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CSAT

CSAT · 299 questions

Reading comprehension

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

Reading comprehension questions per year: 2016: 27, 2017: 31, 2018: 26, 2019: 30, 2020: 25, 2021: 27, 2022: 27, 2023: 27, 2024: 27, 2025: 29, 2026: 23 Asked in 11 of 11 years · most in 2017 (31)

UPSC syllabus: “Comprehension;” See the full syllabus →

Showing 1–30 of 299, newest first.

CSAT 2026 · Q6

Medium Provisional key
Read the passage (Passage) — this item is based on it

‘Kalagram’, the cultural village set up at the Maha Kumbh Mela, unfolded as a mosaic of India’s diverse regions, each represented by seven meticulously crafted ‘Sanskriti Angans’—stepping through the grand portal was like entering another world. These thematic zones, inspired by iconic temples like the Dakshineshwar Kali Temple and the Brahma Mandir, were treasure troves of regional artistry. Bengal’s Pattachitra paintings, Assam’s bamboo crafts, Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur paintings, and Madhya Pradesh’s tribal sculpture—all were showcased in these living galleries where 230 master artisans breathed life into them using age-old techniques, their hands shaping India’s ancient history into creations to behold.

Which of the following conclusions are valid?

  1. 1.Seven Sanskriti Angans, representing different regions of India, had been showcased in Kalagram.
  2. 2.Regional artistry was recognised via the inspiration drawn from iconic temples.
  3. 3.India’s ancient history had been crafted by the contemporary craftsmanship of 230 artisans into creations to behold.
  4. 4.Art forms from all regions of India had been showcased in these living galleries.

Select the answer using the code given below.

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only

Statements 1 and 2 restate what the passage says about the seven Angans and the temple-inspired zones full of regional art. Statement 3 swaps the passage's 'age-old techniques' for 'contemporary craftsmanship', and statement 4 overreaches with 'all regions'.

  • ✓ 1. The passage says India's diverse regions were represented by seven 'Sanskriti Angans' in Kalagram.
  • ✓ 2. The thematic zones were 'inspired by iconic temples' and were 'treasure troves of regional artistry', so the regional art was presented through temple-inspired zones.
  • ✗ 3. The artisans worked with 'age-old techniques'; calling it 'contemporary craftsmanship' changes what the passage says.
  • ✗ 4. Only a few examples (Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh) are named; 'all regions of India' is an overstatement.

Remember · Check each qualifying word against the passage: 'all', 'contemporary', 'only' often turn a near-copy into a wrong statement.

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 · Q7

Easy Provisional key
Read the passage (Passage) — this item is based on it

‘Kalagram’, the cultural village set up at the Maha Kumbh Mela, unfolded as a mosaic of India’s diverse regions, each represented by seven meticulously crafted ‘Sanskriti Angans’—stepping through the grand portal was like entering another world. These thematic zones, inspired by iconic temples like the Dakshineshwar Kali Temple and the Brahma Mandir, were treasure troves of regional artistry. Bengal’s Pattachitra paintings, Assam’s bamboo crafts, Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur paintings, and Madhya Pradesh’s tribal sculpture—all were showcased in these living galleries where 230 master artisans breathed life into them using age-old techniques, their hands shaping India’s ancient history into creations to behold.

Which one of the following statements is not correct?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) Paintings from four States of India have been mentioned.

Four States are mentioned, but only two of them for paintings: Bengal's Pattachitra and Tamil Nadu's Thanjavur. Assam is named for bamboo crafts and Madhya Pradesh for tribal sculpture, so statement (a) is the incorrect one.

  • ✗ (a) Only Pattachitra (Bengal) and Thanjavur (Tamil Nadu) are paintings; bamboo crafts and tribal sculpture are not. So this is the statement that is not correct.
  • ✓ (b) The passage says stepping through the grand portal 'was like entering another world'.
  • ✓ (c) The art forms were showcased 'in these living galleries', i.e., the Angans.
  • ✓ (d) The Angans are called 'thematic zones, inspired by iconic temples' such as Dakshineshwar Kali Temple and Brahma Mandir.

Remember · In 'not correct' items, count and classify details carefully; a right number with the wrong category is a common trap.

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 · Q11

Easy Provisional key
Read the passage (Passage) — this item is based on it

Sport is not just about winning medals or getting jobs through a sports quota. Today’s generation is struggling with issues like depression and anxiety. Parents often say that their children are inactive and rarely leave the house. Sport can help tackle these problems. From sport you can learn time management, fitness, teamwork, coordination, and so much more. We need to develop a culture in which sport is seen as a way of life—a path to building a healthier, happier society.

Which of the following conclusions are valid?

  1. 1.Sport is more than just games; it is a way of life.
  2. 2.Sport can help mitigate the problems of seclusion among the young.
  3. 3.Earning laurels in sport can help one secure a job on the basis of an assigned quota.
  4. 4.Standard corporate sector skills cannot be learnt through sport.

Select the answer using the code given below.

Answer & explanation

Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3

The passage treats sport as a way of life, says it can help children who are inactive and rarely leave the house, and takes sports-quota jobs as a given benefit. Statement 4 contradicts the skills it lists — time management, teamwork, coordination.

  • ✓ 1. The passage opens with 'Sport is not just about winning medals…' and ends by calling for sport to be seen 'as a way of life'.
  • ✓ 2. Children who are 'inactive and rarely leave the house' are described, and 'Sport can help tackle these problems.'
  • ✓ 3. 'getting jobs through a sports quota' is mentioned as one of the things sport already brings; the passage only adds that sport is more than that.
  • ✗ 4. The passage lists time management, teamwork and coordination as things learnt from sport — the opposite of this statement.

Remember · A statement that denies something the passage lists as a benefit is invalid, however plausible it sounds.

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 · Q12

Easy Provisional key
Read the passage (Passage) — this item is based on it

Sport is not just about winning medals or getting jobs through a sports quota. Today’s generation is struggling with issues like depression and anxiety. Parents often say that their children are inactive and rarely leave the house. Sport can help tackle these problems. From sport you can learn time management, fitness, teamwork, coordination, and so much more. We need to develop a culture in which sport is seen as a way of life—a path to building a healthier, happier society.

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

  1. 1.Parents are not encouraging enough when it comes to children playing sport.
  2. 2.Participation in sporting activities can help develop life skills.
  3. 3.Sport as a way of life can help evolve the very nature of society itself.

Select the answer using the code given below.

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) 2 and 3

The passage says sport teaches time management, teamwork and coordination, and that a culture of sport can build a healthier, happier society. It never blames parents; it only reports what parents say about their children.

  • ✗ 1. Parents are only quoted as saying their children are inactive; nothing is said about parents failing to encourage sport.
  • ✓ 2. 'From sport you can learn time management, fitness, teamwork, coordination, and so much more' — these are life skills.
  • ✓ 3. The passage calls sport as a way of life 'a path to building a healthier, happier society', i.e., it can change the character of society.

Remember · Reported speech is not a judgement: 'parents say children are inactive' does not mean 'parents are not encouraging'.

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 · Q16

Medium Provisional key
Read the passage (Passage) — this item is based on it

How is deflation done? Most countries use a method called ‘double deflation’, where input and output prices are deflated separately. Consider a manufacturer importing oil for use in production. If oil prices fall, output prices do not and quantities remain the same, real value added should not change. But if the same deflator is used for inputs and outputs, as in India, it would look as if the manufacturer had become more productive.

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

  1. 1.Real value should not change in the instance of static output cost and unchanged quantities against falling oil prices.
  2. 2.Deflators are to be used separately for inputs and outputs, and this is a practice universally adopted by all economies.

Select the answer using the code given below.

Answer & explanation

Answer: (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Statement 1 looks like a paraphrase but changes two terms: the passage holds output prices (not output cost) steady and speaks of real value added (not real value). Statement 2 turns 'most countries' into 'all economies', which India itself contradicts.

  • ✗ 1. The passage's example keeps output prices unchanged while oil (an input) gets cheaper — so the cost of producing output actually falls. It says real value added, not 'real value', stays the same. The statement misstates both terms.
  • ✗ 2. The passage says 'Most countries' use double deflation and notes India uses the same deflator for inputs and outputs, so it is not universal.

Remember · Compare near-copy statements word by word; 'price' vs 'cost' and 'most' vs 'all' decide such items.

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 · Q17

Easy Provisional key
Read the passage (Passage) — this item is based on it

How is deflation done? Most countries use a method called ‘double deflation’, where input and output prices are deflated separately. Consider a manufacturer importing oil for use in production. If oil prices fall, output prices do not and quantities remain the same, real value added should not change. But if the same deflator is used for inputs and outputs, as in India, it would look as if the manufacturer had become more productive.

Which of the following assumptions is/are valid?

  1. 1.Deflation strategies can be used to make manufacturers appear to be doing better than they actually are.
  2. 2.When input and output prices are both deflated against a single input price, it is referred to as ‘double deflation’.

Select the answer using the code given below.

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) 1 only

The passage shows that using one deflator for inputs and outputs can make a manufacturer look more productive than it is, so the choice of deflation method can flatter performance. Statement 2 inverts the definition: double deflation deflates input and output prices separately.

  • ✓ 1. With a single deflator 'it would look as if the manufacturer had become more productive' — the method of deflation can make performance look better than it is.
  • ✗ 2. Double deflation is where 'input and output prices are deflated separately'; using a single deflator is the Indian practice the passage criticises.

Remember · Definition-based statements: check the definition in the passage exactly; a reversed definition is always invalid.

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 · Q26

Medium Provisional key
Read the passage (Passage) — this item is based on it

When SARS-CoV-2 was first detected in 2019, it was a truly novel virus for the world. At that time, no one in the world had been exposed to SARS-CoV-2 or had specific immunity against it. In contrast, people across the world have been exposed to HMPV for decades and the virus is well-studied. HMPV and SARS-CoV-2 belong to two very different virus families with fundamentally different characteristics and epidemiology, with strong seasonality seen in HMPV, unlike SARS-CoV-2. Both viruses cause different severity of symptoms, particularly over the long term, and the affected population segments do not fully overlap. In general, HMPV causes milder illness with deaths being very rare and with no long-term post-viral symptoms.

Which of the following conclusions is/are valid?

  1. 1.Though SARS-CoV-2 and HMPV are similar viruses with somewhat different epidemiology, the former became a pandemic because it was novel and people had not been exposed to it in the past.
  2. 2.The two viruses have fundamentally different impacts on human populations and should not therefore be dealt with in a similar manner.

Select the answer using the code given below.

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) 2 only

The passage stresses that the two viruses are very different in family, epidemiology, severity and the people they affect, which supports not treating them alike. Statement 1 calls them 'similar viruses' and brings in a pandemic the passage never mentions.

  • ✗ 1. The passage says they belong to 'two very different virus families with fundamentally different characteristics and epidemiology' — not 'similar viruses with somewhat different epidemiology'. It also says nothing about a pandemic.
  • ✓ 2. Different severity, different long-term effects and non-overlapping affected groups add up to different impacts, which is the passage's reason for not equating HMPV with SARS-CoV-2.

Remember · Reject a statement that contradicts the passage's core contrast, even if its second half sounds reasonable.

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 · Q27

Medium Provisional key
Read the passage (Passage) — this item is based on it

When SARS-CoV-2 was first detected in 2019, it was a truly novel virus for the world. At that time, no one in the world had been exposed to SARS-CoV-2 or had specific immunity against it. In contrast, people across the world have been exposed to HMPV for decades and the virus is well-studied. HMPV and SARS-CoV-2 belong to two very different virus families with fundamentally different characteristics and epidemiology, with strong seasonality seen in HMPV, unlike SARS-CoV-2. Both viruses cause different severity of symptoms, particularly over the long term, and the affected population segments do not fully overlap. In general, HMPV causes milder illness with deaths being very rare and with no long-term post-viral symptoms.

Which of the following reflect the intent of the writer in the above passage?

  1. 1.To evolve methodologies for objective analysis of the two viruses
  2. 2.To establish the epidemiological similarities and differences between the two viruses
  3. 3.To offer a better understanding of the remedies of HMPV when analysed in conjunction with SARS-CoV-2

Select the answer using the code given below.

Answer & explanation

Answer: (d) None of the above

The writer's aim is to show that HMPV is a familiar, milder and very different virus from SARS-CoV-2. The passage develops no method of analysis, does not set out similarities, and says nothing about remedies.

  • ✗ 1. No methodology is proposed; the passage simply states facts about the two viruses.
  • ✗ 2. The passage stresses only differences ('fundamentally different characteristics and epidemiology'); it does not set out similarities.
  • ✗ 3. Remedies or treatment are not discussed at all.

Remember · For 'intent of the writer', ask what the passage actually does; reject aims it never attempts (methods, remedies).

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 · Q28

Medium Provisional key
Read the passage (Passage) — this item is based on it

When SARS-CoV-2 was first detected in 2019, it was a truly novel virus for the world. At that time, no one in the world had been exposed to SARS-CoV-2 or had specific immunity against it. In contrast, people across the world have been exposed to HMPV for decades and the virus is well-studied. HMPV and SARS-CoV-2 belong to two very different virus families with fundamentally different characteristics and epidemiology, with strong seasonality seen in HMPV, unlike SARS-CoV-2. Both viruses cause different severity of symptoms, particularly over the long term, and the affected population segments do not fully overlap. In general, HMPV causes milder illness with deaths being very rare and with no long-term post-viral symptoms.

Which of the following statements reflect the logical and rational inferences that can be drawn from the passage?

  1. 1.HMPV has, historically, had longer documentation of studies when compared with SARS-CoV-2.
  2. 2.The two viruses are different from each other and this results in markedly different outcomes amongst those affected.
  3. 3.Long-term impacts of the two viruses are dissimilar and this is an important differentiator between them.
  4. 4.One of the common factors between the two viruses is seasonal specificity.

Select the answer using the code given below.

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) 1, 2 and 3

HMPV has been known and studied for decades, the two viruses differ in severity and outcomes, and the long-term effects are a clear point of difference. Seasonality is not shared: the passage says strong seasonality is seen in HMPV, unlike SARS-CoV-2.

  • ✓ 1. People have been exposed to HMPV 'for decades and the virus is well-studied', while SARS-CoV-2 was 'truly novel' in 2019.
  • ✓ 2. They 'cause different severity of symptoms'; HMPV causes milder illness with very rare deaths.
  • ✓ 3. Severity differs 'particularly over the long term', and HMPV leaves 'no long-term post-viral symptoms'.
  • ✗ 4. Seasonality is a difference, not a common factor: 'strong seasonality seen in HMPV, unlike SARS-CoV-2'.

Remember · Check 'common factor' claims against contrast words such as 'unlike', 'in contrast', 'whereas'.

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 · Q31

Medium Provisional key
Read the passage (Passage) — this item is based on it

India is starting to deploy AI for critical use cases such as weather forecasting, pest detection and control, and crop yield optimisation. However, penetration is limited to a small subset of tech-savvy farmers. In the US and in Europe, generative AI tools have started offering precision farming at scale, integrating large datasets to provide real-time agronomic insights. For at-scale integration and accessibility of AI tools in India, it would be helpful to develop Indian languages-based AI tools for smallholder farmers, partner with AgTechs to create affordable AI solutions, and disseminate AI-based advisory services through government programmes.

Which of the following assumptions is/are valid?

  1. 1.Agricultural productivity has marched ahead in the West because of the economies of scale facilitated by the adoption of AI tools.
  2. 2.Affordable AI tools rendered available in local languages can help AI-based solutions reach more and more small farmers.
  3. 3.Though penetration is as yet low, critical application areas deploying AI tools are already in use in India.

Select the answer using the code given below.

Answer & explanation

Answer: (d) 2 and 3 only

The passage's recommendations rest on the belief that affordable, local-language AI tools will reach more small farmers, and it notes AI is already being deployed in India for critical uses despite low penetration. It makes no claim that Western farm productivity rose because of AI-driven economies of scale.

  • ✗ 1. The passage only says AI tools in the US and Europe 'have started offering precision farming at scale'; it says nothing about productivity having marched ahead because of them.
  • ✓ 2. The passage recommends Indian languages-based and affordable AI tools 'for at-scale integration and accessibility' among smallholder farmers.
  • ✓ 3. India 'is starting to deploy AI for critical use cases' such as weather forecasting and pest control, though 'penetration is limited'.

Remember · An unstated cause-and-effect claim (X happened because of Y) is invalid unless the passage links the two.

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 · Q32

Medium Provisional key
Read the passage (Passage) — this item is based on it

India is starting to deploy AI for critical use cases such as weather forecasting, pest detection and control, and crop yield optimisation. However, penetration is limited to a small subset of tech-savvy farmers. In the US and in Europe, generative AI tools have started offering precision farming at scale, integrating large datasets to provide real-time agronomic insights. For at-scale integration and accessibility of AI tools in India, it would be helpful to develop Indian languages-based AI tools for smallholder farmers, partner with AgTechs to create affordable AI solutions, and disseminate AI-based advisory services through government programmes.

Which of the following statements is/are not correct?

  1. 1.Tech-savvy farmers will drive the AgTech companies of the future.
  2. 2.The development of advisory services by the government programmes for the use of AI tools in agriculture would be helpful.
  3. 3.In the US and Europe, AI tools have replaced traditional agricultural practices.
  4. 4.The integration of large datasets for use in real-time agronomic analysis is already a reality.

Select the answer using the code given below.

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) 1 and 3 only

Nothing in the passage says tech-savvy farmers will drive future AgTech firms, or that AI has replaced traditional farming in the West. The government advisory route is recommended as helpful, and real-time use of large datasets is already happening in the US and Europe.

  • ✗ 1. Not supported: tech-savvy farmers are mentioned only as the small group AI has reached so far.
  • ✓ 2. The passage says it 'would be helpful' to disseminate AI-based advisory services through government programmes.
  • ✗ 3. The passage says generative AI tools 'have started offering precision farming at scale' — not that they have replaced traditional practices.
  • ✓ 4. In the US and Europe, AI tools are already 'integrating large datasets to provide real-time agronomic insights'.

Remember · In 'not correct' items, mark statements that go beyond the passage ('will drive', 'have replaced') as not correct.

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 · Q39

Easy Provisional key
Read the passage (Passage) — this item is based on it

The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, or the JJ Act, 2015 allows for the possibility for trying adolescents above 16 as adults if they are accused of committing a heinous offence. A heinous offence is one with a minimum punishment of seven years. Offences such as culpable homicide and causing death by negligence, which are common in drunken driving cases, are not heinous offences because they do not have a prescribed minimum punishment. The JJ Act, amended in 2021, now categorises an offence that has no minimum sentence, but has a maximum sentence of seven years or more as a serious offence which nonetheless, in the opinion of activists, does not merit the transfer of a case to the adult criminal justice system.

Which of the following conclusions is/are valid?

  1. 1.Only a serious offence as categorised by the revised JJ Act, justifies the transfer of a case to the adult judicial system.
  2. 2.The JJ Act, 2021, categorises an offence as a serious offence based on the maximum sentence it carries, rather than on the minimum sentence.

Select the answer using the code given below.

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) 2 only

The 2021 amendment defines a serious offence by the maximum sentence (seven years or more) when there is no minimum sentence. Transfer to the adult system is linked to heinous offences, and activists say serious offences do not merit it — the reverse of statement 1.

  • ✗ 1. Trial as adults is allowed for heinous offences; for serious offences, activists say they do 'not merit the transfer of a case to the adult criminal justice system'.
  • ✓ 2. A serious offence 'has no minimum sentence, but has a maximum sentence of seven years or more' — it is defined by the maximum sentence.

Remember · Keep categories apart: note which label (heinous or serious) the passage attaches to which consequence.

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 · Q40

Easy Provisional key
Read the passage (Passage) — this item is based on it

The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, or the JJ Act, 2015 allows for the possibility for trying adolescents above 16 as adults if they are accused of committing a heinous offence. A heinous offence is one with a minimum punishment of seven years. Offences such as culpable homicide and causing death by negligence, which are common in drunken driving cases, are not heinous offences because they do not have a prescribed minimum punishment. The JJ Act, amended in 2021, now categorises an offence that has no minimum sentence, but has a maximum sentence of seven years or more as a serious offence which nonetheless, in the opinion of activists, does not merit the transfer of a case to the adult criminal justice system.

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

  1. 1.If an offence has no minimum prescribed punishment, it cannot be considered heinous as per the JJ Act, 2015.
  2. 2.As per the JJ Act, 2021, an offence for which there is a provision for a maximum sentence of seven years or more, but no minimum sentence, is to be considered a serious offence.

Select the answer using the code given below.

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2

A heinous offence under the 2015 Act needs a minimum punishment of seven years, so an offence without a prescribed minimum cannot be heinous. The 2021 amendment treats an offence with no minimum but a maximum of seven years or more as serious; both statements restate the passage.

  • ✓ 1. Culpable homicide and causing death by negligence 'are not heinous offences because they do not have a prescribed minimum punishment'.
  • ✓ 2. The amended Act 'categorises an offence that has no minimum sentence, but has a maximum sentence of seven years or more as a serious offence'.

Remember · Statements that restate a definition with its conditions intact are correct; check each condition is carried over.

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 · Q46

Medium Provisional key
Read the passage (Passage) — this item is based on it

The key source of the battle for clean skies and clear lungs is the fuel we burn—from household Chulhas to the thermal power plants. In most cases, it is biomass or coal. The Supreme Court banned the use of pet coke—the dirtiest of such fuels. The Delhi Government banned the use of coal, which was later extended to the entire National Capital Region. It was also agreed that the thermal power plants would clean up or shut down. Action on this has been patchy to say the least. The lesson from the transition to CNG is that people need alternatives for a ban to be effective. When diesel buses were stopped, CNG supply had to be assured. It also had to be feasible in terms of cost. The Supreme Court agreed that fiscal measures were needed to keep clean fuel cheaper than dirty fuel. Now even as coal is banned, the price of natural gas makes industry uncompetitive.

Which of the following inferences is/are correct?

  1. 1.The source of the energy we consume is the key to the battle for cleaner air.
  2. 2.Bans are effective where the will is strong and the people are convinced that such bans are for the greater good of society.
  3. 3.There is judicial approval for a policy that intervenes fiscally to facilitate benevolent pricing for cleaner fuel.

Select the answer using the code given below.

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) 1 and 3

The passage names the fuel we burn as the key to clean air and records the Supreme Court's agreement that fiscal measures should keep clean fuel cheaper. It says bans work when people have affordable alternatives — not when will is strong and people are convinced.

  • ✓ 1. 'The key source of the battle for clean skies and clear lungs is the fuel we burn'.
  • ✗ 2. The passage's lesson from CNG is that 'people need alternatives for a ban to be effective' and they must be affordable; will and conviction are not mentioned.
  • ✓ 3. 'The Supreme Court agreed that fiscal measures were needed to keep clean fuel cheaper than dirty fuel.'

Remember · When a statement gives a reason, check it is the passage's reason; a plausible but different reason makes it wrong.

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 · Q47

Easy Provisional key
Read the passage (Passage) — this item is based on it

The key source of the battle for clean skies and clear lungs is the fuel we burn—from household Chulhas to the thermal power plants. In most cases, it is biomass or coal. The Supreme Court banned the use of pet coke—the dirtiest of such fuels. The Delhi Government banned the use of coal, which was later extended to the entire National Capital Region. It was also agreed that the thermal power plants would clean up or shut down. Action on this has been patchy to say the least. The lesson from the transition to CNG is that people need alternatives for a ban to be effective. When diesel buses were stopped, CNG supply had to be assured. It also had to be feasible in terms of cost. The Supreme Court agreed that fiscal measures were needed to keep clean fuel cheaper than dirty fuel. Now even as coal is banned, the price of natural gas makes industry uncompetitive.

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

  1. 1.Thermal power stations in Delhi were required to summarily shut down.
  2. 2.CNG supplies had to be assured once diesel vehicles were prohibited from plying.
  3. 3.The Supreme Court banned the use of coal across the National Capital Region.

Select the answer using the code given below.

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) 2 only

Only the CNG statement matches the passage. Thermal plants were to clean up or shut down, not shut down summarily, and the coal ban came from the Delhi Government and was extended to the NCR — the Supreme Court banned pet coke.

  • ✗ 1. It was agreed that the plants 'would clean up or shut down' — a choice, not a summary shutdown.
  • ✓ 2. 'When diesel buses were stopped, CNG supply had to be assured.'
  • ✗ 3. The Delhi Government banned coal, later extended to the NCR; the Supreme Court's ban was on pet coke.

Remember · Match each action to the right actor: who banned what is a favourite trap in policy passages.

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 · Q52

Medium Provisional key
Read the passage (Passage) — this item is based on it

Previous waves of customer-service technology, including email and those pesky voice menus, stoked concerns of job losses, only for them to fail to materialise. AI could yet prove different. And if it does, its effects may be salutary. Human agents could be freed up to spend more time on creative and rewarding tasks, like using feedback to make products and services better—and thereby spend less time listening to irate customers!

Which one among the following statements most appropriately reflects the point of view of the given passage?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) The value of human intervention in the workplace affected by AI might be enhanced through redirection towards more fulfilling tasks.

The author's point is hopeful: if AI does change customer service, its effects may be salutary, freeing human agents for creative and rewarding work. Option (c) captures exactly this redirection of human effort.

  • ✗ (a) The passage says humans would be freed for other tasks, not left with no work.
  • ✗ (b) It picks up only the side remark that 'AI could yet prove different' and frames AI as a job-killer; the author's view is that humans would be redeployed, not made redundant.
  • ✓ (c) 'Human agents could be freed up to spend more time on creative and rewarding tasks' — the author's main point, and 'its effects may be salutary'.
  • ✗ (d) Earlier waves such as email and voice menus also 'stoked concerns of job losses', so this is not unique to AI.

Remember · For 'point of view', pick the option that carries the author's attitude (here hopeful), not a side detail or a reversed claim.

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 · Q53

Medium Provisional key
Read the passage (Passage) — this item is based on it

Previous waves of customer-service technology, including email and those pesky voice menus, stoked concerns of job losses, only for them to fail to materialise. AI could yet prove different. And if it does, its effects may be salutary. Human agents could be freed up to spend more time on creative and rewarding tasks, like using feedback to make products and services better—and thereby spend less time listening to irate customers!

Which of the following conclusions, made on the basis of the given passage, is/are correct?

  1. 1.The advent of new customer-service technology had invariably sparked fears about job losses.
  2. 2.Often it is found that instead of job losses, alternative channels for employee engagement are discovered while certain tasks are replaced by technology.
  3. 3.The advent of technology inevitably leads to stressful outcomes.

Select the answer using the code given below.

Answer & explanation

Answer: (d) 1 and 2

Each earlier wave of customer-service technology raised job-loss fears that did not come true, and the passage expects workers to move to more rewarding tasks rather than lose jobs. Nothing suggests technology always brings stress — it would mean less time with irate customers.

  • ✓ 1. 'Previous waves of customer-service technology … stoked concerns of job losses' — each wave brought such fears.
  • ✓ 2. The feared job losses 'fail[ed] to materialise', and the passage expects agents to be 'freed up' for creative and rewarding tasks — new ways of engaging employees.
  • ✗ 3. The passage suggests the reverse: agents would 'spend less time listening to irate customers'.

Remember · Words like 'inevitably' need strong support; if the passage points the other way, reject the statement.

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 · Q54

Medium Provisional key
Read the passage (Passage) — this item is based on it

Cattle from the nearby villages came to the common ground to graze, and there was still a cool freshness in the air. Hori took several deep breaths and thought of sitting down for a while, since he’d be dying of heat in the scorching ‘loo’ wind the rest of the day. A number of farmers were eager to lease this bit of land and had offered a good price, but Rai Sahib—God bless him—had plainly told them it was reserved for grazing and would not be relinquished for any price. If he’d been one of those selfish Zamindars, he’d have said the cattle could go to hell, that there was no reason for him to miss the chance to make a little money. But the Rai Sahib still held to the old values, feeling that any landlord who didn’t look after his tenants was less than human.

Which of the following conclusions is/are correct?

  1. 1.All landlords essentially have some goodness trapped within them.
  2. 2.The common grazing grounds of a village are intended for use by the cattle of that village.
  3. 3.Landlords who believe in tradition tend to be more concerned about their tenants.
  4. 4.Winds later in the day tend to be cooler post the hot winds of the morning.

Select the answer using the code given below.

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) 3 only

Rai Sahib's care for his tenants is tied to his holding 'the old values', supporting statement 3. The passage mentions selfish zamindars, has cattle from several nearby villages sharing the ground, and says the hot 'loo' blows later in the day — so 1, 2 and 4 fail.

  • ✗ 1. The passage contrasts Rai Sahib with 'those selfish Zamindars'; it does not credit all landlords with goodness.
  • ✗ 2. 'Cattle from the nearby villages' graze on the common ground — not just one village's cattle.
  • ✓ 3. Rai Sahib 'still held to the old values', and that is why he felt a landlord must look after his tenants.
  • ✗ 4. It is the reverse: the morning had 'a cool freshness', and the scorching 'loo' would blow 'the rest of the day'.

Remember · Test each detail against the passage's exact words: 'nearby villages' is not 'that village'; 'rest of the day' tells you when it gets hot.

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 · Q55

Medium Provisional key
Read the passage (Passage) — this item is based on it

Cattle from the nearby villages came to the common ground to graze, and there was still a cool freshness in the air. Hori took several deep breaths and thought of sitting down for a while, since he’d be dying of heat in the scorching ‘loo’ wind the rest of the day. A number of farmers were eager to lease this bit of land and had offered a good price, but Rai Sahib—God bless him—had plainly told them it was reserved for grazing and would not be relinquished for any price. If he’d been one of those selfish Zamindars, he’d have said the cattle could go to hell, that there was no reason for him to miss the chance to make a little money. But the Rai Sahib still held to the old values, feeling that any landlord who didn’t look after his tenants was less than human.

Which of the following statements are not correct?

  1. 1.The landholdings of Rai Sahib were currently not being used for farming
  2. 2.Temperamentally, Rai Sahib was as greedy as other landlords.
  3. 3.It cannot be ascertained that Rai Sahib could have made some money by leasing out the grazing land.
  4. 4.It may be asserted that Rai Sahib valued his tenants and wanted to protect their livelihood.

Select the answer using the code given below.

Answer & explanation

Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3

Only statement 4 fits the passage: Rai Sahib kept the grazing land for the villagers' cattle out of concern for his tenants. The passage speaks only of 'this bit of land', contrasts him with greedy landlords, and says farmers offered him a good price.

  • ✗ 1. Only 'this bit of land' was reserved for grazing; nothing is said about the rest of his landholdings.
  • ✗ 2. He is explicitly contrasted with 'those selfish Zamindars' who would grab the money.
  • ✗ 3. It can be ascertained: farmers 'had offered a good price' to lease the land.
  • ✓ 4. He refused to lease the grazing land 'for any price' and felt a landlord who did not look after his tenants was 'less than human'.

Remember · In 'not correct' items, reject overgeneralisations (one plot → all landholdings) and claims the passage directly contradicts.

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 · Q61

Medium Provisional key
Read the passage (Passage) — this item is based on it

Was it the sun-dappled ambience, the strawberries and cream, the frustration of Flavio Cobolli’s unforced errors against Serbian Novak Djokovic on Centre Court or simply the crushing weight of being a 64-year-old man in the third act of a very public life? Whatever the reason, Hugh Grant, the actor, deserves empathy. There he was, in the Royal Box at Wimbledon, flanked by Britain’s well-dressed and well-rested spectators, watching the men’s singles quarterfinals, when the actor did something quietly radical: head at a tilt, eyes closed, utterly unbothered, he took a nap. So praise be to Grant for serving up an unexpected ace. In that small, delicious moment, he didn’t merely catch forty winks, he made an elegant case for surrender. Not to laziness, but to limits. To the body’s quiet wisdom over society’s relentless performance metrics. Wimbledon had its tennis. The perpetually sleep-deprived discovered a leading man, not of action, but of rest.

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

  1. 1.Radical action can also be attributed to mild surrender where one acts against societal expectations.
  2. 2.Submitting to one’s limitations, given the effect of age and other factors, ought not to be conflated with laziness.
  3. 3.‘Leading man’ usually refers to one who plays the lead role in a movie; in this instance the implication is that Hugh Grant is performing the role of not an action hero, but that of a resting one!

Select the answer using the code given below.

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) 1, 2 and 3

The writer calls Grant's public nap 'quietly radical' — a gentle surrender that defies society's performance metrics. It is framed as yielding to limits, not laziness, given his age, and the closing line plays on 'leading man' as a hero of rest rather than action. All three statements read the passage correctly.

  • ✓ 1. The nap is 'something quietly radical' and 'an elegant case for surrender' against 'society's relentless performance metrics'.
  • ✓ 2. 'Not to laziness, but to limits' — and the passage cites 'the crushing weight of being a 64-year-old man' among possible reasons.
  • ✓ 3. The actor becomes 'a leading man, not of action, but of rest' — a play on the film term.

Remember · Literary passages: decode each figure of speech the passage uses (radical, surrender, leading man) and test the statement against it.

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 · Q62

Medium Provisional key
Read the passage (Passage) — this item is based on it

Was it the sun-dappled ambience, the strawberries and cream, the frustration of Flavio Cobolli’s unforced errors against Serbian Novak Djokovic on Centre Court or simply the crushing weight of being a 64-year-old man in the third act of a very public life? Whatever the reason, Hugh Grant, the actor, deserves empathy. There he was, in the Royal Box at Wimbledon, flanked by Britain’s well-dressed and well-rested spectators, watching the men’s singles quarterfinals, when the actor did something quietly radical: head at a tilt, eyes closed, utterly unbothered, he took a nap. So praise be to Grant for serving up an unexpected ace. In that small, delicious moment, he didn’t merely catch forty winks, he made an elegant case for surrender. Not to laziness, but to limits. To the body’s quiet wisdom over society’s relentless performance metrics. Wimbledon had its tennis. The perpetually sleep-deprived discovered a leading man, not of action, but of rest.

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

  1. 1.Hugh Grant was watching, from the Royal Box, the men’s semifinal match on Centre Court between Flavio Cobolli and Novak Djokovic.
  2. 2.The phrase ‘unexpected ace’ in the context uses a term from the game of tennis to highlight Hugh Grant’s somewhat uncharacteristic act of catching ‘forty winks’; an act that is viewed with opprobrium.
  3. 3.Grant subjects the demands of society to the wisdom of his body.

Select the answer using the code given below.

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) 3 only

Grant was watching the men's singles quarterfinals, not a semifinal, and the writer praises the nap rather than condemning it. Statement 3 restates the passage: the body's quiet wisdom was placed over society's performance demands.

  • ✗ 1. He was 'watching the men's singles quarterfinals', not a semifinal.
  • ✗ 2. 'Ace' is indeed a tennis term, but the writer says 'praise be to Grant' — the nap is admired, not viewed with opprobrium (strong disapproval).
  • ✓ 3. He chose 'the body's quiet wisdom over society's relentless performance metrics'.

Remember · Check factual details (round, venue, names) exactly, and check the author's tone before accepting words like 'opprobrium'.

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 · Q63

Medium Provisional key
Read the passage (Passage) — this item is based on it

The process by which countries close their labour-productivity gap with the technology leader is based on convergence theory. The convergence model divides economic eras into three phases: the breakaway, the catch-up, and the fine-tuning phase. It also divides economic entities into two categories: the technology leaders and the technology followers. The process begins with the development of a new technology, such as scavenging three million years ago (MYA), hunting—one MYA, farming—12 thousand years ago, and industrial technology—a little more than 200 years ago. During the breakaway phase, the per capita income of the technology leaders (e.g., Western Europe and North America in the industrial era) rises, but is unchanged for the technology followers. In the catch-up phase, the followers adopt the new technology and close their per capita income gap with the technology leaders. In the fine-tuning phase, where participants try to extract the remaining benefits from an increasingly exhausted technology, leaders and followers have similar per capita incomes.

Which of the following conclusions are correct?

  1. 1.In the breakaway phase, economic progress is slow for the technology followers.
  2. 2.In the catch-up phase, leaders stagnate and followers, therefore, close the gap between them and the leaders.
  3. 3.In the fine-tuning phase, technology is exhausted, as it were, and both leaders and followers attempt to extract leftover benefits, leading to more or less similar per capita income levels.
  4. 4.Industrial technology followed scavenging, which preceded hunting, which itself was followed by farming.

Select the answer using the code given below.

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) 3 and 4 only

The fine-tuning description and the order scavenging → hunting → farming → industry both match the passage. Statement 1 turns 'unchanged' income into 'slow' progress, and statement 2 invents stagnating leaders — the passage says followers catch up by adopting the technology.

  • ✗ 1. The followers' per capita income is 'unchanged' in the breakaway phase — there is no progress, not slow progress.
  • ✗ 2. Followers close the gap because they 'adopt the new technology'; nothing says the leaders stagnate.
  • ✓ 3. Participants 'try to extract the remaining benefits from an increasingly exhausted technology' and incomes become similar.
  • ✓ 4. The dates give scavenging (3 MYA), hunting (1 MYA), farming (12,000 years ago), industry (200 years ago); each link in the statement fits this order.

Remember · 'Unchanged' is not 'slow', and 'followers adopt' is not 'leaders stagnate'; reject statements that add a cause the passage never gives.

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 · Q64

Hard Provisional key
Read the passage (Passage) — this item is based on it

The process by which countries close their labour-productivity gap with the technology leader is based on convergence theory. The convergence model divides economic eras into three phases: the breakaway, the catch-up, and the fine-tuning phase. It also divides economic entities into two categories: the technology leaders and the technology followers. The process begins with the development of a new technology, such as scavenging three million years ago (MYA), hunting—one MYA, farming—12 thousand years ago, and industrial technology—a little more than 200 years ago. During the breakaway phase, the per capita income of the technology leaders (e.g., Western Europe and North America in the industrial era) rises, but is unchanged for the technology followers. In the catch-up phase, the followers adopt the new technology and close their per capita income gap with the technology leaders. In the fine-tuning phase, where participants try to extract the remaining benefits from an increasingly exhausted technology, leaders and followers have similar per capita incomes.

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

  1. 1.The convergence model divides nations into three phases of economic progress.
  2. 2.At the heart of the convergence theory is the closing of the gap between labour and productivity.
  3. 3.Technology leaders typically have arrived earlier at different economic eras.
  4. 4.The time period covered by the convergence theory presented herein encompasses, as mentioned, 4012200 years.

Select the answer using the code given below.

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) 2 and 3

UPSC's official answer: (b) · the answer UPSC accepted, and the one that counts in the exam

Also defensible: (c)

  • Statement 3 holds: leaders develop each new technology first and 'during the breakaway phase, the per capita income of the technology leaders' rises 'but is unchanged for the technology followers', who arrive later 'in the catch-up phase'.
  • Statement 2 is the doubtful one. The passage speaks of countries closing 'their labour-productivity gap with the technology leader', a gap in labour productivity between countries. The statement speaks of 'the gap between labour and productivity', which is a different, and meaningless, gap.
  • UPSC's provisional key treats 2 as a clumsy paraphrase of the opening sentence and accepts it, giving (b); read as written, 2 misstates the passage and only 3 survives, giving (c).
  • Statements 1 and 4 fail on either reading: the model 'divides economic eras into three phases', not nations; and three million, one million, 12 thousand and 200 years ago are points on one timeline, not spans that add up to 4,012,200.

UPSC's provisional key accepts statement 2 as a paraphrase of the first sentence; read literally it misstates the passage, which gives (c). In the exam, match a clumsy paraphrase to the passage's idea unless it clearly contradicts the passage.

This box is Minimalist IAS's analysis, with its sources; it does not change UPSC's answer.

UPSC's key accepts statements 2 and 3. Statement 3 holds because the leaders develop and profit from each new technology before the followers adopt it. Statement 2 paraphrases the passage's opening sentence: the theory is about how countries close their labour-productivity gap with the leader. Statement 1 confuses eras with nations, and statement 4 wrongly adds up dates that lie on one timeline.

  • ✗ 1. The model divides economic eras into three phases and economic entities into two categories (leaders and followers); it does not sort nations into phases.
  • ✓ 2. The passage opens with the process by which countries 'close their labour-productivity gap with the technology leader'; gap-closing is the heart of the theory, and the key reads the statement as that idea.
  • ✓ 3. Leaders gain from each new technology first (their per capita income rises in the breakaway phase); followers reach the same era later, in the catch-up phase.
  • ✗ 4. Three million, one million, 12 thousand and 200 years ago are points on one timeline, so the span is about three million years; adding them to 4,012,200 is wrong.

Remember · Read the exact noun each claim is about: the model divides eras (not nations) into phases; dates on one timeline are never added.

Question and answer: UPSC's provisional GS Paper II (2026, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

CSAT 2025 · Q1

Medium
Read the passage (Passage—1) — this item is based on it

Maintaining an ecosystem just to conserve biodiversity will affect its commercial potential as well as the livelihoods dependent on the ecosystem. There is also a conflict between using an ecosystem only for livelihoods, for commercial exploitation, or strictly for conservation. Deforestation caused due to commercial exploitation will lead to indirect harm like floods, siltation problems and microclimatic instability, apart from adversely affecting livelihoods dependent on forests. These conflicts are particularly acute in developing countries where the dependence of people on the ecosystem is significant, and commercial exploitation has the potential to boost national income.

Which one of the following statements best reflects the critical message conveyed by the author of the passage?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) Sustenance of livelihood and degradation of ecosystem while being together exacerbate one another, leading to conflicts and imbalance.

The passage is built around a clash between three uses of an ecosystem — livelihoods, commercial gain and conservation — and shows that degrading the forest hurts the very people who live off it. Option (c) captures this: livelihood needs and ecosystem degradation worsen each other and produce conflict and imbalance.

  • ✗ (a) The author treats conservation as one of the competing needs, not as something to set aside. Nothing says livelihood dependence makes biodiversity a non-issue.
  • ✗ (b) Fundamental rights are never mentioned. The passage speaks of harm to livelihoods, not of a rights violation — the idea comes from outside the passage.
  • ✓ (c) Use of the ecosystem leads to deforestation, floods, siltation and microclimatic instability, which in turn damage forest-dependent livelihoods. The author calls these 'conflicts' and says they are acute where dependence on the ecosystem is high — the mutual worsening and imbalance that (c) describes.
  • ✗ (d) Too extreme. The author notes that commercial exploitation 'has the potential to boost national income'; the passage describes a trade-off, not a call for a complete stop.

Remember · For 'critical message', choose the option that states the passage's central tension; drop options that add new ideas or use absolutes.

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). Permalink ·

CSAT 2025 · Q2

Easy
Read the passage (Passage—1) — this item is based on it

Maintaining an ecosystem just to conserve biodiversity will affect its commercial potential as well as the livelihoods dependent on the ecosystem. There is also a conflict between using an ecosystem only for livelihoods, for commercial exploitation, or strictly for conservation. Deforestation caused due to commercial exploitation will lead to indirect harm like floods, siltation problems and microclimatic instability, apart from adversely affecting livelihoods dependent on forests. These conflicts are particularly acute in developing countries where the dependence of people on the ecosystem is significant, and commercial exploitation has the potential to boost national income.

With reference to above passage, the following assumptions have been made:

  1. I.No country needs to depend on ecosystems to boost national income.
  2. II.Resource-rich countries need to share their resources with those of scant resources so as to prevent the degradation of ecosystems.

Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (d) Neither I nor II

Neither statement is taken for granted by the author. The passage actually says commercial exploitation of ecosystems can boost national income, which contradicts I, and it never discusses sharing of resources between countries (II).

  • ✗ I The last sentence says that in developing countries commercial exploitation 'has the potential to boost national income'. Saying no country needs ecosystems for national income goes against the passage, and 'no country' is an absolute claim.
  • ✗ II Sharing of resources between resource-rich and resource-poor countries is not discussed anywhere. It is a policy suggestion brought in from outside the passage.

Remember · An assumption is what the author must take for granted; statements that contradict the text or add new policy ideas are invalid.

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). Permalink ·

CSAT 2025 · Q3

Medium
Read the passage (Passage—2) — this item is based on it

The history of renewable energy suggests there is a steep learning curve, meaning that, as more is produced, costs fall rapidly because of economies of scale and learning by doing. The firms’ green innovation is path-dependent: the more a firm does, the more it is likely to do in the future. The strongest evidence for this is the collapse in the price of solar energy, which became about 90% cheaper during the 2010s, repeatedly beating forecasts. Moving early and gradually gives economies more time to adjust, allowing them to reap the benefits of path-dependent green investment without much disruption. A late, more chaotic transition is costlier.

Which one of the following statements best reflects the central idea of the passage?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (d) Timing plays a crucial role in the case of green technology development.

The passage explains that green technology gets cheaper the more it is used, so moving early and gradually brings its benefits without much disruption, while a late, chaotic transition costs more. The conclusion is about when to act, which is why timing is the central idea.

  • ✗ (a) Economies of scale is only one of the reasons costs fall; the passage never calls it 'essential' for the transition. Its conclusion is about moving early, not about scale as a precondition.
  • ✗ (b) Too broad. The passage speaks only of green innovation and renewable energy, not of 'modern technological progress' in general.
  • ✗ (c) The size of economies is never compared. 'Economies' in the passage are those that move early, not large economies with an advantage.
  • ✓ (d) The closing lines — moving early and gradually lets economies 'reap the benefits … without much disruption', and a late transition 'is costlier' — make timing the decisive factor.

Remember · The central idea usually sits in the author's concluding advice; examples such as solar prices only support 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). Permalink ·

CSAT 2025 · Q4

Medium
Read the passage (Passage—2) — this item is based on it

The history of renewable energy suggests there is a steep learning curve, meaning that, as more is produced, costs fall rapidly because of economies of scale and learning by doing. The firms’ green innovation is path-dependent: the more a firm does, the more it is likely to do in the future. The strongest evidence for this is the collapse in the price of solar energy, which became about 90% cheaper during the 2010s, repeatedly beating forecasts. Moving early and gradually gives economies more time to adjust, allowing them to reap the benefits of path-dependent green investment without much disruption. A late, more chaotic transition is costlier.

With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:

  1. I.Path-dependent green investments will eventually most likely benefit growth as well as public finances in a country like India.
  2. II.If other green technologies follow the same pattern as that of solar energy, there will most likely be an easy green transition.

Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) Both I and II

Both statements extend the author's own reasoning. The passage holds that early green investment pays off with less disruption and lower cost, which supports I, and it uses the collapse in solar prices as the proof that falling costs make the transition easier, which supports II.

  • ✓ I The author says moving early lets economies 'reap the benefits of path-dependent green investment without much disruption' and that a late transition is 'costlier'. Lower cost and less disruption imply gains for growth and for public spending, and the argument is made for economies in general, which includes one like India.
  • ✓ II Solar energy is offered as 'the strongest evidence' of the steep learning curve. The author's case assumes that other green technologies can follow the same falling-cost path, which would make the transition smoother.

Remember · Ask: does the author's argument need this to be true? Hedged statements ('most likely') that extend the author's logic are usually valid.

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). Permalink ·

CSAT 2025 · Q11

Easy
Read the passage (Passage—1) — this item is based on it

Each State in India faces a distinctive set of challenges regarding the impact of warming, but also offers its own set of opportunities for reducing emissions depending on its natural resources. For example, coastal States need to take action to protect their shores from sea level rise, districts that are drier need to prepare for variable monsoon precipitation. Himalayan regions have their own unique challenges, and selected parts of peninsular India and offshore areas offer great opportunities for harnessing wind power. These various aspects need to be considered for developing clear and sustainable goals for the future.

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

Answer & explanation

Answer: (d) India needs to formulate effective climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies at the State/region level.

The passage shows how the impacts of warming and the chances to cut emissions differ from coastal States to dry districts to the Himalaya and peninsular wind sites, and says these differences must shape future goals. The practical message is region-specific planning, as in (d).

  • ✗ (a) The passage stresses that each State's challenges differ, but it does not make climate action 'essentially the responsibility of each State'. Who is responsible is never discussed.
  • ✗ (b) The author treats diversity as something to plan around, not as a reason no strategy can work. This reverses the passage's constructive tone.
  • ✗ (c) The Union Government and net zero emissions are not mentioned; the passage's whole point is regional variation.
  • ✓ (d) Sea-level rise for coastal States, variable monsoon for drier districts, wind power in peninsular and offshore areas — the author says 'these various aspects need to be considered' for clear goals. That is a case for State- or region-level mitigation and adaptation strategies.

Remember · A 'pragmatic' message proposes a workable approach drawn from the passage; reject options that shift responsibility, declare things impossible or add new actors.

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). Permalink ·

CSAT 2025 · Q12

Easy
Read the passage (Passage—1) — this item is based on it

Each State in India faces a distinctive set of challenges regarding the impact of warming, but also offers its own set of opportunities for reducing emissions depending on its natural resources. For example, coastal States need to take action to protect their shores from sea level rise, districts that are drier need to prepare for variable monsoon precipitation. Himalayan regions have their own unique challenges, and selected parts of peninsular India and offshore areas offer great opportunities for harnessing wind power. These various aspects need to be considered for developing clear and sustainable goals for the future.

With reference to the passage, the following assumptions have been made:

  1. I.Green energy production can be linked to/integrated with the climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.
  2. II.Effects of climate change are much more severe in coastal and mountainous regions.

Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) I only

The author treats a State's natural resources, such as wind, as opportunities to cut emissions within its response to warming, so linking green energy with climate strategy is assumed. The passage calls regional challenges distinctive, not more severe, so II is not assumed.

  • ✓ I The passage pairs each State's warming challenges with 'opportunities for reducing emissions depending on its natural resources', citing wind power in peninsular and offshore areas. Treating green energy as part of the climate response is taken for granted.
  • ✗ II Coastal States and Himalayan regions are cited as having their own distinct challenges, not more severe ones. The passage makes no comparison of severity between regions.

Remember · Watch comparatives like 'much more severe': if the passage only says 'distinctive' or 'unique', the comparison is not assumed.

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). Permalink ·

CSAT 2025 · Q13

Easy
Read the passage (Passage—2) — this item is based on it

If the social inequality is the most acutely felt social problem in India, insecurity, more than poverty, is the most acutely felt economic problem. Besides those below the official poverty line, even those just over the poverty line are subject to multiple economic insecurities of various kinds (due to wealth and/or health risks, market fluctuations, job-related uncertainties). Many Government policies are actually intended towards mitigating these insecurities.

Which one of the following statements best reflects the critical message conveyed by the passage?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (d) Insecurity, more than poverty, is the main economic issue that Government policies must address.

The passage's key claim is that insecurity — felt even by people just above the poverty line — is a more acutely felt economic problem than poverty itself, and that many Government policies aim to ease it. Option (d) restates this.

  • ✗ (a) The passage calls social inequality the main social problem and insecurity the main economic problem. It does not merge poverty, inequality and insecurity into one social problem, nor does it address the political executive.
  • ✗ (b) No causal link from poverty to social inequality is drawn. The passage in fact ranks insecurity above poverty.
  • ✗ (c) 'Unmanageable crisis' is extreme and absent; the passage notes that Government policies already aim at mitigating insecurities.
  • ✓ (d) The passage says insecurity, 'more than poverty', is the most acutely felt economic problem, and that many Government policies are 'intended towards mitigating these insecurities'.

Remember · When the author ranks one thing 'more than' another, the right option keeps that ranking; options that reverse or blur it are traps.

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). Permalink ·

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