Minimalist IAS
CSAT 2017 paper

UPSC CSE CSAT 2017 · Question 6 · Reading comprehension

Which of the following is the most rational inference from the above passage?

Passage—6

By 2020, when the global economy is expected to run short of 56 million young people, India, with its youth surplus of 47 million, could fill the gap. It is in this context that labour reforms are often cited as the way to unlock double-digit growth in India. In 2014, India’s labour force was estimated to be about 40 per cent of the population, but 93 per cent of this force was in unorganized sector. Over the last decade, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of employment has slowed to 0.5 per cent, with about 14 million jobs created during last year when the labour force increased by about 15 million.

CSAT 2017 · Q6

Reading comprehension Medium

Which of the following is the most rational inference from the above passage?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) Labour reforms are required in India to make optimum use of its vast labour force productively.

India has a large youth surplus, but 93 per cent of its labour force is in the unorganized sector and job creation lags behind the growth of the labour force. The passage presents labour reforms as the way to put this workforce to productive use.

  • ✗ (a) Population control is not discussed; the surplus of young people is presented as an opportunity, not a problem to curb.
  • ✓ (b) Labour reforms are 'often cited as the way' to unlock growth, in the context of a huge but mostly unorganized labour force and too few new jobs.
  • ✗ (c) Employment growth has slowed to 0.5 per cent and new jobs trail the labour force; nothing suggests double-digit growth is near.
  • ✗ (d) The passage says India 'could fill the gap' in young people, but says nothing about their skills.

Remember · Rational inference = where the passage's data and argument point. Discard options that add a new quality (here 'skilled') or a new remedy.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2017, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·

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