For two of three generations past, ever-increasing numbers of individuals have been living as workers merely, not as human beings. An excessive amount of labour is rule today in every circle of society, with the result that man’s spiritual element cannot thrive. He finds it very difficult to spend his little leisure in serious activities. He does not want to think; or he cannot even if he wants to. He seeks not self-improvement, but entertainment which would enable him to be mentally idle and to forget his usual activities. Therefore, the so-called culture of our age is dependent more on cinema than on theatre, more on newspapers, magazines and crime stories than on serious literature.

Question: The passage is based on the idea that

The correct option is "the great evil of our age is overstrain."

Step-by-Step Explanation:

1. Analyze the passage's core message:
The passage starts by stating that for generations, people have been living "as workers merely, not as human beings." It explicitly attributes this to "an excessive amount of labour" which has become the "rule today in every circle of society." This excessive labor translates directly to physical and mental overstrain.

2. Examine the consequences of this overstrain:
Because of this excessive work (overstrain), "man's spiritual element cannot thrive." The author explains that individuals find it extremely difficult to spend their limited leisure time on serious, thoughtful activities. Instead, they are too exhausted to think and seek mindless entertainment (like cinema and crime stories) to remain mentally idle and forget their work.

3. Evaluate the options:
- "man should not work hard.": The passage criticizes "excessive" labor that damages human well-being, but it does not make a broad generalization that people should not work hard at all.
- "the great evil of our age is overstrain.": This aligns perfectly with the text. The root cause of the modern spiritual and cultural decline described in the passage is the "excessive amount of labour" (overstrain) that dominates society.
- "man cannot think well.": The passage states that man "cannot [think] even if he wants to" specifically because he is exhausted from excessive work, not because he is inherently incapable of thinking well.
- "man cannot care for his spiritual welfare.": Similar to the above, this is a symptom of his overstrain and lack of leisure, not an absolute, inherent inability to care for his spiritual self.

Therefore, the fundamental idea supporting the entire passage is that overstrain (excessive labor) is the primary evil of our age, leading to all the other cultural and spiritual issues mentioned.