When we meet other people while we travel, we learn to differentiate between
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) local values and universal values
Through travel the merchant learns ‘what is parochial and what is universal’, and the passage calls learning ‘fundamental common values’ the greatest gain of travel. Parochial means local, so the contrast is between local and universal values.
- ✗ (a) Imagination and understanding are not contrasted anywhere in the passage.
- ✗ (b) Communities and nationalities are not the subject; the passage speaks of values that are ‘valid everywhere’ but moulded differently in different places.
- ✓ (c) The merchant comes to know ‘what is parochial and what is universal in his choice’; parochial means local.
- ✗ (d) Friends and foes are not mentioned; the passage speaks of living ‘at ease among their fellows’.
Remember · Find the passage’s own contrasting pair (parochial/universal) and pick the option that restates it.
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2024, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·