Question

the following text is adapted from oscar wildes 1897 nonfiction work de profundis.
people whose desire is solely for self - realisation never know where they are going. they cant know. in one sense of the word it is of course necessary to know oneself: that is the first achievement of knowledge. but to recognise that the soul of a man is unknowable, is the ultimate achievement of wisdom. the final mystery is oneself. when one has weighed the sun in the balance, and measured the steps of the moon, and mapped out the seven heavens star by star, there still remains oneself. who can calculate the orbit of his own soul?
which choice best describes the function of the underlined question in the text as a whole?
choose 1 answer:
a it cautions readers that the texts directions for how to achieve self - knowledge are hard to follow.
b it concedes that the definition of self - knowledge advanced in the text is unpopular.
c it reinforces the texts skepticism about the possibility of truly achieving self - knowledge.
d it speculates that some readers will share the doubts expressed in the text about the value of self - knowledge.

Explanation:

The text emphasizes that even after great scientific achievements (weighing the sun, measuring the moon's steps, mapping the heavens), one's self (soul) remains unknown. The rhetorical question "Who can calculate the orbit of his own soul?" reinforces the idea that true self - knowledge is difficult or impossible. Option C aligns with this as it refers to skepticism about achieving self - knowledge. Option A is incorrect as there are no "directions for how to achieve self - knowledge" in the text. Option B is wrong because there's no mention of the definition of self - knowledge being unpopular. Option D is off - base as the text is not about the value of self - knowledge but its achievability.

Answer:

C. It reinforces the text's skepticism about the possibility of truly achieving self - knowledge.