निम्नलिखित में से कौन-सा कथन, उपर्युक्त परिच्छेद के केन्द्रीय विचार को सर्वोत्तम रूप से दर्शाता है?
Read this question in English
Which one of the following statements best reflects the central idea of the above passage?
(a) Constructed as a marketplace of views, social media ensures instant access to information. · (b) Social media are not ideal or moral institutions but the products built by companies to make profits. · (c) Social media have been created to strengthen democracies. · (d) In today’s world, social media are inevitable for well-informed social life.
उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English
Answer: (b) सोशल मीडिया आदर्श या नैतिक संस्थाएँ नहीं हैं, बल्कि कंपनियों द्वारा लाभ कमाने के लिए निर्मित उत्पाद हैं।
The passage says money buys a louder voice and that social media promote whatever drives user engagement, however inflammatory. Its central idea is that these platforms work as profit-driven products, not as neutral or moral institutions.
- ✗ (a) The passage denies a level marketplace (‘Not every voice on the internet commands the same kind of audience’) and says nothing about instant access to information.
- ✓ (b) Entities with high capital buy ‘a louder voice’, and the platforms focus on content that ‘generates more user engagement, regardless of how inflammatory’. This is the logic of a product built for profit, not of a moral institution.
- ✗ (c) The passage says the quality of politics suffers; it never claims that social media were created to strengthen democracy.
- ✗ (d) The passage does not argue that social media are inevitable or needed for a well-informed life; its tone is critical.
Remember · The central idea must cover the whole passage and match its tone; a critical passage rules out options that praise.
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). ·