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CSAT 2016 paper

UPSC CSE CSAT 2016 · Question 41 · Reading comprehension

Which among the following is the most logical corollary to the above passage?

Directions for the following 8 (eight) items: Read the following eight passages and answer the item that follows each passage. Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only.

Passage—1

By killing transparency and competition, crony capitalism is harmful to free enterprise, opportunity and economic growth. Crony capitalism, where rich and the influential are alleged to have received land and natural resources and various licences in return for payoffs to venal politicians, is now 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 the growth.

CSAT 2016 · Q41

Reading comprehension Medium

Which among the following is the most logical corollary to the above passage?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) Greater transparency in the functioning of the government and promoting the financial inclusion are needed at present

The passage blames crony capitalism — land, resources and licences traded for payoffs — for killing transparency and competition and for creating oligarchies that slow growth. The corollary is greater transparency in government, with financial inclusion widening opportunity beyond the favoured few.

  • ✗ (a) More welfare spending does nothing about cronyism, the problem the passage raises.
  • ✗ (b) 'Other means' of growth and licences for the poor sidestep the real issue — lost transparency and competition.
  • ✓ (c) Crony capitalism works 'by killing transparency and competition'; transparency and wider access to finance counter it.
  • ✗ (d) Manufacturing versus services is never discussed.

Remember · A corollary follows straight from the passage's diagnosis; choose the option that removes the cause the passage names.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2016, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·

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