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CSAT 2025 paper

UPSC CSE CSAT 2025 · Question 23 · Reading comprehension

Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical and rational message conveyed…

Passage—2

In our country, handlooms are equated with a culture that ensures a continuity of tradition. This idea has become part of the public policy-framing and provides a legitimate basis for the State to support the sector. But the notion of tradition as a single, linear entity is being strongly contested today. The narratives dominant in defining culture/tradition in a particular way are seen to have emerged as the identities and histories of large sections. The discounted and, at times, forcibly stifled identities are fighting for their rightful place in history. Against this backdrop, when we promote handloom as a traditional industry, it is not surprising that large sections of our population choose to ignore it.

CSAT 2025 · Q23

Reading comprehension Medium

Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical and rational message conveyed by the author of the passage?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) We need to free the handloom industry from the limited narrative linked to preserving cultural heritage.

The author argues that tying handloom to a single idea of 'tradition' has backfired: that idea is now contested, and many people who do not see it as theirs ignore handloom. The logical message is to move handloom beyond this narrow cultural-heritage narrative.

  • ✓ (a) The passage says the notion of tradition 'as a single, linear entity is being strongly contested' and that promoting handloom 'as a traditional industry' leads large sections to ignore it. Freeing handloom from this limited heritage narrative follows directly.
  • ✗ (b) This restates the very policy view the author questions. The passage suggests the 'tradition' framing limits handloom's appeal rather than protects it.
  • ✗ (c) Modernisation and organised-industry status are not discussed; the passage is about narratives and identity, not production methods.
  • ✗ (d) Converting to machine-made products would end handloom itself, and nothing in the passage suggests it.

Remember · When an author critiques a framing, the right answer usually calls for changing that framing, not reinforcing it.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2025, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·

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