Read the passage about examinations, specialization, and the true purpose of education. Then answer the question. According to the author, how should specialization be viewed in the context of education?

Introduction / Context:
The passage discusses the true purpose of education, which is to help a person understand the world, discover personal capacities, and decide what to be and do in life. The author then criticises two major hindrances to this purpose: examinations and specialization. The question asks how the author views specialization. To answer correctly, we must understand that the author is not praising specialization but is warning that it interferes with the deeper aims of education.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The passage states that implanting standards, right values, and the science of good and evil is an essential part of education.
• It says that many forces interfere with this work, and two of the most serious hindrances are examinations and specialization.
• The author describes examinations as both an opiate and a poison.
• The author stresses disinterestedness and liberal education.
• Specialization is grouped with examinations as a serious obstacle.

Concept / Approach:
Since the passage explicitly labels specialization as one of the most serious hindrances to the real work of education, we must interpret it as a negative factor in this context. The word obstacle in the options captures the idea of a hindrance or barrier. At the same time, the passage does not call specialization a total curse that must be abolished in all forms; it simply treats it as harmful to the broader, liberal purpose of education. Thus we need an option that shows criticism without exaggeration beyond the tone of the passage.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the sentence that mentions specialization. It is mentioned alongside examinations as a serious hindrance to implanting right values and moral understanding. Step 2: Evaluate option A, which calls specialization a boon. This clearly contradicts the passage, which places specialization in the hindrance category. Step 3: Evaluate option C, which calls specialization a curse. This is stronger than the wording of the passage, which criticises it but does not use such extreme language. Step 4: Evaluate option D, which calls it a minor distraction. The passage says specialization is a serious hindrance, not a minor issue. Step 5: Evaluate option E, which treats specialization as the only meaningful goal of education. This is the opposite of the author’s view. Step 6: Evaluate option B, which calls specialization an obstacle. This fits the description of a serious hindrance and matches the passage.

Verification / Alternative check:
We can restate the author’s view in simple form: education should first implant values and help a person understand the world and self. Anything that narrows this aim too much or distorts it, such as an excessive focus on exams or narrow specialization, becomes an obstacle. Option B expresses exactly that sense, while all other options contradict or exaggerate the author’s position.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A is wrong because the author does not praise specialization as a boon. Option C is wrong because the passage does not use the language of total curse, only of serious hindrance. Option D is wrong because it understates the effect of specialization, which the author calls a serious hindrance, not a minor distraction. Option E is wrong because the author believes that true education has a much wider purpose than specialization alone.

Common Pitfalls:
A common error is to assume that any modern sounding concept like specialization is automatically viewed positively. Another pitfall is to be attracted to extreme words such as curse, which may feel dramatic but do not reflect the actual tone of the passage. Careful reading of the lines that mention specialization helps avoid these traps.

Final Answer:
According to the author, specialization should be viewed as an obstacle that hinders the real purpose of education.