2021 CSAT, all questions

UPSC Prelims 2021 · CSAT

Question 21: Reading Comprehension

Passage – 1 · as printed by UPSC
Passage beginning “India faces a challenging immediate future…”

Which one of the following statements best reflects the critical message conveyed by the passage given above ?

aIndia's energy decision-making process is ever more complex and interconnected.
bIndia's energy and climate policy is heavily tuned to sustainable development goals.
cIndia's energy and climate actions are not compatible with its broader social, economic and environmental goals.
dIndia's energy decision-making process is straightforward supply-oriented and ignores the demand side.

AnswerUPSC’s answer is (a).

The passage lists many linked difficulties in India's energy and climate planning: weak fossil fuel output, poor energy access for the poorest, costly imports, electricity pricing and governance troubles, and growing disputes over how land, water and air are used. It then points to hopeful developments in efficiency, urban and transport planning, access and renewables. The common thread is a policy field with many interacting pieces, so decisions are increasingly complex and interconnected. It neither claims alignment with development goals nor says policy ignores demand. Remember: choose the message that covers both the problems and the hopeful notes.

Why each option is right or wrong
  • (a) Right: supply, access, imports, pricing and environmental issues interlock, making energy choices complex.
  • (b) The passage never says policy is tuned to sustainable development goals.
  • (c) It lists hopeful steps toward transformation, so it does not call the actions incompatible with broader goals.
  • (d) Efficiency programmes are mentioned, so demand is not ignored, and 'straightforward' contradicts the many problems listed.

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

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2021, General Studies Paper II (CSAT), Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.