UPSC Prelims 2021 · CSAT

Question 73: Reading Comprehension

Passage beginning “most people would agree that telling…” — Passage – 2 · as printed by UPSC

Which one of the following habits is found more often in good people ?

aMixing up the true and false

bIntentional mixing up of truth with the false

cFalsification of facts

dComplete concealment of truth

AnswerUPSC’s answer is (b).

The second part of the passage says that even very truthful people tell many lies in the loose, semantic sense: their wording carries some falsehood that is, to a greater or lesser degree, intended. That is truth blended with falsehood on purpose, so the habit found in good people is intentional mixing of truth with the false. Falsifying facts outright or hiding the truth altogether is not what is described, and mixing without intent misses the point that the blending is deliberate to some extent. Remember: attend to the qualifiers in a passage that separate close options.

Why each option is right or wrong

(a) Mixing without intent misses the passage's point that the falsehood is, to some extent, deliberate.
(b) Right: truthful people blend falsehood into their wording with some intent.
(c) The passage speaks of the loose use of words, not of falsifying facts.
(d) Hiding the truth entirely is not described.

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.