UPSC Prelims 2017 · CSAT

Question 4: Reading Comprehension

Passage beginning “Why do people prefer open defecation and…” — Passage—4 · as printed by UPSC

Which among the following is the most crucial message conveyed by the above passage?

aThe ideas of purity and pollution are so deep-rooted that they cannot be removed from the minds of the people.

bPeople have to perceive toilet use and pit-emptying as clean and not polluting.

cPeople cannot change their old habits.

dPeople have neither civic sense nor sense of privacy.

AnswerUPSC’s answer is (b).

The passage names two hidden reasons behind open defecation: beliefs about purity and pollution, and reluctance to have pits or tanks emptied. It says these awkward issues must be faced openly if the practice is to end. So the key message is that people must come to see toilet use and pit emptying as clean, not polluting. Avoid options that call habits unchangeable or blame people's civic sense; the passage does neither.

Why each option is right or wrong

(a) Too fatalistic: the passage says these beliefs must be confronted and dealt with, not that they cannot be removed.
(b) Correct: the remedy is changing how toilet use and pit emptying are seen, from polluting to clean.
(c) Claims habits never change, which contradicts the passage's call to tackle the causes.
(d) The passage cites purity beliefs and pit emptying, not a lack of civic sense or privacy; this is an unsupported accusation.

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.