Question Details

Given below are two statements: one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is labelled as Reason (R).
Assertion (A): Culture is one of the two or three most complicated words in the English language.
Reason (R): This is mainly because of several different though related meanings have emerged at particular moments throughout its long history.
In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below

Options

Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is NOT the correct explanation of (A).

A) is true but (R) is false.

(A) is false but (R) is true.

Show Answer

Correct Answer :

Option A

Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

Solution :

The correct option is: Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

Step-by-step Explanation:

1. Analyzing Assertion (A):
The assertion states that "Culture is one of the two or three most complicated words in the English language." This is a famous observation made by the prominent cultural critic and scholar Raymond Williams in his seminal work, Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society (1976). Williams identified "culture" as an exceptionally complex term due to its usage across various disciplines and its intricate historical development. Therefore, Assertion (A) is true.

2. Analyzing Reason (R):
The reason states that the complexity is due to "several different though related meanings have emerged at particular moments throughout its long history." This is also true. The word "culture" transitioned from its Latin root colere (meaning to cultivate or inhabit) to describe the cultivation of crops and animals, then to the cultivation of the human mind and spirit, and eventually to describe a collective way of life of a society or group, as well as artistic and intellectual works. These meanings did not replace one another but accumulated over time. Thus, Reason (R) is true.

3. Evaluating the Link between (A) and (R):
The reason directly explains why the word has become one of the most complicated in the English language. Its complexity arises precisely because multiple distinct but interrelated layers of meaning developed during different historical periods and continue to co-exist in modern usage. Therefore, (R) is the correct explanation of (A).