2016 GS Paper I, all questions

UPSC Prelims 2016 · GS Paper I

Question 50: History and Culture

With reference to the religious history of India, consider the following statements :

  1. 1.The concept of Bodhisattva is central to Hinayana sect of Buddhism.
  2. 2.Bodhisattva is a compassionate one on his way to enlightenment.
  3. 3.Bodhisattva delays achieving his own salvation to help all sentient beings on their path to it.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a1 only
b2 and 3 only
c2 only
d1, 2 and 3

AnswerUPSC’s answer is (b).

The Bodhisattva ideal is central to Mahayana Buddhism, not to Hinayana, which stresses the individual's own path to nirvana. A Bodhisattva is a compassionate being on the way to enlightenment who delays his own final liberation so as to help all sentient beings reach it. Statements 2 and 3 are correct; statement 1 is wrong.

  • 1. The Bodhisattva concept is central to Mahayana, not Hinayana.
  • 2. A Bodhisattva is a compassionate being on the way to enlightenment.
  • 3. He delays his own salvation to help all sentient beings.

How you could have got this

  1. If you were sure statement 3 is correct, (a) and (c) go: each of them leaves 3 out.

    What you needed to know: He delays his own salvation to help all sentient beings.

    The red flag in statement 3 is “all”. In UPSC’s papers, statements with “all” were true 41% of the time (76 statements). A hint, not a rule.

  2. Then, if you were sure statement 1 is not correct, (d) goes: it includes 1.

    What you needed to know: The Bodhisattva concept is central to Mahayana, not Hinayana.

Only (b) is left. You didn’t need statement 2.

Which options go is worked out from UPSC’s key and the options, not by a model.

Why each option is right or wrong
  • (a) Statement 1 is wrong: the concept is central to Mahayana.
  • (b) Right: statements 2 and 3 describe the Bodhisattva correctly.
  • (c) Statement 3 is also correct, so '2 only' is incomplete.
  • (d) Statement 1 is wrong, so 'all three' fails.

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

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2016, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.