With reference to ‘circular letters’, which of the following statements is/are correct?
- 1.Circular letters are usually addressed to a group of people.
- 2.Non-standard and customized content is typical of circular letters.
- 3.Circular letters are used to intimate appraisals and increments of employees within organisations.
- 4.Circular letters are less cost-effective than personalised and specific recipient-directed letters.
Select the answer using the code given below.
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) 1 only
A circular sends the same standard message to many people at once — that is why it is cheap. Individual matters such as appraisals and increments go in personal, confidential letters, not circulars.
- ✓ 1. A circular goes to many recipients — staff, customers or members — at once.
- ✗ 2. Circulars carry standard, identical content; customised content belongs in individual letters.
- ✗ 3. Appraisals and increments concern individuals and are confidential, so they are conveyed by personal letters.
- ✗ 4. One message reproduced for many readers makes circulars more cost-effective, not less.
Remember · Circular = one standard message to many; anything individual or confidential needs a personal letter.
Question and answer: UPSC's provisional GS Paper II (2026, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·