I worked for a brief while in a college in Delhi, and among my more uncomfortable memories is a language exercise, I gave a group of eight undergraduates: I asked them to imagine that they had already graduated and wanted them to write an application for a suitable job. Seven of the eight students wrote applications for the jobs of clerks. Even in one of the good universities, and in a college that had a reputation for its academic standards, the system had snuffed out all youthful ambition.

Even the highest youthful ambition in the prestigious colleges is to pass the competitive examination for appointments in the administrative services, and there are colleges that are more proud of the bureaucrats among their alumni than of any scholars, scientists or leaders of opinion. And these latter, understandably, are a small number. Students derive the meanness of their ambitions from the meanness of the goals that the colleges propose to themselves. And of the most ambitious, as well as of the least, among the students, it could be said that they think more of what society will do to or for them, than of what they would be able to do for and to society. This is an excellent apprenticeship for joining the ranks of hirelings or of the unemployed.

What according to the author is the highest ambition of students in good colleges?

Question

I worked for a brief while in a college in Delhi, and among my more uncomfortable memories is a language exercise, I gave a group of eight undergraduates: I asked them to imagine that they had already graduated and wanted them to write an application for a suitable job. Seven of the eight students wrote applications for the jobs of clerks. Even in one of the good universities, and in a college that had a reputation for its academic standards, the system had snuffed out all youthful ambition.

Even the highest youthful ambition in the prestigious colleges is to pass the competitive examination for appointments in the administrative services, and there are colleges that are more proud of the bureaucrats among their alumni than of any scholars, scientists or leaders of opinion. And these latter, understandably, are a small number. Students derive the meanness of their ambitions from the meanness of the goals that the colleges propose to themselves. And of the most ambitious, as well as of the least, among the students, it could be said that they think more of what society will do to or for them, than of what they would be able to do for and to society. This is an excellent apprenticeship for joining the ranks of hirelings or of the unemployed.

What according to the author is the highest ambition of students in good colleges?

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 1:
The text explicitly states the highest ambition of students in prestigious colleges. The author writes, "Even the highest youthful ambition in the prestigious colleges is to pass the competitive examination for appointments in the administrative services..." This sentence directly identifies the aim of securing a bureaucratic position through competitive exams as the pinnacle of ambition among students in these well-regarded institutions. The author further criticizes this narrow focus, noting that colleges are often "more proud of the bureaucrats among their alumni than of any scholars, scientists or leaders of opinion," indicating that the system prioritizes roles in administration over careers that demand original thought or leadership. Therefore, Option 1 accurately reflects the specific aspiration highlighted by the author as the *highest* form of youthful ambition in the given context.

The incorrect option is 2:
The author mentions "leaders of opinion" only to contrast them with the bureaucrats whom the colleges actually celebrate. The text implies that scholars, scientists, and leaders of opinion are a "small number" and are not generally the focus of the students' highest ambition, which is centered on administrative services.

The incorrect option is 3:
Teaching is not mentioned in the text as the highest ambition of students; the author focuses on the general desire for secure bureaucratic jobs (administrative services) as the ultimate goal. The initial anecdote involved students applying for jobs as "clerks," which demonstrates low ambition, but even the *highest* ambition is clearly stated to be administrative services, not teaching.

The incorrect option is 4:
Practicing medicine is a specific professional career not addressed by the author when defining the highest youthful ambition in prestigious colleges. The general ambition cited is related to securing a place within the "administrative services," which is a government bureaucracy role, not a medical profession.