2026 CSAT, all questions

UPSC Prelims 2026 · CSAT

Question 46: Reading Comprehension

Passage · as printed by UPSC
Passage beginning “The key source of the battle…”Passage beginning “The key source of the battle…”

Which of the following inferences is/are correct?

  1. 1.The source of the energy we consume is the key to the battle for cleaner air.
  2. 2.Bans are effective where the will is strong and the people are convinced that such bans are for the greater good of society.
  3. 3.There is judicial approval for a policy that intervenes fiscally to facilitate benevolent pricing for cleaner fuel.

Select the answer using the code given below.

a1 and 2
b2 and 3
c1 and 3
d1 only

AnswerUPSC’s answer is (c).

Statement 1 follows from the opening point: the choice of fuel, from household stoves to power plants, decides whether the air gets cleaner. Statement 3 follows from the report that the Supreme Court accepted the case for fiscal steps that price clean fuel below polluting fuel. Statement 2 distorts the passage: the lesson from the CNG shift is that a ban works only when people are given alternatives, not merely when will and conviction are strong.

  • 1. The choice of fuel burnt is treated as the heart of the clean-air fight.
  • 2. The CNG lesson is that bans need alternatives, not just strong will.
  • 3. The Supreme Court accepted fiscal steps to price clean fuel below polluting fuel.

How you could have got this

  1. If you were sure statement 1 is correct, (b) goes: it leaves 1 out.

    What you needed to know: The choice of fuel burnt is treated as the heart of the clean-air fight.

  2. Then, if you were sure statement 3 is correct, (a) and (d) go: each of them leaves 3 out.

    What you needed to know: The Supreme Court accepted fiscal steps to price clean fuel below polluting fuel.

Only (c) is left. You didn’t need statement 2.

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: 2 misreads the lesson; bans need alternatives, not just conviction.
  • (b) Wrong: 2 is not supported by the passage.
  • (c) Right: 1 and 3 follow from the passage.
  • (d) Wrong: omits 3, which the court's support for fiscal measures backs.

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.

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2026, General Studies Paper II (CSAT), Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.