Correct Option (c)
The passage distinguishes between the functional, instrumental, and utilitarian dimensions of education and its deeper, intrinsic value. While employment and upward mobility are acknowledged as outcomes, the passage explicitly states that education, in its deepest sense, is "not instrumentalist" and "not to be justified outside of itself" by such external benefits. Instead, it asserts that education "must be respected in itself" because it constitutes "an inner process of moral-intellectual development," encompassing the widening of the mind, the creation of self-critical awareness, and the development of independent thought. This directly supports option (c).
Incorrect Options:
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Option (a): The passage identifies acquiring qualifications for employment as an instrumental or utilitarian purpose of education, not as the reason why education must be respected "in itself." The text clearly separates these two perspectives.
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Option (b): Similar to employment, upward mobility and acquiring status are presented in the passage as instrumental benefits or outcomes of education. The passage argues that education's intrinsic value, for which it must be respected in itself, lies beyond these external justifications.
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Option (d): Since options (a) and (b) represent instrumental benefits rather than the intrinsic reason for respecting education in itself, this option is incorrect. The passage specifically highlights the "inner process of moral-intellectual development" as the core justification for education's intrinsic worth.