CivilsIASPrep.comUPSC PYQs: Reading Comprehension
Review complete published questions grouped by subject: Reading Comprehension.
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Questions
- Passage: Kalagram at the Maha Kumbh displayed seven regional 'Sanskriti Angans', temple-inspired thematic zones featuring Bengal Pattachitra, Assam bamboo craft, Tamil Nadu Thanjavur painting and Madhya Pradesh tribal sculpture, created by 230 master artisans. Which conclusions are valid? 1. Seven Sanskriti Angans represented different regions. 2. Regional artistry was recognized specifically through the temple inspiration. 3. Contemporary artisans used old techniques to shape representations of India's ancient heritage. 4. Art forms from every region of India were displayed.2026 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Kalagram passage
- Using the Kalagram passage, which statement is NOT correct?2026 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Kalagram passage
- Passage: Sport should be seen not merely as medals or quota jobs but as a way of life that can address isolation, anxiety and inactivity while teaching time management, fitness, teamwork and coordination. Which conclusions are valid? 1. Sport is more than games and can be a way of life. 2. It can reduce seclusion among young people. 3. Sporting achievement can help through sports-quota employment. 4. Corporate-type skills cannot be learnt through sport.2026 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Sport and life skills
- From the sport passage, consider: 1. Parents are insufficiently encouraging children to play sport. 2. Sporting participation can develop life skills. 3. Sport as a way of life can help shape a healthier, happier society. Which are correct?2026 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Sport and life skills
- Passage: Most countries use 'double deflation', separately deflating input and output prices. With unchanged quantities and output prices, a fall in imported-oil prices should not change real value added; using one deflator for both may make productivity appear higher. Which statements are correct? 1. Real value should remain unchanged in the stated case. 2. Separate input/output deflators are universally used by all economies.2026 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Double deflation
- From the deflation passage, evaluate assumptions: 1. A deflation method can make manufacturing performance appear better than it truly is. 2. 'Double deflation' means deflating both input and output against a single input-price index.2026 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Double deflation
- Passage: SARS-CoV-2 was novel in 2019, whereas HMPV has circulated for decades; they belong to different virus families, have different epidemiology, seasonality, severity and affected population profiles. Which conclusions are valid? 1. They are similar viruses and SARS-CoV-2 became pandemic mainly because it was novel. 2. Their fundamentally different impacts mean they should not automatically be treated in the same manner.2026 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · HMPV and SARS-CoV-2
- From the HMPV/SARS-CoV-2 passage, which proposed writer-intents are supported? 1. Develop methodologies for objective analysis. 2. Establish epidemiological similarities and differences. 3. Explain HMPV remedies by comparison with SARS-CoV-2.2026 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Writer's intent
- From the same virus passage, which rational inferences follow? 1. HMPV has a much longer documented history than SARS-CoV-2. 2. Their differences produce different outcomes among affected populations. 3. Their long-term effects differ materially. 4. Both share strong seasonal specificity.2026 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Virus epidemiology
- Passage: India is beginning to use AI in weather forecasting, pest control and yield optimization, but adoption is concentrated among tech-savvy farmers. Wider use could come from affordable Indian-language tools, AgTech partnerships and government advisory programmes. Which assumptions are valid? 1. Western agricultural productivity advanced because AI economies of scale. 2. Affordable local-language AI can reach more small farmers. 3. India already uses AI in some critical farm applications despite low penetration.2026 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · AI in agriculture
- From the agricultural-AI passage, which statements are NOT correct? 1. Tech-savvy farmers will drive future AgTech companies. 2. Government AI advisory services would help. 3. AI has replaced traditional farming in the US and Europe. 4. Large datasets are already integrated for real-time agronomic insight.2026 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · AI in agriculture
- Passage: Under the JJ Act 2015, a child above16 may potentially be tried as an adult for a heinous offence, defined by a minimum punishment of seven years; the 2021 amendment classifies offences with no minimum but maximum of seven years or more as serious. Which conclusions are valid? 1. Only a serious offence justifies transfer to adult court. 2. Serious-offence classification in the stated category depends on maximum rather than minimum sentence.2026 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Juvenile Justice Act
- Using the JJ Act passage, consider: 1. An offence with no prescribed minimum punishment cannot meet the 2015 definition of 'heinous'. 2. Under the 2021 amendment, an offence with no minimum but a maximum sentence of at least seven years is classified as serious. Which are correct?2026 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Juvenile Justice Act
- Passage: Cleaner air depends strongly on the fuels we burn. Pet coke and coal bans show that bans need feasible cleaner alternatives; the CNG transition required assured supply and fiscal measures keeping clean fuel affordable. Which inferences follow? 1. Fuel choice is central to clean-air policy. 2. Bans work mainly when public will is strong. 3. Courts have supported fiscal intervention to keep cleaner fuels competitively priced.2026 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Clean fuel transition
- From the clean-air passage, consider: 1. Thermal power stations in Delhi were ordered simply to shut down. 2. CNG supply had to be assured when diesel buses were stopped. 3. The Supreme Court itself imposed the coal ban across the NCR. Which are correct?2026 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Clean fuel transition
- Passage: Earlier customer-service technologies raised fears of job losses that largely did not materialize. AI may differ, but it could also free humans for more creative and rewarding work such as using feedback to improve products. Which option best captures the passage?2026 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · AI and employment
- Using the customer-service technology passage, which conclusions are correct? 1. New customer-service technologies have repeatedly triggered job-loss fears. 2. Technology may replace tasks without eliminating jobs, creating alternative work. 3. New technology inevitably creates stressful outcomes.2026 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · AI and employment
- Passage: Rai Sahib refuses profitable offers to lease a common grazing ground because cattle from nearby villages use it; he believes a landlord must look after tenants. Which conclusion is correct? 1. All landlords have innate goodness. 2. Village common grazing land is intended only for cattle of that village. 3. A tradition-minded landlord such as Rai Sahib may be especially concerned about tenants. 4. Winds later in the day are cooler than the morning air.2026 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Rai Sahib passage
- From the Rai Sahib passage, which statements are NOT correct? 1. All of Rai Sahib's landholdings were not being farmed. 2. He was as greedy as other landlords. 3. It cannot be known whether leasing the grazing land could earn money. 4. He valued tenants and their livelihood.2026 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Rai Sahib passage
- Passage: At Wimbledon, actor Hugh Grant briefly fell asleep in the Royal Box. The writer treats the nap as a quietly radical surrender not to laziness but to bodily limits, placing rest above society's relentless performance demands. Which statements are correct? 1. A mild surrender against social expectations can itself be radical. 2. Accepting age/body limitations should not be equated with laziness. 3. The phrase 'leading man, not of action but of rest' deliberately recasts a cinematic expression.2026 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Rest and social expectations
- From the Hugh Grant passage, consider: 1. He was watching a men's semifinal between Cobolli and Djokovic. 2. 'Unexpected ace' uses tennis imagery for the nap but the act is condemned. 3. Grant lets bodily wisdom override social performance expectations. Which are correct?2026 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Rest and social expectations
- Passage: Convergence theory describes breakaway, catch-up and fine-tuning phases between technology leaders and followers. Leaders pull ahead when a new technology emerges; followers later adopt it; in fine-tuning both extract remaining gains and incomes converge. Which conclusions are correct? 1. Followers make slow progress during breakaway. 2. Leaders stagnate during catch-up. 3. In fine-tuning, an increasingly exhausted technology yields similar income levels. 4. The historical sequence cited is scavenging→hunting→farming→industrial technology.2026 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Convergence theory
- Using the convergence passage, which statements are correct? 1. The model divides nations themselves into three phases. 2. Its core is closing a gap between 'labour' and 'productivity'. 3. Technology leaders generally enter new economic eras earlier than followers. 4. The time span should be obtained by adding all four historical date markers listed in the passage.2026 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Convergence theory
- Passage: Climate risks and mitigation opportunities differ across Indian regions: coasts face sea-level rise, dry districts face variable monsoons, Himalayan regions have distinct risks, while some peninsular and offshore areas have wind-energy potential. What is the most pragmatic message?2025 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Climate adaptation
- Using the same passage on region-specific climate risks and opportunities, consider the assumptions: I. Green-energy production can be integrated with climate mitigation/adaptation. II. Climate-change effects are necessarily much more severe in coastal and mountainous regions. Which assumption(s) is/are valid?2025 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Climate adaptation
- Passage: In India, social inequality is acutely felt socially, while economic insecurity can be felt even more sharply than poverty. People just above the poverty line also face health, wealth, market and job risks, and many public policies seek to reduce such insecurity. What is the critical message?2025 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Economic insecurity
- From the passage on economic insecurity, evaluate assumptions: I. People above the poverty line can also experience anxiety about economic insecurity. II. Eradicating poverty by itself can bring peace and social equality. Which is/are valid?2025 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Economic insecurity
- Passage: Exam-focused teaching is inadequate for future work, which needs critical and independent thinking, learning by doing, multidisciplinary questioning, evidence-based argument and reflection. Higher learning should teach how to think, and teaching must be reinvented. What best expresses the central idea?2025 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Education
- From the higher-education passage, consider: I. Higher education must evolve with changing social and work demands. II. India does not allocate sufficient funds to higher education. Which assumption(s) is/are valid?2025 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Education
- Passage: As societies become wealthier, more grains and legumes are diverted to animal feed, yet converting plant calories into animal food is inefficient—only a small fraction returns as edible animal calories. What is the crux?2025 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Food efficiency
- From the passage on plant-to-animal food conversion, consider assumptions: I. Food-processing industries everywhere should alter objectives with social needs. II. Wealthier societies can lose substantial food calories through indirect use of crops as animal feed. Which is/are valid?2025 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Food efficiency
- Passage: Conserving an ecosystem exclusively for biodiversity can constrain livelihoods and commercial use, while exploitation can cause deforestation, floods, siltation and livelihood damage. These tensions are especially acute where people depend heavily on ecosystems. What is the critical message?2025 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Ecosystem-livelihood trade-offs
- From the ecosystem-use passage, evaluate assumptions: I. No country needs ecosystems to boost national income. II. Resource-rich countries must share resources with resource-poor countries to prevent ecosystem degradation. Which is/are valid?2025 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Ecosystem-livelihood trade-offs
- Passage: Renewable-energy costs often fall rapidly with scale and learning. Green innovation is path-dependent: the more firms do now, the more they can do later. Solar prices fell dramatically, and starting transition early and gradually reduces disruption compared with a late chaotic shift. What is the central idea?2025 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Green transition
- From the passage on path-dependent green innovation, consider assumptions: I. Path-dependent green investment can plausibly support growth and public finances in a country such as India. II. If other green technologies repeat solar's cost decline, transition is likely to become easier. Which is/are valid?2025 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Green transition
- Passage: Indian agriculture never experienced a sustained high-growth phase comparable with the non-agricultural economy. Agricultural growth peaked around the 1980s and then relatively stagnated while non-agricultural growth kept rising. Which corollary is most reasonable?2025 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Agricultural growth
- From the passage on agricultural and non-agricultural growth divergence, consider suggested assumptions for reducing the gap: I. Large-scale commercial crops and corporate farming. II. Free crop insurance and very heavy input subsidies comparable with developed countries. Which is/are valid?2025 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Agricultural growth
- Passage: Handlooms are often supported as a continuous 'tradition', but the idea of a single linear tradition is contested because dominant narratives have excluded many identities and histories. Against this background, promoting handloom only as traditional can alienate sections of society. What is the most logical message?2025 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Culture and handloom
- From the handloom passage, evaluate assumptions: I. The State need not be involved in the handloom sector at all. II. Handloom products have become unattractive in the modern world. Which is/are valid?2025 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Culture and handloom
- Passage: Climate and atmospheric changes may alter crop-disease prevalence. Modern high-value crops have been selectively bred for present conditions, often losing genetic variation that could help them cope with new stresses; a minor or unfamiliar disease could therefore spread rapidly through a genetically uniform crop. What is the central idea?2025 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Crop genetic diversity
- From the passage on crop disease and genetic uniformity, consider assumptions: I. Climate change can shift plant diseases into new areas. II. Better understanding of wild crop relatives could help strengthen food security. Which is/are valid?2025 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Crop genetic diversity
- Passage: A wise statesman learns from opponents because supporters may overlook danger. A healthy balance of political power prevents arbitrary administration and revolutionary opposition. What is the critical message?2025 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Democratic opposition
- From the passage on political opposition, evaluate assumptions: I. Strong opposition is needed only when the head of government is indifferent. II. More aggressive opposition always produces better governance. Which is/are valid?2025 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Democratic opposition
- Passage: A single inflation number aggregates many prices with weights. WPI uses production weights; CPI uses a consumption basket, but consumption differs substantially among poor, middle-class and rich households, requiring a composite average. What is the key message?2025 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Inflation measurement
- Passage: Trust involves vulnerability to others. Entrepreneurship and global systems rely on trust despite the possibility of betrayal; trusting also means expecting competence and good conduct. What is the crux?2025 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Trust
- Passage: Net-zero commitments require household emissions to fall sharply. Behavioural change may deliver only part of the reduction, and even that depends on governments and companies making low-carbon choices cheaper and more available. What is the central idea?2025 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Climate behaviour
- Using the same net-zero passage, consider: I. Supply-side investment can encourage low-carbon behaviour. II. People cannot adopt low-carbon behaviour without government or company involvement. Which assumption(s) are valid?2025 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Assumptions
- Passage: Global raw-material use has risen sharply while reuse remains low. End-of-life EV batteries contain valuable minerals that can be recovered and used in new batteries, reducing supply-chain and environmental risks. What is the most pragmatic message?2025 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Circular economy
- Using the battery-recycling passage, consider: I. Automobile factories are themselves examples of a circular economy. II. Economic growth can be compatible with circular use of mineral resources. Which assumption(s) are valid?2025 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Assumptions
- Passage: Corporate capitalism is presented as a driver of modernization, structural transformation, jobs, competitiveness and tax revenue that can finance welfare. What is the critical message?2025 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Corporate capitalism
- Using the corporate-capitalism passage, consider: I. It promotes expansion of employment opportunities. II. Poor and marginalized groups can benefit because additional State revenue can finance welfare and wider opportunity. Which assumptions are valid?2025 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Assumptions
- A passage says that a network of voluntary associations acts as a 'buffer' between the relatively powerless individual and a potentially powerful State. Which explanation best captures this idea?2025 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Civil society
- What climate change will undeniably do is cause or amplify events that hasten the reduction of resources. Competition over these diminishing resources would ensue in political or violent conflict. Resource-based conflicts are rarely overt and may appear as identity or ideological conflicts. What does the passage imply?2017 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Climate and Conflict
- The man who perpetually hesitates between two things will do neither; one who resolves but changes course at the first counter-suggestion accomplishes little. The person who consults wisely, resolves firmly and executes with perseverance can advance to eminence. The keynote of the passage is that:2017 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Main Idea
- During summer in the Arctic Ocean, sea ice has been melting earlier and faster and winter freeze has been coming later. The lengthening melt period threatens the Arctic food web, atop which stand polar bears. What is the most crucial message?2017 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Climate Change
- Research on open defecation identifies ideas of purity and pollution and reluctance to empty pits or septic tanks as major barriers. To eradicate open defecation these issues must be confronted. What is the crucial message?2017 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Sanitation
- In two decades world GDP rose about 50%, but inclusive wealth rose only about 6%; natural capital declined sharply while human capital grew only modestly. What is the most crucial inference?2017 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Inclusive Wealth
- India has a large youth surplus, but most of its labour force is in the unorganised sector and employment growth has slowed. Which is the most rational inference?2017 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Labour Reforms
- Complete freedom from the obligation to work is unnatural because society survives only through shared work; the real question is how much leisure we can afford. The main idea is that:2017 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Work and Society
- There is no harm in cultivating non-injurious habits. Habits simplify the mechanism of life and enable us to do many things automatically. The author suggests that habits:2017 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Main Idea
- “Rights are certain advantageous conditions of social well-being indispensable to the true development of the citizen.” What is the correct understanding of rights?2017 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Political Concepts
- Accountability, or the lack of it, in governance generally, and civil services in particular, is a major factor underlying deficiencies in governance and public administration. Designing an effective framework for accountability has been a key element of the reform agenda. A fundamental issue is whether civil services should be accountable to the political executive of the day or to society at large. In other words, how should internal and external accountability be reconciled? Internal accountability is sought through internal performance monitoring, official supervision by bodies like the Central Vigilance Commission and Comptroller and Auditor General, and judicial review of executive decisions. Articles 311 and 312 of the Constitution provide job security and safeguards to the civil services, especially the All India Services. The framers envisaged that these safeguards would produce a civil service not totally subservient to the political executive but strong enough to function in the larger public interest. The need to balance internal and external accountability is thus built into the Constitution. Over the years, emphasis seems to have tilted in favour of greater internal accountability to political leaders of the day, who in turn are expected to be externally accountable to society through elections. This system has not worked out and has led to adverse consequences for governance. Measures can be considered for improving accountability. Articles 311 and 312 should be reviewed and laws and regulations framed to ensure external accountability. The respective roles of professional civil services and political executive should be defined so professional managerial functions and management of civil services are depoliticized. Effective statutory civil service boards should be created at the Centre and in the States. Decentralization and devolution of authority to bring government and decision-making closer to people also helps enhance accountability.\n\nAccording to the passage, which of the following factor/factors led to adverse consequences for governance/public administration? 1. Inability of civil services to strike a balance between internal and external accountabilities 2. Lack of sufficient professional training to officers of All India Services 3. Lack of proper service benefits in civil services 4. Lack of Constitutional provisions to define the respective roles of professional civil services vis-a-vis political executive. Select the correct answer.2016 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Governance passage
- Accountability, or the lack of it, in governance generally, and civil services in particular, is a major factor underlying deficiencies in governance and public administration. Designing an effective framework for accountability has been a key element of the reform agenda. A fundamental issue is whether civil services should be accountable to the political executive of the day or to society at large. In other words, how should internal and external accountability be reconciled? Internal accountability is sought through internal performance monitoring, official supervision by bodies like the Central Vigilance Commission and Comptroller and Auditor General, and judicial review of executive decisions. Articles 311 and 312 of the Constitution provide job security and safeguards to the civil services, especially the All India Services. The framers envisaged that these safeguards would produce a civil service not totally subservient to the political executive but strong enough to function in the larger public interest. The need to balance internal and external accountability is thus built into the Constitution. Over the years, emphasis seems to have tilted in favour of greater internal accountability to political leaders of the day, who in turn are expected to be externally accountable to society through elections. This system has not worked out and has led to adverse consequences for governance. Measures can be considered for improving accountability. Articles 311 and 312 should be reviewed and laws and regulations framed to ensure external accountability. The respective roles of professional civil services and political executive should be defined so professional managerial functions and management of civil services are depoliticized. Effective statutory civil service boards should be created at the Centre and in the States. Decentralization and devolution of authority to bring government and decision-making closer to people also helps enhance accountability.\n\nWith reference to the passage, the following assumptions have been made: 1. Political executive is an obstacle to the accountability of civil services to society. 2. In the present framework of Indian polity, political executive is no longer accountable to society. Which assumption(s) is/are valid?2016 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Inference and Assumption
- Accountability, or the lack of it, in governance generally, and civil services in particular, is a major factor underlying deficiencies in governance and public administration. Designing an effective framework for accountability has been a key element of the reform agenda. A fundamental issue is whether civil services should be accountable to the political executive of the day or to society at large. In other words, how should internal and external accountability be reconciled? Internal accountability is sought through internal performance monitoring, official supervision by bodies like the Central Vigilance Commission and Comptroller and Auditor General, and judicial review of executive decisions. Articles 311 and 312 of the Constitution provide job security and safeguards to the civil services, especially the All India Services. The framers envisaged that these safeguards would produce a civil service not totally subservient to the political executive but strong enough to function in the larger public interest. The need to balance internal and external accountability is thus built into the Constitution. Over the years, emphasis seems to have tilted in favour of greater internal accountability to political leaders of the day, who in turn are expected to be externally accountable to society through elections. This system has not worked out and has led to adverse consequences for governance. Measures can be considered for improving accountability. Articles 311 and 312 should be reviewed and laws and regulations framed to ensure external accountability. The respective roles of professional civil services and political executive should be defined so professional managerial functions and management of civil services are depoliticized. Effective statutory civil service boards should be created at the Centre and in the States. Decentralization and devolution of authority to bring government and decision-making closer to people also helps enhance accountability.\n\nWhich one of the following is the essential message implied by this passage?2016 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Main Idea
- Accountability, or the lack of it, in governance generally, and civil services in particular, is a major factor underlying deficiencies in governance and public administration. Designing an effective framework for accountability has been a key element of the reform agenda. A fundamental issue is whether civil services should be accountable to the political executive of the day or to society at large. In other words, how should internal and external accountability be reconciled? Internal accountability is sought through internal performance monitoring, official supervision by bodies like the Central Vigilance Commission and Comptroller and Auditor General, and judicial review of executive decisions. Articles 311 and 312 of the Constitution provide job security and safeguards to the civil services, especially the All India Services. The framers envisaged that these safeguards would produce a civil service not totally subservient to the political executive but strong enough to function in the larger public interest. The need to balance internal and external accountability is thus built into the Constitution. Over the years, emphasis seems to have tilted in favour of greater internal accountability to political leaders of the day, who in turn are expected to be externally accountable to society through elections. This system has not worked out and has led to adverse consequences for governance. Measures can be considered for improving accountability. Articles 311 and 312 should be reviewed and laws and regulations framed to ensure external accountability. The respective roles of professional civil services and political executive should be defined so professional managerial functions and management of civil services are depoliticized. Effective statutory civil service boards should be created at the Centre and in the States. Decentralization and devolution of authority to bring government and decision-making closer to people also helps enhance accountability.\n\nAccording to the passage, which one of the following is NOT a means of enhancing internal accountability of civil services?2016 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Explicit Detail
- In general, religious traditions stress our duty to God, or to some universal ethical principle. Our duties to one another derive from these. The religious concept of rights is primarily derived from our relationship to this divinity or principle and the implication it has on our other relationships. This correspondence between rights and duties is critical to any further understanding of justice. But for justice to be practiced, rights and duties cannot remain formal abstractions. They must be grounded in a community bound together by a sense of common union. Even as a personal virtue, this solidarity is essential to the practice and understanding of justice.\n\nWith reference to the passage, the following assumptions have been made: 1. Human relationships are derived from their religious traditions. 2. Human beings can be duty bound only if they believe in God. 3. Religious traditions are essential to practice and understand justice. Which assumption(s) is/are valid?2016 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Assumptions
- In general, religious traditions stress our duty to God, or to some universal ethical principle. Our duties to one another derive from these. The religious concept of rights is primarily derived from our relationship to this divinity or principle and the implication it has on our other relationships. This correspondence between rights and duties is critical to any further understanding of justice. But for justice to be practiced, rights and duties cannot remain formal abstractions. They must be grounded in a community bound together by a sense of common union. Even as a personal virtue, this solidarity is essential to the practice and understanding of justice.\n\nWhich one of the following is the crux of this passage?2016 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Main Idea
- Biomass as fuel for power, heat and transport has very high mitigation potential among renewable sources. It comes from agricultural and forest residues as well as energy crops. The biggest challenge in using biomass residues is securing a long-term reliable supply at reasonable cost; logistics and collection costs are key problems. Energy crops, if not managed properly, compete with food production and may affect food prices. Biomass production is also sensitive to climate change. Projections of its future role may be overestimated because sustainable supply is limited unless technology greatly raises productivity. Some climate models rely on biomass-based carbon capture and storage, an unproven technology, to achieve negative emissions. Some liquid biofuels such as corn-based ethanol may aggravate rather than reduce lifecycle carbon emissions; second-generation lignocellulosic biofuels hold promise but remain under development.\n\nWhat is/are the present constraint/constraints in using biomass as fuel for power generation? 1. Lack of sustainable supply of biomass 2. Biomass production competes with food production 3. Bio-energy may not always be low carbon on a life-cycle basis.2016 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Environment Passage
- Biomass as fuel for power, heat and transport has very high mitigation potential among renewable sources. It comes from agricultural and forest residues as well as energy crops. The biggest challenge in using biomass residues is securing a long-term reliable supply at reasonable cost; logistics and collection costs are key problems. Energy crops, if not managed properly, compete with food production and may affect food prices. Biomass production is also sensitive to climate change. Projections of its future role may be overestimated because sustainable supply is limited unless technology greatly raises productivity. Some climate models rely on biomass-based carbon capture and storage, an unproven technology, to achieve negative emissions. Some liquid biofuels such as corn-based ethanol may aggravate rather than reduce lifecycle carbon emissions; second-generation lignocellulosic biofuels hold promise but remain under development.\n\nWhich of the following can lead to a food-security problem? 1. Using agricultural and forest residues as feedstock for power generation 2. Using biomass for carbon capture and storage 3. Promoting cultivation of energy crops.2016 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Inference
- Biomass as fuel for power, heat and transport has very high mitigation potential among renewable sources. It comes from agricultural and forest residues as well as energy crops. The biggest challenge in using biomass residues is securing a long-term reliable supply at reasonable cost; logistics and collection costs are key problems. Energy crops, if not managed properly, compete with food production and may affect food prices. Biomass production is also sensitive to climate change. Projections of its future role may be overestimated because sustainable supply is limited unless technology greatly raises productivity. Some climate models rely on biomass-based carbon capture and storage, an unproven technology, to achieve negative emissions. Some liquid biofuels such as corn-based ethanol may aggravate rather than reduce lifecycle carbon emissions; second-generation lignocellulosic biofuels hold promise but remain under development.\n\nIn the context of using biomass, which of the following is/are characteristic/characteristics of sustainable production of biofuel? 1. Biomass could meet all primary energy requirements of the world by 2050. 2. Biomass need not disrupt food and forest resources. 3. Biomass could help achieve negative emissions, given certain nascent technologies.2016 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Inference
- Biomass as fuel for power, heat and transport has very high mitigation potential among renewable sources. It comes from agricultural and forest residues as well as energy crops. The biggest challenge in using biomass residues is securing a long-term reliable supply at reasonable cost; logistics and collection costs are key problems. Energy crops, if not managed properly, compete with food production and may affect food prices. Biomass production is also sensitive to climate change. Projections of its future role may be overestimated because sustainable supply is limited unless technology greatly raises productivity. Some climate models rely on biomass-based carbon capture and storage, an unproven technology, to achieve negative emissions. Some liquid biofuels such as corn-based ethanol may aggravate rather than reduce lifecycle carbon emissions; second-generation lignocellulosic biofuels hold promise but remain under development.\n\nWith reference to the passage, the following assumptions have been made: 1. Some climate-energy models suggest biomass as fuel for power generation helps mitigate greenhouse-gas emissions. 2. It is not possible to use biomass as fuel without disrupting food and forest resources. Which assumption(s) is/are valid?2016 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Assumption
- We are witnessing a dangerous dwindling of biodiversity in our food supply. The Green Revolution is a mixed blessing. Farmers have come to rely heavily on broadly adapted, high-yield crops to the exclusion of varieties adapted to local conditions. Monocropping vast fields with genetically uniform seeds boosts yield and meets immediate hunger needs, yet high-yield varieties can be genetically weaker and require expensive chemical fertilisers and toxic pesticides. In focusing on increasing food production today, we may have put ourselves at risk of food shortages in the future.\n\nWhich among the following is the most logical and critical inference that can be made from the passage?2016 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Main Inference
- By killing transparency and competition, crony capitalism is harmful to free enterprise, opportunity and economic growth. Crony capitalism, where the rich and influential are alleged to have received land, natural resources and licences in return for payoffs to venal politicians, is a major issue to be tackled. One of the greatest dangers to growth of developing economies like India is the middle-income trap where crony capitalism creates oligarchies that slow down growth.\n\nWhich among the following is the most logical corollary to the above passage?2016 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Inference
- Climate adaptation may be rendered ineffective if policies are not designed in the context of other development concerns. For instance, a comprehensive strategy that seeks to improve food security in the context of climate change may include coordinated measures related to agricultural extension, crop diversification, integrated water and pest management and agricultural information services. Some of these measures may have to do with climate change and others with economic development.\n\nWhat is the most logical and rational inference that can be made from the above passage?2016 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Inference
- Understanding the role of biodiversity in the hydrological cycle enables better policy-making. Biodiversity refers to the variety of plants, animals, microorganisms and ecosystems in which they occur. Water and biodiversity are interdependent. The hydrological cycle influences how biodiversity functions; in turn, vegetation and soil drive the movement of water. Water passing through ecosystems is cleansed and made fit for consumption. The supply of water is a critical service that the environment provides.\n\nWhich among the following is the most critical inference that can be made from the above passage?2016 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Inference
- In the last decade, the banking sector has been restructured with a high degree of automation and products that mainly serve middle-class and upper-middle-class society. Today there is need for a new agenda for banking and non-banking financial services that does not exclude the common man.\n\nWhich one of the following is the message essentially implied in the passage?2016 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Main Idea
- Safe and sustainable sanitation in slums has immeasurable benefits to women and girls in terms of health, safety, privacy and dignity. However, women do not feature in most schemes and policies on urban sanitation. The continued existence of manual scavenging shows that not enough has been done to promote pour-flush toilets and discontinue dry latrines. A sustained campaign towards the right to sanitation is needed, with abolition of manual scavenging as a primary focus.\n\nWith reference to the passage, consider the following statements: 1. Urban sanitation problems can be fully solved by abolition of manual scavenging only. 2. There is a need to promote greater awareness on safe sanitation practices in urban areas. Which statement(s) is/are correct?2016 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Inference
- To understand the nature and quantity of government proper for man, it is necessary to attend to his character. Nature created him for social life and fitted him for that station. His natural wants are greater than his individual powers. No one man is capable, without the aid of society, of supplying his own wants; and those wants impel individuals into society.\n\nWhich among the following is the most logical and rational inference that can be made from the above passage?2016 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Inference
- The nature of the legal imperatives in any given state corresponds to the effective demands that state encounters, and these in turn depend, in a general way, upon the manner in which economic power is distributed in the society which the state controls.\n\nThe statement refers to:2016 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Conceptual Inference
- About 15 percent of global greenhouse-gas emissions come from agricultural practices, including nitrous oxide from fertilizers, methane from livestock, rice production and manure storage, and carbon dioxide from burning biomass. Forestry, land use and land-use change account for another substantial share, much of it from tropical deforestation. The remainder is largely from draining and burning tropical peatland; peatlands store enormous quantities of carbon.\n\nWhich among the following is the most logical and rational inference that can be made from the above passage?2016 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Inference
- As we look to 2050, when we will need to feed two billion more people, the question of which diet is best takes on new urgency. The foods we choose to eat in coming decades will have dramatic ramifications for the planet. A diet revolving around meat and dairy—an eating pattern on the rise throughout the developing world—will take a greater toll on the world's resources than one revolving around unrefined grains, nuts, fruits and vegetables.\n\nWhat is the critical message conveyed by the passage?2016 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Main Idea
- All humans digest mother's milk as infants, but until cattle began being domesticated about 10,000 years ago, children once weaned no longer needed to digest milk and stopped making much of the enzyme lactase. After humans began herding cattle, it became advantageous to digest milk, and lactose tolerance evolved independently among cattle herders in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Groups not dependent on cattle, such as the Chinese and Thai, largely remained lactose intolerant.\n\nWhich among the following is the most logical assumption that can be made from the passage?2016 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Assumption
- The conceptual difficulties in National Income comparisons between underdeveloped and industrialised countries are particularly serious because a part of the national output in various underdeveloped countries is produced without passing through commercial channels.\n\nIn the above statement, the author implies that:2016 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Inference
- An increase in human-made carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could initiate a chain reaction between plants and microorganisms that would unsettle one of the largest carbon reservoirs on the planet—soil. Soil contains roughly twice the carbon present in plants and the atmosphere combined. Higher carbon dioxide can increase plant growth; roots of flourishing vegetation can stimulate microbial activity in soil, which may accelerate decomposition of soil carbon and its release back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.\n\nWhich among the following is the most logical corollary to the passage?2016 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Inference
- Historically, the biggest challenge to world agriculture has been to achieve a balance between demand for and supply of food. At the level of individual countries, this can be critical for a closed and populous economy whose domestic agriculture does not grow sufficiently, while an open growing economy with adequate foreign exchange may buy food abroad. For the world as a whole, supply-demand balance is indispensable for warding off hunger and starvation. Yet adequate global supply does not ensure food will move from surplus countries to deficit countries when the latter lack purchasing power. Uneven hunger and malnutrition are therefore concentrated in poorer economies. Worldwide food supply is gaining importance because the quantum and composition of demand are changing and countries' capabilities to maintain uninterrupted supplies are under strain. Food production, marketing and prices—especially affordability for the poor—need global thinking and solutions.\n\nAccording to the passage, which of the following are fundamental solutions for the world food-security problem? 1. Setting up more agro-based industries 2. Improving price affordability by the poor 3. Regulating the conditions of marketing 4. Providing food subsidy to one and all. Select the correct answer.2016 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Passage Detail
- Historically, the biggest challenge to world agriculture has been to achieve a balance between demand for and supply of food. At the level of individual countries, this can be critical for a closed and populous economy whose domestic agriculture does not grow sufficiently, while an open growing economy with adequate foreign exchange may buy food abroad. For the world as a whole, supply-demand balance is indispensable for warding off hunger and starvation. Yet adequate global supply does not ensure food will move from surplus countries to deficit countries when the latter lack purchasing power. Uneven hunger and malnutrition are therefore concentrated in poorer economies. Worldwide food supply is gaining importance because the quantum and composition of demand are changing and countries' capabilities to maintain uninterrupted supplies are under strain. Food production, marketing and prices—especially affordability for the poor—need global thinking and solutions.\n\nAccording to the passage, the biggest challenge to world agriculture is:2016 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Explicit Detail
- Historically, the biggest challenge to world agriculture has been to achieve a balance between demand for and supply of food. At the level of individual countries, this can be critical for a closed and populous economy whose domestic agriculture does not grow sufficiently, while an open growing economy with adequate foreign exchange may buy food abroad. For the world as a whole, supply-demand balance is indispensable for warding off hunger and starvation. Yet adequate global supply does not ensure food will move from surplus countries to deficit countries when the latter lack purchasing power. Uneven hunger and malnutrition are therefore concentrated in poorer economies. Worldwide food supply is gaining importance because the quantum and composition of demand are changing and countries' capabilities to maintain uninterrupted supplies are under strain. Food production, marketing and prices—especially affordability for the poor—need global thinking and solutions.\n\nAccording to the passage, which of the following helps/help in reducing hunger and starvation in developing economies? 1. Balancing demand and supply of food 2. Increasing imports of food 3. Increasing purchasing power of the poor 4. Changing food-consumption patterns and practices. Select the correct answer.2016 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Inference
- Historically, the biggest challenge to world agriculture has been to achieve a balance between demand for and supply of food. At the level of individual countries, this can be critical for a closed and populous economy whose domestic agriculture does not grow sufficiently, while an open growing economy with adequate foreign exchange may buy food abroad. For the world as a whole, supply-demand balance is indispensable for warding off hunger and starvation. Yet adequate global supply does not ensure food will move from surplus countries to deficit countries when the latter lack purchasing power. Uneven hunger and malnutrition are therefore concentrated in poorer economies. Worldwide food supply is gaining importance because the quantum and composition of demand are changing and countries' capabilities to maintain uninterrupted supplies are under strain. Food production, marketing and prices—especially affordability for the poor—need global thinking and solutions.\n\nThe issue of worldwide supply of food has gained importance mainly because of: 1. Overgrowth of population worldwide 2. Sharp decline in the area of food production 3. Limitation in the capabilities for sustained supply of food. Select the correct answer.2016 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Passage Detail
- Passage on historical claims that governing rights belong to a select few and exclusion is justified for societal viability. Which statement is least essential to the passage's argument?2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Governance and exclusion
- Passage: by 2050 population growth, changing diets, climate change and finite land/water will strain food supply; higher yields, efficiency and waste reduction are needed. What best summarizes it?2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Food security
- Passage argues against the belief that cutting weapon-building expenditure will by itself create peace with neighbours. Which assumption is most valid?2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Defence and deterrence
- Passage links India's high child mortality to gaps in breastfeeding, immunisation, maternal care, child marriage, anaemia and sanitation. What critical inference follows?2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Maternal and child health
- Passage describes environmental and food-security costs of long-distance processed food. Consider: I. Regionally grown food can be eco-friendly. II. Food processing can burden natural resources. Which is correct?2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Food systems and environment
- In the passage, the author says a thoughtless word hardly escapes his tongue or pen. Which is NOT a valid reason?2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Gandhi on silence
- From the same passage, why was the author spared many a mishap?2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Gandhi on speech
- For the author, silence is necessary to overcome which tendency?2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Gandhi on silence
- Passage says richer States have greater capacity and responsibility to cut carbon emissions, promote clean energy and support poorer States. What is the most logical assumption?2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Renewable energy and federal burden
- A story describes Guleri's suicide after her husband Manak is remarried under family pressure because the couple had no child. What issue is the story primarily meant to sensitize readers about?2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Patriarchy
- Passage says government's ultimate aim is not rule by fear but freeing people from fear so they can live securely, develop mind and body, and use reason. What inference follows?2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Purpose of government
- Passage says municipal corporations are understaffed and often lack technical, managerial and professional competencies required for complex urban services. What is the most logical assumption?2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Urban governance capacity
- Passage notes flamingos are social, perform group mating displays and place chicks in creches while adults forage. What is the most logical corollary?2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Animal social behaviour
- Passage describes electronic MGNREGS wage payments but notes many rural beneficiaries still depend on village leaders due to financial and technological illiteracy. What crucial message follows?2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Financial literacy and MGNREGS
- Passage warns against focusing exclusively on economic growth and supports balanced investment in non-income dimensions of human development. Consider: I. A strong institutional framework is the only requirement for human development. II. Human development and economic growth are not always positively inter-related. III. Focusing only on human development should be the goal of economic growth. Which is correct?2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Human development
- From the same human-development passage, assess assumptions: I. Higher economic growth is essential to reduce economic disparity. II. Environmental degradation can sometimes result from economic growth.2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Growth and environment
- Statement describes mangrove leaf litter feeding fungi/bacteria, worms, crustaceans, fish, birds and crocodiles. What is the most logical inference?2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Mangrove food chains
- “By liberty I mean the eager maintenance of that atmosphere in which men have the opportunity to be their best selves.” What view is implied?2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Liberty
- Passage says climate change worsens hunger and malnutrition among poor communities, while poverty can drive unsustainable resource use that worsens climate change. What is the most logical corollary?2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Climate change and poverty
- Passage notes rising portfolio investment from advanced to emerging economies and warns that reversal of US quantitative easing could trigger instability. What is the most rational inference?2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Foreign portfolio investment risk
- Passage explains how open defecation contaminates food and water, spreads disease, worsens malnutrition and stunting, and harms cognitive development. What is the most critical inference?2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Open defecation and human capital
- Passage criticizes caste/community/religious favouritism and argues that people should be respected as individuals and given opportunities on merit. What best summarizes it?2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Democracy and equal opportunity
- Passage says formal financial institutions and suitable instruments help households save, but poor rural households often lack access and may spend savings immediately. Consider: I. Indian institutions offer no instruments to rural households. II. Poor households may spend earnings because they lack access to suitable instruments. Which is correct?2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Savings and financial access
- From the same passage on savings and access to financial institutions, what is the crucial message?2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Financial inclusion
- Passage says governments sometimes need discretionary power but it must operate under parliamentary authorization, rules and safeguards to prevent abuse. What is the most logical assumption?2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Administrative discretion and rule of law
- Passage links persistent inflation to administered prices, supply-demand pressures, imported inflation, currency depreciation and speculation, while noting that some pressures can accompany economic reform and trade liberalisation. What is the most logical message?2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Inflation and economic reforms
- Passage argues that no right is absolute and that personal property must be reconciled with liberty, equality and cooperation. Which inference best reflects the passage?2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Property rights and economic justice
- Passage discusses the continuing conflict between individual freedom and State authority, warning that absolute freedom can produce chaos. Which statement best follows?2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Liberty and state authority
- A passage on UNFCCC climate finance discusses support from developed to developing countries. Which matters are subjects of intense debate? 1. Scale and size of required financial support 2. Crop loss in developing countries 3. Enhancing mitigation and adaptation actions in developing countries.2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Climate finance
- Why does the passage place greater responsibility on developed countries to provide climate support? 1. Higher per-capita income 2. Larger GDP 3. Larger historical contribution to atmospheric greenhouse-gas stock.2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Climate responsibility
- From the climate-finance passage, what implications arise for developing countries? 1. Mobilisation/use of domestic finances 2. Multilateral trade.2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Climate finance implications
- What is essentially discussed in the climate-finance passage?2015 · Prelims CSAT · Reading Comprehension · Climate negotiations