UPSC Prelims 2021 · CSAT

Question 71: Reading Comprehension

Passage beginning “Medieval merchants risked the hazards of…” — Passage – 1 · as printed by UPSC

Which one of the following statements best sums up the passage given above ?

aWealth generation is the primary motive for any human endeavour.

bSpace, whether space in solar system or interstellar space, will govern our future economy.

cHuman beings are motivated to explore new frontiers principally by economic considerations.

dWealth generation is based on the risk-taking behaviour of some men.

AnswerUPSC’s answer is (c).

The passage cites merchants braving the Silk Road and 15th-century Portuguese sailors seeking gold and spices to argue that the search for resources has historically driven the opening of frontiers, with science and curiosity as weaker motives, and that opening up space will likewise depend on a profitable venture built on extracting resources. So the best summary is that people explore new frontiers mainly for economic reasons. It does not say wealth is the motive for every human endeavour, that space will govern our economy, or that wealth rests on risk-taking. Remember: a summary should match the passage's scope, no wider and no narrower.

Why each option is right or wrong

(a) Too broad: the passage speaks of opening frontiers, not of every human endeavour.
(b) Space is the passage's latest example, but it does not say space will govern our future economy.
(c) Right: from the Silk Road to space, economic motives principally drive the exploration of new frontiers.
(d) Risk-taking is a feature of the examples, not the passage's main point about wealth.

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.