UPSC Prelims 2026 · CSAT
Question 11: Reading Comprehension
Which of the following conclusions are valid?
- 1.Sport is more than just games; it is a way of life.
- 2.Sport can help mitigate the problems of seclusion among the young.
- 3.Earning laurels in sport can help one secure a job on the basis of an assigned quota.
- 4.Standard corporate sector skills cannot be learnt through sport.
Select the answer using the code given below.
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (d).
The writer says sport matters beyond medals and sports-quota jobs and should become a way of life, so 1 holds. The writer links sport to the young's depression and reluctance to leave home, so 2 holds. By saying sport is not only about quota jobs, the writer accepts that winning laurels can bring a job through that quota, so 3 holds. Statement 4 contradicts the passage, which lists time management, teamwork and fitness as things learnt through sport.
- 1. Sport is presented as more than medals, to be treated as a way of life.
- 2. Sport is offered as a remedy for the young's depression, anxiety and staying indoors.
- 3. The passage treats jobs through a sports quota as one thing sport can bring.
- 4. Time management and teamwork are named as skills learnt through sport.
How you could have got this
- If you were sure statement 2 is correct, (a) goes: it leaves 2 out.
What you needed to know: Sport is offered as a remedy for the young's depression, anxiety and staying indoors.
- Then, if you were sure statement 3 is correct, (b) and (c) go: each of them leaves 3 out.
What you needed to know: The passage treats jobs through a sports quota as one thing sport can bring.
Only (d) is left. You didn’t need statements 1 or 4.
This follows UPSC’s provisional key; the final key could change it.
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: leaves out 2, which the passage supports.
- (b) Wrong: 4 contradicts the passage, and 1 is missing.
- (c) Wrong: includes 4, which the passage contradicts.
- (d) Right: 1, 2 and 3 are supported.
Only the provisional key (27 May 2026) was found; the final key replaces it when found.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2026, General Studies Paper II (CSAT), Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.