Direction: Select the most appropriate meaning of the given idiom.

Devil's advocate

Question

Question

This question was previously asked in

SSC CHSL Exam 2023 Tier-I Official Paper (Held On: 08 Aug, 2023 Shift 2)

Answer 1

The correct answer is "One who takes an opposing position for the sake of argument."

Key Points

"Devil's advocate" is an idiom that refers to someone who takes a contrary position in order to stimulate discussion or test the strength of an argument. (कोई व्यक्ति जो चर्चा को प्रोत्साहित करने या किसी तर्क की ताकत का परीक्षण करने के लिए विपरीत रुख अपनाता है)
- Example: I don't really believe all that - I was just playing devil's advocate.
The term comes from the Catholic Church, where a person would argue against the canonization of a saint to ensure that all possible objections had been considered.
The Devil's advocate is not necessarily arguing for their own beliefs, but rather playing a role to challenge others and promote critical thinking.
The correct answer is Option 1.