With reference to the passage, which of the following inferences can be drawn?
- 1.Demographic dividend is an essential condition for a country to rapidly increase its economic growth rate.
- 2.Promotion of higher education is an essential condition for a country for its rapid economic growth.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) Neither 1 nor 2
The passage says the demographic dividend can drive growth and that its benefits depend on education and skills. It never calls either an essential condition for rapid growth, and it does not single out higher education.
- ✗ 1. The dividend “can be a source of energy and an engine of economic growth” — a help, not a precondition; nothing says growth is impossible without it.
- ✗ 2. The passage names education, skills and human capital as what makes the dividend pay off; making higher education an essential condition for all rapid growth goes beyond it.
Remember · ‘Can help’ is not ‘essential condition’; reject inferences that turn a contributing factor into a necessity.
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·