2014 CSAT, all questions

UPSC Prelims 2014 · CSAT

Question 62: Logical Reasoning and Mental Ability

The number of deaths among the army personnel is 8 in 1000, but among the civilian population it is 20 per 1000. Which one of the following inferences can be drawn from this statement ?

aIt is better to join the army.
bThe relationship is fortuitous.
cQuality of Life Index is very high within the armed forces.
dThe groups cannot be compared due to their heterogeneity.

AnswerUPSC’s answer is (d).

The two death rates cannot be compared directly because the groups are different. Army personnel are screened, healthy adults of working age, while the civilian population includes infants, the old and the sick. A lower death rate in a selected group says nothing about whether army life is safer, so the groups are not comparable. In such questions, first ask whether the groups are alike.

Why each option is right or wrong
  • (a) A lower rate in a selected group does not show that joining the army is better.
  • (b) Nothing in the data suggests chance; the difference is explained by who is in each group.
  • (c) A quality-of-life index is not shown by these rates.
  • (d) Right. The groups differ in age and health, so their death rates cannot be compared.

Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2014, General Studies Paper II (CSAT), Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.