

Step-by-step Explanation:

1. Analyzing the passage:
The passage addresses the problem of perpetual hesitation and changing one's mind upon every counter-suggestion, noting that such a person "can never accomplish anything."

2. Identifying the core message (keynote):
Towards the end, the author explicitly states the condition for success and advancing to eminence: "It is only the man—who first consults wisely, then resolves firmly and then executes his purpose with inflexible perseverance..."

3. Evaluating the options:
- Option 1: "we should first consult wisely and then resolve firmly." - This directly mirrors the primary lesson and explicit conclusion of the passage.
- Option 2: Rejecting all suggestions of friends unconditionally is not stated; consultation is encouraged, but changing resolutions easily is discouraged.
- Option 3: Remaining broad-minded is a general virtue, but not the specific keynote of this passage.
- Option 4: Being resolute and achievement-oriented is a general inference, but Option 1 captures the exact foundational steps emphasized in the text.

Hence, the central message or keynote of the passage is that we should first consult wisely and then resolve firmly.