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UPSC CSE CSAT 2019 · Paper II (CSAT) · Question 21 · Reading comprehension

Which one of the following statements is the most logical and rational inference that can be made…

UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2019, General Studies Paper II (CSAT), Question 21 — Reading comprehension.

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

Passage—1

Low-end IoT (Internet of Things) devices are cheap commodity items: addressing security would add to the cost. This class of items is proliferating with new applications; many home appliances, thermostats, security and monitoring devices and personal convenience devices are part of the IoT. So are fitness trackers, certain medical implants and computer-like devices in automobiles. The IoT is expected to expand exponentially — but new security challenges are daunting.

Which one of the following statements is the most logical and rational inference that can be made from the above passage?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (d) As we go digital, we must recognise the huge threat to Internet security from some IoT devices.

Low-end IoT devices stay cheap by leaving security out, and they are multiplying fast; the passage ends on 'daunting' security challenges. The sound inference is that going digital means recognising the security threat from such devices.

  • ✗ (a) India, manufacturing and 'enabling technologies' are not discussed at all.
  • ✗ (b) India is never mentioned, and the passage does not advise holding back; it expects the IoT 'to expand exponentially'.
  • ✗ (c) Convenience devices are listed, but comfort is not the point; the passage stresses the security cost of cheapness.
  • ✓ (d) Security is skipped to keep costs low, the devices are spreading everywhere, and the challenges are 'daunting' — so the threat must be recognised. 'Some IoT devices' keeps the claim to the low-end class described.

Remember · The inference usually rests on the passage's closing concern; options naming a country or sector the passage never mentions go first.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2019, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·

Cite this question: UPSC CSE CSAT 2019, Q21 — minimalistias.com/pyqs/csat/2019/q21

In the UPSC syllabus: Reading comprehension › Facts & details from the passage See it and tick it covered →

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