2018 CSAT, all questions

UPSC Prelims 2018 · CSAT

Question 80: Reading Comprehension

Passage—2 · as printed by UPSC
Passage beginning “A male tiger was removed from…”Passage beginning “A male tiger was removed from…”

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

  1. 1.The strategy of conservation of wildlife by relocating them from one protected area to another is not often successful.
  2. 2.India does not have suitable legislation to save the tigers, and its conservation efforts have failed which forced the tigers to live outside protected areas.

Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

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

AnswerUPSC’s answer is (a).

Assumption 1: the passage gives the case of a male tiger moved from one reserve to another who set off back towards his home 250 miles away, which shows relocation can fail, so the assumption is reasonable. Assumption 2 says India lacks suitable legislation and that conservation efforts have failed; the passage mentions no legislation and does not call the efforts a failure, only that many tigers live outside reserves. Only assumption 1 is valid.

  • 1. The relocated tiger went back towards his home, showing relocation can fail.
  • 2. No legislation or failure of conservation is claimed.

How you could have got this

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

    What you needed to know: The relocated tiger went back towards his home, showing relocation can fail.

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

    What you needed to know: No legislation or failure of conservation is claimed.

Only (a) 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) Correct: only the failed-relocation assumption follows.
  • (b) No legislation is discussed, so assumption 2 is unsupported.
  • (c) Assumption 2 is not supported, so both cannot hold.
  • (d) Assumption 1 is supported by the tiger's return trek.

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.