2024 CSAT, all questions

UPSC Prelims 2024 · CSAT

Question 4: Reading Comprehension

Passage—2 · as printed by UPSC
Passage beginning “As inflation rises, even governments previously…”

Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made :

  1. 1.Fiscal policies of governments are solely responsible for higher prices.
  2. 2.Higher prices do not affect the long-term government bonds.

Which of the assumptions given above is/are valid?

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

AnswerUPSC’s answer is (d).

Neither assumption is supported. The passage says rising inflation prompts governments to spend freely, so spending is partly a reaction to high prices; calling fiscal policy the sole cause of higher prices is too strong. The passage never discusses long-term government bonds, and its logic that higher rates raise government debt costs points the other way. Remember: absolute words such as 'solely' or 'do not affect' rarely hold in assumption questions.

  • 1. Too absolute; the passage presents government spending as a response to inflation.
  • 2. The passage never says this; it says nothing about long-term bonds.

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: Too absolute; the passage presents government spending as a response to inflation.

  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 this; it says nothing about long-term bonds.

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. 'Solely' ignores other causes; the passage shows spending rising in response to inflation, not fiscal policy as the only cause.
  • (b) Wrong. The passage never says bonds are unaffected by higher prices.
  • (c) Wrong. Neither assumption is supported by the passage.
  • (d) Right. Assumption 1 is too absolute and assumption 2 has no basis in the passage.

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.