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CSAT · 6 questions

Decision making & interpersonal skills

Every UPSC CSAT question on this topic, 2016–2026, newest first. Tap an option to check yourself; the answer and explanation open below it.

Decision making & interpersonal skills questions per year: 2016: 0, 2017: 0, 2018: 0, 2019: 0, 2020: 0, 2021: 0, 2022: 0, 2023: 0, 2024: 0, 2025: 0, 2026: 6 Asked in 1 of 11 years · most in 2026 (6)

UPSC syllabus: “Decision making and problem solving;” See the full syllabus →

CSAT 2026 · Q72

Medium Provisional key

Match List-I with List-II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists:

List-I (Relationship category)List-II (Communication type)
A.Between cricket captain and team members
B.Between judge and lawyers in court
C.Between Vice Chancellor and Deputy Registrar
D.Between peers and coworkers
1.Informal and firm
2.Informal and open-ended
3.Formal and open-ended
4.Formal and firm
List-I (Relationship category)List-II (Communication type)
A. Between cricket captain and team members1. Informal and firm
B. Between judge and lawyers in court2. Informal and open-ended
C. Between Vice Chancellor and Deputy Registrar3. Formal and open-ended
D. Between peers and coworkers4. Formal and firm

Code:

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) A-1, B-4, C-3, D-2

Match each relationship on two scales: how formal it is and whether messages are firm or open to discussion. A captain gives firm calls in an informal team setting; a judge's court is formal and firm; a Vice Chancellor and Deputy Registrar talk formally but discuss issues; peers talk informally and openly.

  1. A — captain and team: a close, informal group, but on-field instructions are firm → 1.
  2. B — judge and lawyers in court: formal procedure and binding directions → 4.
  3. C — Vice Chancellor and Deputy Registrar: formal official hierarchy, with open discussion of administrative matters → 3.
  4. D — peers and coworkers: informal and open-ended → 2.
  5. Code: A-1, B-4, C-3, D-2.

Remember · For communication-type matches, place each relationship on two axes — formal/informal and firm/open-ended — then pair.

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). Permalink ·

CSAT 2026 · Q73

Easy Provisional key

Match List-I with List-II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists:

List-I (Tool of communication)List-II (Purpose)
A.Memorandum
B.Flyer
C.Bcc
D.Minutes
1.To record decisions
2.To inform confidentially
3.To intimate a directive
4.To disseminate non-targeted information
List-I (Tool of communication)List-II (Purpose)
A. Memorandum1. To record decisions
B. Flyer2. To inform confidentially
C. Bcc3. To intimate a directive
D. Minutes4. To disseminate non-targeted information

Code:

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) A-3, B-4, C-2, D-1

A memorandum conveys a directive within an organisation; a flyer spreads general information to anyone; Bcc hides recipients, so it informs confidentially; minutes record the decisions of a meeting.

  1. Memorandum → to intimate a directive (3).
  2. Flyer → to disseminate non-targeted information (4).
  3. Bcc (blind carbon copy) → other recipients cannot see it, so to inform confidentially (2).
  4. Minutes → to record decisions (1).
  5. Code: A-3, B-4, C-2, D-1.

Remember · Office tools by purpose: memo = instruct, minutes = record, Bcc = confidential copy, flyer = mass publicity.

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). Permalink ·

CSAT 2026 · Q74

Easy Provisional key

Which among the following actions would constitute the most appropriate directive(s) in resolving interpersonal conflict in an office with culturally diverse personnel?

  1. 1.Direct personnel to practise activities that are the cultural markers of diverse groups
  2. 2.Allow conflicts to resolve naturally over time to set an appropriate precedent of leadership
  3. 3.Encourage personnel to seek each other’s perspectives

Select the answer using the code given below.

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) 3 only

Encouraging colleagues to understand each other's perspectives addresses the root of cross-cultural friction. Forcing people to practise other groups' cultural markers is coercive and can deepen resentment, and leaving conflicts alone is a failure of leadership, not a precedent.

  • ✗ 1. Ordering people to adopt others' cultural practices is intrusive and can itself cause conflict; respect does not require imitation.
  • ✗ 2. Letting conflicts drift allows them to fester; it signals passive, not appropriate, leadership.
  • ✓ 3. Seeking each other's perspectives builds empathy and understanding across cultures — a constructive, lasting way to resolve conflict.

Remember · In conflict items, prefer actions that build mutual understanding; reject coercion and inaction.

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). Permalink ·

CSAT 2026 · Q75

Medium Provisional key

Match List-I with List-II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists:

List-I (Barrier to communication)List-II (Example)
A.Semantic
B.Cognitive
C.Organisational
D.Affective
1.Lack of feedback
2.Misunderstanding the meaning of a word
3.Fear of social stigma
4.Information overload
List-I (Barrier to communication)List-II (Example)
A. Semantic1. Lack of feedback
B. Cognitive2. Misunderstanding the meaning of a word
C. Organisational3. Fear of social stigma
D. Affective4. Information overload

Code:

Answer & explanation

Answer: (d) A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3

Semantic barriers concern the meaning of words; cognitive barriers concern the mind's capacity to process, as in information overload; organisational barriers arise from structure and systems, such as missing feedback; affective barriers come from emotions such as fear of social stigma.

  1. Semantic (meaning of words) → misunderstanding the meaning of a word (2).
  2. Cognitive (processing capacity) → information overload (4).
  3. Organisational (systems and channels) → lack of feedback (1).
  4. Affective (emotions) → fear of social stigma (3).
  5. Code: A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3.

Remember · Barriers by root: semantic = words, cognitive = mental processing, organisational = structure/system, affective = feelings.

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). Permalink ·

CSAT 2026 · Q76

Medium Provisional key

You are required to design a ‘questionnaire’ to be filled on-location by visitors, based on the following objective while writing a report:

“To determine the feasibility of setting up a family-oriented vacation resort in the vicinity of a lake destination in the mountains”

Which of the following heads would you include in the questionnaire to make it most appropriate for your purpose?

  1. 1.Size of family
  2. 2.Budget
  3. 3.Number of earners in the family
  4. 4.Food allergies and dietary restrictions

Select the answer using the code given below.

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) 1 and 2 only

Feasibility of a family resort turns on who will come and what they will spend, so family size and budget are the right heads. The number of earners is intrusive and adds nothing that the budget does not already capture, and food allergies are an operational detail for later, not a feasibility question.

  • ✓ 1. A family-oriented resort must plan room sizes and facilities around typical family size.
  • ✓ 2. Visitors' budget shows whether the resort's pricing would be viable — central to feasibility.
  • ✗ 3. An intrusive personal question; spending capacity is already captured by the budget head.
  • ✗ 4. Useful for running a kitchen later, but not for deciding whether the resort is feasible.

Remember · Questionnaire design: keep only questions that serve the stated objective; drop intrusive or premature details.

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). Permalink ·

CSAT 2026 · Q77

Easy Provisional key

With reference to ‘circular letters’, which of the following statements is/are correct?

  1. 1.Circular letters are usually addressed to a group of people.
  2. 2.Non-standard and customized content is typical of circular letters.
  3. 3.Circular letters are used to intimate appraisals and increments of employees within organisations.
  4. 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). Permalink ·

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