Vocabulary in context: in the passage about using the mind to know reality, choose the adjective that best completes the phrase "To know ______ reality, the powers of the mind need to be turned back upon itself."

Introduction / Context:
This new passage discusses yoga, the mind and the search for truth. The writer says that to know a certain kind of reality, the powers of the mind must be turned back upon itself. With concentration the mind can access its innermost secrets, and then we can perceive soul truths and questions about life and God. The line containing the blank reads "To know ______ reality, the powers of the mind need to be turned back upon itself." The question asks which adjective best describes the sort of reality referred to here.

Given Data / Assumptions:
The passage is about yoga and self investigation of the mind rather than about external facts.
The author mentions inner secrets of the mind, soul truths, and whether life exists for five minutes or for eternity, and whether there is a God.
Later, the passage refers to Patanjali and the statement that yoga is the cessation of the modifications of the mind.
Options include innate, extrinsic, learned, atypical and an added distractor illusory.

Concept / Approach:
We are concerned with philosophical vocabulary. Innate reality suggests the fundamental, inherent nature of reality, something that is within rather than imposed from outside. The contrast words extrinsic and learned both point to external or acquired characteristics. Atypical suggests unusual or not representative, which does not fit the idea of a reality that yoga seeks. Illusory reality would contradict the later emphasis on perceiving truths, so it is not suitable either. Because the passage talks about the deepest truths of life and the soul, innate reality is the most fitting phrase.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Understand that the author is not speaking of surface appearances but of fundamental truths about life, eternity and God. Step 2: Realise that the method used is to turn the mind inward through concentration and yoga, which focuses on what is already present at the core. Step 3: Test innate reality in the blank: to know innate reality, the powers of the mind need to be turned back upon itself. This means that to know reality as it exists in itself, we must look inward, which matches the theme. Step 4: Test extrinsic reality and learned reality and notice that they suggest external or later acquired characteristics, which are not the central concern of yoga philosophy. Step 5: Recognise that atypical and illusory do not convey the sense of ultimate truth the author is aiming at.

Verification / Alternative check:
When we insert innate and read the rest of the paragraph, the wording is natural and philosophically coherent. Yoga is often described as a path to knowing our true nature or innate reality, beyond conditioning and appearances. The reference to soul truths and eternity reinforces that this is about deepest reality. If any of the other adjectives were used, the sentence would no longer align with traditional descriptions of yoga practice, which aim at what is intrinsic rather than extrinsic or learned.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Extrinsic reality would emphasise external conditions, contrary to the passage, which focuses on turning the mind back upon itself. Learned reality implies something taught or acquired, not something inherent. Atypical means not typical and would be a strange way to label the most fundamental nature of existence. Illusory reality would suggest that reality itself is an illusion, whereas the passage stresses perceiving truths, not illusions.

Common Pitfalls:
Students may be tempted by extrinsic because they have seen the pair intrinsic extrinsic, but innate is much closer in meaning to intrinsic than extrinsic is. The test of fitness here is not only dictionary meaning but also consistency with the spiritual context. Remembering that yoga literature often speaks about knowing one's true or innate nature can help in selecting the correct adjective.

Final Answer:
The adjective that best completes the phrase is innate, so option innate is correct.