In the following passage, some of the words have been left out. Read the passage carefully and, for the blank that describes whether politics needs to be morally correct, select the correct answer out of the four alternatives. Morality is identical with ethics and symbolises the doctrine of actions that are right or wrong. Politics is the science of expediency and need not always be ______. If something is wrong and merely expedient, it cannot be justifiable.

Introduction / Context:
This question is based on a short moral and political philosophy passage. The passage contrasts morality, which is closely linked with ethics and the idea of right and wrong, with politics, which is described as the science of expediency. Your task is to choose the word that best completes the sentence Politics is the science of expediency and need not always be ______ so that the overall argument of the passage remains logically consistent and meaningful.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- Morality is described as identical with ethics and as a doctrine about actions being right or wrong. - Politics is called the science of expediency. - Politics need not always be something that morality demands. - If something is wrong but merely expedient, it cannot be justifiable in a moral sense. - Options: wrong, right, neutral, different.

Concept / Approach:
The central contrast in the passage is between morality, which insists on right and wrong, and politics, which is said to operate on expediency. Expediency means doing what is immediately useful or advantageous, even if it may not be morally ideal. Therefore, the sentence Politics is the science of expediency and need not always be ______ should highlight that political actions may fail to meet moral standards of correctness. The required word must therefore express moral correctness, so that the passage clearly states that politics is not always morally right.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Focus on the contrast set up by the passage. Morality is linked with ethics and the doctrine of right and wrong, while politics is linked with expediency. Step 2: Understand that the author wants to say that politics, being driven by expediency, does not always match moral standards. Step 3: Insert each option into the blank. With wrong, the sentence becomes need not always be wrong, which suggests that politics is not always bad, weakening the moral contrast. Step 4: With right, the sentence becomes need not always be right, which clearly states that politics sometimes departs from what morality considers correct. Step 5: With neutral or different, the sentence becomes vague and fails to express the clear moral contrast that the passage is building.

Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, read the entire passage with the chosen option. Morality is identical with ethics and symbolises the doctrine of actions that are right or wrong. Politics is the science of expediency and need not always be right. If something is wrong and merely expedient, it cannot be justifiable. This sequence perfectly expresses the idea that moral judgment of right and wrong is stricter than political expediency. It also naturally leads into the statement that something wrong but expedient cannot be justified, reinforcing the moral standpoint.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Wrong: Saying politics need not always be wrong suggests that politics is usually wrong but occasionally correct, which is not the intended philosophical point. Neutral: Neutral does not directly relate to moral evaluation. Politics may be neutral in some sense, but that does not support the contrast between morality and expediency. Different: Different is far too vague. It does not tell us different from what, and it fails to express any moral judgment.

Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to choose wrong because students focus on the idea of politics being morally suspect. However, the structure need not always be wrong does not fit the flow of reasoning. Another pitfall is ignoring the earlier phrase right or wrong in the description of morality. The author clearly wants to reuse this moral vocabulary when describing politics. The safest strategy in such cloze tests is to read the entire passage, identify the central contrast or argument, and then choose the word that best strengthens that line of thought.

Final Answer:
The sentence should read that politics need not always be morally correct, so the correct word for the blank is right.