UPSC Prelims 2018 · CSAT

Question 55: Reading Comprehension

Passage beginning “The practice of dieting has become…” — Passage—7 · as printed by UPSC

What is the most logical and rational inference that can be made from the above passage?

aObesity has become an epidemic all over the world.

bA lot of people are obsessed with attaining a perfect body.

cObesity is essentially an incurable disease.

dThere is no perfect diet or one solution for obesity.

AnswerUPSC’s answer is (d).

The passage says dieting has become widespread, but people differ in ethnicity, genetics, health, lifestyle and the foods they tolerate, so one diet cannot suit everyone, which explains why diets have failed to curb obesity; only understanding the causes of weight gain and lasting habit change will work. The inference is that there is no perfect diet or single solution. Option (c) says incurable, which is too strong.

Why each option is right or wrong

(a) The epidemic named is dieting, not obesity itself.
(b) Seeking a perfect body is a detail, not the inference.
(c) Obesity is not called incurable; lasting habit change is said to work.
(d) Correct: because people differ, no single diet works for all.

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

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2018, General Studies Paper II (CSAT), Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.