2020 CSAT, all questions

UPSC Prelims 2020 · CSAT

Question 45: Reading Comprehension

Passage—5 · as printed by UPSC
Passage beginning “Economic liberalization in India was shaped…”

Which of the following is/are the most rational and logical inference/inferences that can be made from the passage?

  1. 1.It is essential to rethink and redefine the economic role of the State in the quest for development.
  2. 2.India has not made effective implementation of its policies in social sectors nor made sufficient investments in them.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

AnswerUPSC’s answer is (c).

The passage says liberalisation was shaped by the government's problems, not by people's priorities or long-term development goals, and that its design flaws are now confirmed by jobless growth, lasting poverty, rising inequality, and four crises in agriculture, infrastructure, industry and education. UPSC treats both inferences as valid: the State's economic role needs rethinking (1), and weak social-sector delivery and investment, such as in education, is implied (2).

  • 1. Flawed design and unresolved crises call for rethinking what the State does for development.
  • 2. Education as a crisis and persistent poverty point to weak delivery and too little social-sector investment.

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: Flawed design and unresolved crises call for rethinking what the State does for development.

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

    What you needed to know: Education as a crisis and persistent poverty point to weak delivery and too little social-sector investment.

Only (c) 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) 1 is valid, but 2 is also accepted, so 1 alone is incomplete.
  • (b) 2 is accepted, but so is 1.
  • (c) Right per UPSC: both are accepted.
  • (d) Both inferences are accepted, so saying neither is valid is wrong.

Worth knowing: Statement 2 goes beyond the passage, which names education as a crisis but says nothing on how policies were implemented or how much was invested; UPSC's key still counts it valid.

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

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2020, General Studies Paper II (CSAT), Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.