Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions based on the passage:
Lord of the Flies is a post-war fiction written by William Golding in 1954. The novel serves as a catalyst for intriguing discussion, especially regarding people's capacity for good and evil and the fragility of moral restraint. The book questions concepts such as the idea of community, leadership, and the rule of law. The novel gives an insight into human behaviour in a lawless land. It also explores the concept of civilization. Is civilization something that comes naturally to us, or is it imposed upon us?
Golding argues in his text that human beings are naturally savage. They get attracted towards violence and find pleasure in it. Sigmund Freud said that without the inherent capability of human beings to suppress their desires, civilization would have never happened. In the novel, Golding depicts this through a group of boys stranded on an uninhabited island. The novel shows how civilization works like a façade and hides the evil that is deeply rooted inside every individual. Even if civilization flourishes, we humans are merely hiding our beast and not destroying it.
In what ways does the novel portray the vulnerability of moral restraint?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
Correct Answer
Through the boys' very swift decline into chaos and loss of order.
Explanation
The text connects the vulnerability of moral restraint with what happens to human behavior in a "lawless land." By using a group of boys stranded on an uninhabited island as his model, Golding shows how easily social systems fall apart when left without explicit enforcement. The breakdown of rules on the island illustrates that moral restraint is a fragile cover, giving way to chaotic and savage instincts when regular societal structures are removed.
The other choices are incorrect because they paint an idealistic picture that directly contradicts the passage. Option 2 talks about peaceful cooperation, Option 3 describes characters consistently following rules, and Option 4 describes an environment free of conflict. The passage explicitly states that humans find pleasure in violence, that the land is lawless, and that our inner beast is never truly destroyed.
Key Points
Vulnerability means weakness or susceptibility to breaking down. When a passage mentions the "fragility of moral restraint" alongside a "lawless land," the narrative outcome must show a collapse of rules rather than a harmonious or peaceful stay on the island.