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UPSC Prelims 2024 · CSAT

Question 31: Reading Comprehension

Passage—1 · as printed by UPSC
Passage beginning ““The history of science is the…”

Which of the following is/are emphatically conveyed by the author of the passage?

  1. 1.Without science, mankind could not have continued to exist till today.
  2. 2.It is the science that will ultimately determine the destiny of mankind.

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 (d).

The author's emphasis is that science and mankind cannot be separated, that science should not be treated as an outside party praised for good and blamed for war's horrors, and that the fault for recent conflict may lie elsewhere. Neither claim in the statements is made: the passage never says mankind could not have survived without science (statement 1), nor that science alone will decide humanity's fate (statement 2). Something is emphatically conveyed only if it is clearly stressed, which neither is.

  • 1. Nothing says mankind could not have survived without science.
  • 2. The passage never says science will ultimately determine mankind's destiny.

How you could have got this

  1. If you were sure statement 1 is not correct, (a) and (c) go: each of them includes 1.

    What you needed to know: Nothing says mankind could not have survived without science.

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

    What you needed to know: The passage never says science will ultimately determine mankind's destiny.

Only (d) 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) Wrong. Survival of mankind without science is not discussed.
  • (b) Wrong. The passage never says science will decide mankind's destiny.
  • (c) Wrong. Neither claim is conveyed.
  • (d) Right. Neither is stressed; the passage stresses the inseparability of science and mankind.

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

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2024, General Studies Paper II (CSAT), Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.