Read the following passage and answer the question that follow. Use your own language.
The civilization of China, as everyone knows, is based upon the teaching of Confucius, who flourished five hundred years before Christ. Like the Greeks and Romans, he did not think of human society as naturally progressive; on the contrary, he believed that in remote antiquity rulers had been wise, and the people had been happy to a degree which the degenerate present could admire but hardly achieve. This, of course, was a delusion. But the practical result was that Confucius, like other teachers of antiquity, aimed at creating a stable society, maintaining a certain level of excellence, but not always striving after new successes. In this he was more successful than any other men who ever lived. His personality has been stamped on Chinese civilization from his day to our own. During his lifetime the Chinese occupied only a small part of present-day China and were divided into a number of warring states. During the next three hundred years they established themselves throughout what is now China proper and founded an empire exceeding in territory and population any other that existed until the last fifty years. In spite of barbarian invasions, Mongol and Manchu dynasties, and occasional longer or shorter periods of chaos and civil war, the Confucian system survived, bringing with it art and literature and a civilized way of life. A system which has had this extra ordinary power of survival must have great merits, and certainly deserves our respect and consideration. It is not a religion, as we understand the word, because it is not associated with the supernatural or with mystical beliefs. It is a purely ethical system, but its ethics, unlike those of Christianity, are not too exalted for ordinary men to practice. In essence, what Confucius teaches is something very like the old-fashioned ideal of a ‘gentleman’ as it existed in the eighteenth century. One of his sayings will illustrate this: 'The true gentleman is never contentious ... he courteously salutes his opponents before taking up his position ... so that even when competing he remains a true gentleman'.

1. Why do you think the author calls Confucius' belief about the progress of human society as a delusion?
The author believes Confucius’ belief as delusions because of his estimation of human society being non-progressive naturally, and his conviction of modern man’s inability to achieve the level of happiness enjoyed by those in antiquity. Another reason about the author’s belief can be Confucius claim about the ancient rulers being wise.

2. How did Confucius' though affect China to develop into a stable and 'Proper' China?
Confucius thoughts affected China to develop into a stable country by aiming for the formation of a stable society. A certain level of excellence was always called for in Confucius teachings, and this helped China survive through adverse times to emerge into a ‘Proper’ China.

3. Why does the author think that Confucian system deserves respect and admiration?
The author thinks that Confucian system deserves respect and admiration because not only has it survived various invasions and wars, but has also nurtured a civilized way of life replete with art and literature. The author is of the view that a system with such incredible power of survival is never without inherent merits, and deserves reverence.

4. Why does the author call Confucian system a purely ethical system and not a religion?
The author calls Confucian system an ethical system and not a religion because it does not compromise the defining features of organized religion. It does not associate itself with any mythological and supernatural beliefs, and rather focuses only on the ethical aspects.

5. Briefly argue whether you agree or disagree to Confucius' ideal of a gentleman?
Ideal of a gentleman, presented by Confucius, seems to be someone like a chivalrous person. He always controls his emotions and never let his guard down even when competing with his rival. Naturally, a person has both light and dark triad of personality, but the one, who can overcome the latter, really deserves to be called a gentleman. The agreement with the Confucius’ ideal of a gentleman also stems from the fact that this ideal helped China to be more stable, peaceful, and civilized and prevented her from striving after new successes.