2017 CSAT, all questions

UPSC Prelims 2017 · CSAT

Question 26: Reading Comprehension

Passage—6 · as printed by UPSC
Passage beginning “The greatest blessing that technological progress…”Passage beginning “The greatest blessing that technological progress…”

With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made :

  1. 1.People always see the leisure time as a gift and use it for acquiring more material possessions.
  2. 2.Use of leisure by some people to produce new and original things has been the chief source of human progress.

Which of these assumptions is/are valid?

a1 only
b2 only
cBoth 1 and 2
dNeither 1 nor 2

AnswerUPSC’s answer is (b).

The passage says technological progress's greatest gift is leisure, since the enjoyment of material possessions has a narrow limit. Leisure can be abused by people unused to it, but its creative use by a minority has driven human progress beyond the primitive stage. Assumption 2 restates that, so it is valid. Assumption 1 uses always and ties leisure to more possessions, but the passage plays down possessions and notes leisure can be abused, so it is not valid.

  • 1. The passage says leisure can be abused and plays down possessions; always and more possessions are not supported.
  • 2. The passage says creative use of leisure by a minority has driven human progress.

How you could have got this

  1. If you were sure statement 1 is not correct, (a) and (c) go: each of them includes 1.

    What you needed to know: The passage says leisure can be abused and plays down possessions; always and more possessions are not supported.

  2. Then, if you were sure statement 2 is correct, (d) goes: it leaves 2 out.

    What you needed to know: The passage says creative use of leisure by a minority has driven human progress.

Only (b) is left. This one needs every statement.

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) Assumption 1 is not valid: always is unsupported and the passage plays down material possessions.
  • (b) Correct: only assumption 2 is stated by the passage.
  • (c) Assumption 1 fails, so both cannot be valid.
  • (d) Assumption 2 is directly supported, so this is wrong.

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

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2017, General Studies Paper II (CSAT), Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.