Comprehension
The COVID-19 pandemic and the unmatched mental health challenges have made it more crucial than ever that we continue to make strides towards understanding the concept of mental health stigma and how we might tackle it around the world. Graham Thornicroft, a practising psychiatrist, who is extensively and deeply involved in mental health stigma research at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neurosciences at King’s College London has divided stigma into three components-knowledge, attitude and behaviour. The last behaviour emerges from social isolation, such as what we are experiencing during the pandemic, as well as exclusion from mainstream activities and citizenship. In higher-income countries, stigma rates may be greater than other countries, perhaps because of the pressure to excel. In low-income countries, one can be unwell and still play an active social and productive role somewhere as there are many such roles to play within the family and in society. Enhancing contact with people who have experienced mental health problems is the best way to reduce stigma. To date, most people with mental illness remain silent about their condition, avoiding discussing their problems for fear of losing face, damaging their reputation or jeopardising their family status. Having a space where they may be welcomed and listened to, rather than judged, will go a long way towards enabling them to share their experiences. In a small part of rural Andhra Pradesh, researchers used posters, pictures, drums, and a short street play, as an intervention technique to reduce mental health stigma. An actor portrayed a person’s journey through mental health crises and setbacks before receiving support and showing hope, improvement and recovery. People assembled around the stage, willing to talk about and discuss what they saw, even two to three years after the event.
Question: 1
What is the central idea in the passage as conveyed by the author?
What is the central idea in the passage as conveyed by the author?
Updated On: Jul 15, 2026
- Mental health is not an obstacle for people seeking care
- Mental health is a domestic phenomenon.
- In low-income countries, mental health does not receive the adequate attention and treatment.
- Mental health issues have only arisen after the COVID-19 pandemic globally
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The Correct Option is C
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The correct Answer is (C):In low-income countries, mental health does not receive the adequate attention and treatment.
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Approach Solution -2
This question asks for the central idea the author is conveying across the whole passage, not just one detail. Each option needs to be weighed against what the passage as a whole argues.
- Mental health is not an obstacle for people seeking care: The passage says the opposite: most people with mental illness stay silent and avoid discussing their condition out of fear of losing face or damaging their family's standing, which is itself an obstacle to seeking care. This option contradicts the passage.
- Mental health is a domestic phenomenon: The passage discusses mental health stigma across both higher-income and lower-income countries and cites a UK-based researcher and an Indian intervention together, so it is framed as a global issue, not a purely domestic one. This option does not match.
- In low-income countries, mental health does not receive the adequate attention and treatment: The passage's discussion of income-level differences, richer countries facing more stigma from pressure to excel, poorer countries offering more alternative social roles, together with its stress on silence, stigma and the need for better community-level engagement, supports the broader point that mental health has not been given the attention it needs, particularly where resources and social structures are strained. Among the four options, this is the one that lines up with the author's overall concern. This is the correct option.
- Mental health issues have only arisen after the COVID-19 pandemic globally: The passage treats COVID-19 as a moment that intensified an existing problem, not as the point where mental health issues began. This option overstates what the passage says and is incorrect.
Reading the passage as a whole, its concern is that mental health, especially in under-resourced settings, is not being addressed with the seriousness it needs, while stigma keeps people silent everywhere.
Therefore, the correct answer is in low-income countries, mental health does not receive the adequate attention and treatment.
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Question: 2
As per the passage, which of the following approaches can be most effective to curb theissue of mental health?
As per the passage, which of the following approaches can be most effective to curb theissue of mental health?
Updated On: Jul 15, 2026
- Mental health can only be curbed when people will stop sharing their emotions openly.
- To develop a sense of acceptance among people suffering from mental health and let them heal gradually
- Experiences shared and discussed on a larger level is a major hindrance for better mental health conditions globally
- A person should not express about his/her failures which enhances the mental health problems
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The Correct Option is B
Approach Solution - 1
The correct Answer is (B):To develop a sense of acceptance among people suffering from mental health and let them heal gradually
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Approach Solution -2
The passage names a specific way to cut down mental health stigma, and this question asks which option matches that recommendation.
- Mental health can only be curbed when people will stop sharing their emotions openly: This is the reverse of what the passage argues. The passage says most people already stay silent about their mental health, and that this silence is part of the problem, not the cure. This option is incorrect.
- To develop a sense of acceptance among people suffering from mental health and let them heal gradually: The passage states that having a space where people may be welcomed and listened to, rather than judged, helps people share their experiences, and that enhancing contact with people who have faced mental health problems is the best way to reduce stigma. Acceptance and gradual healing through such contact matches this directly. This is the correct option.
- Experiences shared and discussed on a larger level is a major hindrance for better mental health conditions globally: The passage treats open discussion as helpful, pointing to how the Andhra Pradesh play led to people discussing what they saw for years, not as a hindrance. This option contradicts the passage.
- A person should not express about his/her failures which enhances the mental health problems: Again, this is the opposite of the passage's stance, which favours people sharing their experiences in a welcoming space rather than staying silent. This option is incorrect.
The passage's own proposed solution is built around acceptance, contact and space to be heard, not silence or suppression.
Therefore, the correct answer is to develop a sense of acceptance among people suffering from mental health and let them heal gradually.
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Question: 3
Which of the following notions is expressed in the passage to enunciate the significance of issue of mental health?
Which of the following notions is expressed in the passage to enunciate the significance of issue of mental health?
Updated On: Jul 15, 2026
- The issue of mental health has received the required recognition and deliberation during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Mental health will be reduced automatically after the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Mental health improves when social isolation increases.
- Mental health is an illusionary notion developed during COVID-19 pandemic to strengthen the pharmaceutical industries.
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The Correct Option is A
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The correct Answer is (A):The issue of mental health has received the required recognition and deliberation during the COVID-19 pandemic
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This question asks which option reflects the passage's own sense of how significant the mental health issue has become. The opening line of the passage is the key reference point here.
- The issue of mental health has received the required recognition and deliberation during the COVID-19 pandemic: The passage opens by saying the pandemic and its mental health challenges have made it more crucial than ever to keep working on understanding and tackling stigma, which reflects a rise in attention and discussion around the issue during this period. This is the correct option.
- Mental health will be reduced automatically after the COVID-19 pandemic: The passage does not suggest the problem will fix itself once the pandemic ends; if anything, it treats stigma as an ongoing, structural issue tied to silence and social exclusion. This option is unsupported.
- Mental health improves when social isolation increases: The passage links stigma-driven behaviour directly to social isolation and exclusion, treating isolation as part of the problem, not something that improves mental health. This option contradicts the passage.
- Mental health is an illusionary notion developed during COVID-19 pandemic to strengthen the pharmaceutical industries: Nothing in the passage supports this claim; it is not discussed anywhere in the text and reads as an unsupported outside assumption. This option is incorrect.
Only the first option reflects what the opening of the passage actually conveys about the pandemic pushing mental health into sharper focus.
Therefore, the correct answer is the issue of mental health has received the required recognition and deliberation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Question: 4
“In low-income countries, one can be unwell and still play an active social and productive role somewhere as there are many such roles to play within the family and in society”. Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from the above statement?
“In low-income countries, one can be unwell and still play an active social and productive role somewhere as there are many such roles to play within the family and in society”. Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from the above statement?
Updated On: Jul 15, 2026
- Stigma rates in lower-income countries are higher as compared to higher income countries.
- Stigma rates in higher-income countries may be more due to a pressure of performing and to excel
- Mental stigma is not related to the economic conditions of a country.
- Higher-income countries require people to perform multiple roles at their homes.
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The Correct Option is B
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The correct Answer is (B):Stigma rates in higher-income countries may be more due to a pressure of performing and to excel
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The quoted statement talks about low-income countries offering many social roles for someone who is unwell. The question asks what conclusion follows from this specific point.
- Stigma rates in lower-income countries are higher as compared to higher income countries: This is the reverse of what the passage implies. If low-income countries offer more roles and flexibility, the passage's own logic points toward lower, not higher, stigma there. This option is incorrect.
- Stigma rates in higher-income countries may be more due to a pressure of performing and to excel: The sentence right before the quoted line in the passage says stigma rates may be greater in higher-income countries, perhaps because of the pressure to excel. The quoted statement about low-income countries having many alternative roles works as the contrast that supports this same point: fewer alternative roles and more performance pressure in richer countries can push stigma higher there. This is the correct option.
- Mental stigma is not related to the economic conditions of a country: This goes against the passage, which draws a direct link between a country's income level and its stigma pattern. This option is incorrect.
- Higher-income countries require people to perform multiple roles at their homes: The passage's point about many roles to play within the family and in society is made about low-income countries, not higher-income ones. This option misapplies the detail to the wrong group.
The quoted line about flexible social roles in low-income countries is presented as the reason those countries see comparatively lower stigma, which in turn supports the passage's claim that higher-income countries see more stigma from pressure to excel.
Therefore, the correct answer is stigma rates in higher-income countries may be more due to a pressure of performing and to excel.
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Question: 5
Which of the following weakens the author’s idea of ‘having a space where they may be welcomed and listened to, rather than judged’?
Which of the following weakens the author’s idea of ‘having a space where they may be welcomed and listened to, rather than judged’?
Updated On: Jul 15, 2026
- People who tend to share their emotions tend to have mental peace and happiness
- Societal role is massive in embracing people suffering from mental health ailments
- People sharing their ideas and expressions publicly is a practice which needs to be promoted
- It is a human tendency to form judgments about other people and this being a healthy practice should be encouraged at large scale
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The Correct Option is D
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The correct Answer is (D):It is a human tendency to form judgments about other people and this being a healthy practice should be encouraged at large scale
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The author's idea being tested here is that people need a space where they are welcomed and listened to, rather than judged. The question asks which option would weaken this specific idea.
- People who tend to share their emotions tend to have mental peace and happiness: This supports the value of open sharing, which aligns with, rather than weakens, the author's point about welcoming spaces. This option does not weaken the idea.
- Societal role is massive in embracing people suffering from mental health ailments: This also supports the author's idea, since it stresses the value of a welcoming social environment. It strengthens rather than weakens the point.
- People sharing their ideas and expressions publicly is a practice which needs to be promoted: This too lines up with the author's stance in favour of open, judgment-free sharing, so it supports rather than weakens the idea.
- It is a human tendency to form judgments about other people and this being a healthy practice should be encouraged at large scale: The author's idea specifically calls for spaces free of judgment. An option that defends judging others as healthy and worth encouraging directly opposes that call, undercutting the case for judgment-free spaces. This is the correct option.
Only one option pushes against the author's central point instead of reinforcing it, and that is the one defending the practice of judging others.
Therefore, the correct answer is it is a human tendency to form judgments about other people and this being a healthy practice should be encouraged at large scale.
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Top CLAT Questions
- In the realm of contemporary literature, the interplay between character and setting is a nuanced dance that shapes the narrative’s essence. The setting, often described with painstaking detail, becomes more than a backdrop; it becomes a character, influencing the plot and character development.
Consider, for instance, the barren expanse of the desert in Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake. The arid landscape mirrors the sense of isolation felt by the protagonist, Gogol, as he navigates his identity crisis in a foreign land. The relentless sun and vast sands are not mere descriptions; they are the silent witnesses to his inner turmoil.
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Yes, there were some apricot trees close to the house. There were clumps of iris that had finished blooming. There was the kitchen with a wing of smoke lifting out of its chimney and a stack of wood outside its door. But these were incidental, almost unimportant.
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The 19th century ushered in a new era of literary giants. Jane Austen’s novels, such as Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, provide incisive social commentary through the lens of wit and romance. Austen’s heroines, like Elizabeth Bennet and Elinor Dashwood, remain beloved literary figures known for their intelligence and resilience. The Romantic era brought forth poets like William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who celebrated * 8 UG the beauty of nature and the emotional intensity of the individual. Wordsworth’s ‘‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’’ and Coleridge’s ‘‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’’ are testament to the power of the written words to evoke profound emotions and imagery. Moving towards 20th century, English literature continued to evolve. Virginia Woolf’s ground-breaking novel Mrs. Dalloway explored the inner thoughts and lives of its characters with a modernist narrative style. Dystopian visions, as seen in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four provided stark warnings about the dangers of totalitarianism and the erosion of individual freedom.
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Centuries hence you will find Indian children brought up to this spot, just as they visit now the Cawnpore Well, and you can imagine the feelings of these Indians for generations over this terrible business.
[Col. Wedgwood, MP, speaking in the British Parliament, 22 December 1919]
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