The most important idea of the passage is that,

The correct answer is 'Literary works or ART with difficult content are good for us because it inspires a higher level of intellectual attainment.' Let's refer to the following lines of the passage:On the contrary, we are repeatedly told by the likes of SEBASTIAN Coe that athletes capable of the most difficult feats offer vital inspiration to couch-potato kids. Let the same be the case for mental athletics, because without the bar to jump over set high, we'll all END up simply playing in the sandpit.The whole passage is expressing the IDEA of Literary works and their IMPORTANCE and from the above line, it can be said that good literary work inspires a higher level of intellectual attainment.Therefore, the correct answer is option 1.