Social science disciplines were in existence in an amorphous form until the colonial period when they were institutionalized. In varying degrees, they were intended to further the colonial interest. In the time of globalization and the economic rise of postcolonial countries like India, conventional ways of knowledge production have become obsolete.
Which of the following can be logically inferred from the above passage?
(i) Social science disciplines have a colonial origin.
(ii) Social science disciplines are still being pursued in the postcolonial countries.
A. (i) only
B. (ii) only
C. (i) and (ii)
D. Neither (i) nor (ii)
GATE 2016 · General Aptitude · Passage Reading · medium
Answer: A. (i) only — only the colonial-origin inference follows directly from the passage.
Evaluate statement (i): Social science disciplines have a colonial origin: The passage states: social sciences 'were in existence in an amorphous form until the colonial period when they were institutionalized.' They were 'intended to further the colonial interest.' This directly and explicitly confirms that social sciences were shaped and formalized during the colonial period — i.e., they have a colonial origin.
Evaluate statement (ii): Social sciences are still being pursued in postcolonial countries: The passage says 'conventional ways of knowledge production have become obsolete' in the globalization era. This indicates that the old methods are outdated. The passage does NOT explicitly state that postcolonial countries are still actively pursuing social sciences. We cannot infer continuation from a statement about obsolescence of conventional methods.