UPSC CSAT : September 2020

Tuesday 29 September 2020

UPSC CSAT READING COMPREHENSION 2020 PRACTICE 01

Read the following six passages and answer the items that follow each passage. Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only.

Passage –1

Low-end IoT (Internet of Things) devices are cheap commodity items: addressing security would add to the cost. This class of items is proliferating with new applications; many home appliances, thermostats, security and monitoring devices and personal convenience devices are part of the IoT. So are fitness trackers, certain medical implants and computer-like devices in automobiles. The IoT is expected to expand exponentially — but new security challenges are daunting.

Which one of the following statements is the most logical and rational inference that can be made from the above passage?

(a) Development of enabling technologies in India can be a big boost to its manufacturing sector.

(b) India is not yet fully ready to adopt IoT in view of the imminent security challenges.

(c) Life becomes more comfortable with the development of cheap low-end IoT devices.

(d) As we go digital, we must recognise the huge threat to Internet security from some IoT devices.

Answer: d

Passage - 2

With the digital phenomenon restructuring most social sectors, it is little surprise that global trade negotiations are now eyeing the digital area in an attempt to pre-emptively colonise it. Big Data is freely collected or mined from developing countries, and converted into digital intelligence in developed countries. This intelligence begins to control different sectors and extract monopoly rents. A large foreign company providing cab service, for instance, is not a work of cars and drivers, it is digital intelligence about commuting, public transport, roads, traffic, city events, presonal behavioural characteristics of commuters and driver and so on.

Which one of the following is the most logical and rational corollary to the above passage?

(a) Globalization is not in the interests of India as it undermines its socio-economic structures.

(b) India should be careful to protect its digital sovereignty in global trade talks.

(c) India should charge monopoly rents from multinational companies in exchange for Big Data.

(d) The loss of Big Data from India is proportional to the degree/value of its foreign trade.

Answer: b

Which of the following is most definitively implied by the above passage?

(a) 7 Big Data is the key resource in the digital space.

(b) Big economies create Big Data.

(c) Access to Big Data is the prerogative of developed countries.

(d) Access to and possession of Big Data is a characteristic of developed countries.

Answer: a

Passage - 3

The rural poor across the world, including India, have contributed little to human-induced climate change, yet they are on the frontline in coping with its effects. Farmers can no longer rely on historical averages for rainfall and temperature, and the more frequent and extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods, can spell disaster. And there are new threats, such as sea level rise and the impact of melting glaciers on water supply. How significant are small farms? As many as two billion peopre worldwide depend on them for their food and livelihood. Small-holder farmers in India produce 41 percent of the country's food grains, and other food items that contribute to local and national food security.

What is the most logical and rational Corry to the above passage?

(a) Supporting small farmers is an important part of any agenda regarding environmentally sustainable development.

(b) Poor countries have little role to play in the mitigation of global warming.

(c) Due to a large number of farmer households, India will not have food security problem in the foreseeable future.

(d) Only small-holder farmers in India can ensure food security.

Answer: a

The above passage implies that

1. There is a potential problem of food insecurity in India.

2. India will have to strengthen its disaster management capabilities.

Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: c

Passage – 4

A changing climate, and the eventual efforts of governments (however reluctant) to deal with it, could have a big impact on investors' returns. Companies that produce or use large amounts of fossil fuels will face higher taxes and regulatory burdens. Some energy producers may find it impossible to exploit their known reserves, and be left with "stranded assets" — deposits of oil and coal that have to be left in the ground. Other industries could be affected by the economic damage caused by more extreme weather — storms, floods, heat waves and droughts.

On the basis of the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:

1. Governments and companies need to be adequately prepared to face the climate change.

2. Extreme weather events will reduce the economic growth of governments and companies'in future.

3. Ignoring climate change is a huge risk for investors.

Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: c

Passage - 5

Access to schooling for those coming of school age is close to universal, but access to quality exhibits a sharp gradient with socio-economic status. Quotas for the weaker sections in private schools is a provision introduced by the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009. The quotas have imposed a debate on issues of social integration and equity in education that private actors had escaped by and large, The idea of egalitarian education system with equality of opportunity as its primary goal appears to be outside the space that private school principals inhabit. Therefore, the imposition of the quotas has led to resistance, sometimes justified,

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

1. Making equality of opportunity a reality is the fundamental goal of the Indian education system.

2. The present Indian school system is unable to provide egalitarian education.

3. Abolition of private schools and establishment of more government schools is the only way to ensure egalitarian education.

Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 3 only

Answer: a

Passage – 6

A majority of the TB infected in India are poor and lack sufficient nutrition, suitable housing and have little understanding of prevention. TB then devastates families, makes the poor poorer, particularly affects women and children, and leads to ostracisation and loss of employment. The truth is that even if TB does not kill them, hunger and poverty will. Another truth is that deep-seated stigma, lack of counselling, expensive treatment and lack of adequate support from providers and family, coupled with torturous side-effects demotivate patients to continue treatment — with disastrous health consequences.

Which one of the following is the most logical, rational and crucial message conveyed by the above passage?

(a) TB is not a curable disease in Indian circumstances.

(b) Curing TB requires more than diagnosis and medical treatment.

(c) Government's surveillance mechanism is deficient; and poor people have no access to treatment.

(d) India will be free from diseases like TB only when its poverty alleviation programmes are effectively and successfully implemented.

Answer: b

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Sunday 27 September 2020

2020 GS CSAT APTITUDE

India has banking correspondents, who help bring people in the hinterland into the banking fold. For them to succeed, banks cannot crimp on costs. They also cannot afford to ignore investing in financial education and literacy. Banking correspondents are way too small to be viewed as a systemic risk. Yet India's banking regulator has restricted them to serving only one bank, perhaps to prevent arbitrage.'Efforts at banking outreach may succeed only if there are better incentives at work for such last-mile workers and also those providers who ensure not just basic bank accounts but also products such as accident and life insurance and micro pension schemes.

Which one of the following is the most logical, rational and crucial inference that can be derived from the above passage?

(a) Efforts to bring people in India's hinterland into the banking system are not successful.

(b) For meaningful financial inclusion, India's banking system needs more number of banking correspondents and other such last-mile workers.

(c) Meaningful financial inclusion in India requires that banking correspondents have diverse skills

(d) Better banking outreach would be impossible unless each banking correspondent is allowed to serve a number of banks

Answer: b

A five-storeyed building with floors from I to V is painted using four different colours and only one colour is used to paint a floor.

Consider the following statements:

1. The middle three floors are painted in different colours.

2. The second (II) and the fourth (IV) floors are painted in different colours.

3. The first (I) and the fifth (V) floors are painted red.

To ensure that any two consecutive floors have different colours

(a) Only statement 2 is sufficient

(b) Only statement 3 is sufficient

(c) Statement 1 is not sufficient, but statement 1 along with statement 2 is sufficient

(d) Statement 3 is not sufficient, but statement 3 along with statement 2 is sufficient

Answer: b

Saturday 26 September 2020

UPSC CSAT 2020 MODEL QUESTIONS PART 03

 1. The number of times the digit 5 will appear while writing the integers from 1 to 1000 is

(a)  269

(b)  271

(c)  300

(d)  302

Answer: c

2. A solid cube is painted yellow, blue and black such that opposite faces are of same colour. The cube is then cut into 36 cubes of two different sizes such that 32 cubes are small and the other four cubes are Big. None of the faces of the bigger cubes is painted blue. How many cubes have only one face painted?

(a) 4

(b) 6

(c) 8

(d) 10

Answer: c

3. A and B are two heavy steel blocks. If B is placed on the top of A, the weight increases by 60%. How much weight will reduce with respect to the total weight of A and B, if B is removed from the top of A?

(a) 60%

(b) 45.5%

(c) 40%

(d) 37.5%

Answer: a

4. Mr 'X' has three children. The birthday of the first child falls on the 5th Monday of April, that of the second one falls on the 5th Thursday of November. On which day is the birthday of his third child, which falls on 20th December?

(a) Monday

(b) Thursday

(c) Saturday

(d) Sunday

Answer: d

Consider the following Statements and Conclusions:

Statements:

UPSC CSAT 2020 MODEL QUESTIONS PART 03 - READING COMPREHENSION

Read the following six passages and answer the items that follow each passage. Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only.

What stands in the way of the widespread and careful adoption of 'Genetic Modification (GM)' technology is an `Intellectual Property Rights' regime that seeks to create private monopolies for such technologies. If GM technology is largely corporate driven, it seeks to maximize profits and that too in the short run. That is why corporations make major investments for herbicide-tolerant and pest-resistant crops. Such properties have only a short window, as soon enough, pests and weeds will evolve to overcome such resistance. This suits the corporations. The National Farmers Commission pointed out that priority must be given in genetic modification to the incorporation of genes that can help impart resistance to drought, salinity and other stresses

Which one of the following is the most logical, rational and crucial message conveyed by the above passage?

(a) Public research institutions should take the lead in GM technology and prioritise the technology agenda.

(b) Developing countries should raise this issue in WTO and ensure the abolition of Intellectual Property Rights.

(c) Private corporations should not be allowed to do agribusiness in India, particularly the seed business.

(d) Present Indian circumstances do not favour the cultivation of genetically modified crops.

Answer: a

On the basis of the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:

1. The issue of effects of natural calamities on agriculture is not given due consideration by GM technology companies.

2. In the long run, GM technology will not be able to solve agricultural problems arising due to global warming.

Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: a

Most invasive species are neither terribly successful nor very harmful. Britain's invasive plants are not widespread, not spreading especially quickly, and often less of a nuisance than vigorous natives such as bracken. The arrival of new species almost always increases biological diversity in a region; in many cases, a flood of newcomers drives no native species to extinction. One reason is that invaders tend to colonise disturbed habitats like polluted lakes and post-industrial wasteland, where little else lives. They are nature's opportunists.

Which one of the following is the most logical and rational inference that can be made from the above passage?

(a) Invasive species should be used to rehabilitate desert areas and wastelands of a country.

(b) Laws against the introduction of foreign plants are unnecessary.

(c) Sometimes, the campaigns against foreign plants are pointless.

(d) Foreign plants should be used to increase the biodiversity of a country.

Answer: a

Diarrhoeal deaths among Indian children are mostly due to food and water contamination. Use of contaminated groundwater and unsafe chemicals in agriculture, poor hygiene in storage and handling of food items to food cooked and distributed in unhygienic surroundings; there are myriad factors that need regulation and monitoring. People need to have awareness of adulteration and ways of complaining to the relevant authorities. Surveillance of food-borne diseases involves a number of government agencies and entails good training of inspection staff. Considering the proportion of the urban population that depends on street food for its daily meals, investing in training and education of street vendors is of great significance.

On the basis of the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:

1. Food safety is a complex issue that calls for a multipronged solution.

2. Great investments need to be made in developing the manpower for surveillance and training.

3. India needs to make sufficient legislation for governing food processing industry.

Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only 1, 2 and 3

Answer: a

The interests of working and poor people have historically been neglected in the planning of our cities. Our cities are increasingly intolerant,', unsafe and unlivable places for large numbers of citizens and yet we continue to plan via the old ways — the static Development Plan — that draws exclusively from technical expertise, distanced from people's live experiences and needs, and actively excluding large number of people, places, activities and practices that are an integral part of the city.

The passage seems to argue

(a) against the monopoly of builders and the interests of elite groups.

(b) against the need for global and smart cities.

(c) in favour of planning cities mainly for working class and poor people.

(d) in favour of participation of peoples' groups in city planning.

Answer: d

A vast majority of Indians are poor, with barely 10 percent employed in the organised sector. We are being convinced that vigorous economic growth is generating substantial employment. But this is not so. When our economy was growing at 3 percent per year, employment in the organised sector was growing at 2 percent per year. As the economy began to grow at 7 - 8 percent per year, the rate of growth of employment in the organised sector actually declined to 1 percent per year.

The above passage seems to imply that

1. most of modern economic growth is based on technological progress.

2. much of modern Indian economy does not nurture sufficient symbiotic relationship with labour-intensive, natural resource-based livelihoods.

3. service sector in India is not very labour-intensive.

4. literate rural population is not willing to enter organised sector.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 3 and 4 only

(c) 1, 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Answer: a

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Friday 25 September 2020

UPSC CSAT 2020 MODEL QUESTIONS PART 02

Political theorists no doubt have to take history of injustice, for example, untouchability, seriously. The concept of historical injustice takes note of a variety of historical wrongs that continue into the present in some form or the other and tend to resist repair. Two reasons might account for resistance to repair. One, not only are the roots of injustice buried deep in history, injustice itself constitutes economic structures of exploitation, ideologies of discrimination and modes of representation. Two, the category of historical injustice generally extends across a number of wrongs such as economic deprivation, social discrimination and lack of recognition. This category is complex, not only because of the overlap between a number of wrongs, but because one or the other wrong, generally discrimination, tends to acquire partial autonomy from others. This is borne out by the history of repair in India.

What is the main idea that we can infer from the passage ?

(a) Untouchability in India has not been taken seriously by political theorists.

(b) Historical injustice is inevitable in any society and is always beyond repair.

(c) Social discrimination and deprivation have their roots in bad economies.

(b) It is difficult, if not impossible, to repair every manifestation of historical injustice.

Answer: d

On the basis of the above passage, the following assumptions have been made :

1. Removal of economic discrimination leads to removal of social discrimination.

2. Democratic polity is the best way to repair historical wrongs.

Which of the above assumptions is/are valid ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: d

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UPSC CSAT 2020 MODEL QUESTIONS PART 01

 Passage - 1

Education plays a great transformatory role in life, particularly so in this rapidly changing and globalizing world. Universities are the custodians of the intellectual capital and promoters of culture and specialized knowledge. Culture is an activity of thought, and receptiveness to beauty and human feelings. A merely well informed man is only a bore on God's earth. What we should aim at is producing men who possess both culture and expert knowledge. Their expert knowledge will give them a firm ground to start from and their culture will lead them as deep as philosophy and as high as art. Together it will impart meaning to human existence.

On the basis of the above passage, the following assumptions have been made :

1. A society without well educated people cannot be transformed into a modern society.

2. Without acquiring culture, a person's education is not complete.

Which of the above assumptions is/are valid ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: d

Passage - 2

Soil, in which nearly all our food grows, is a living resource that takes years to form. Yet it can vanish in minutes. Each year 75 billion tonnes of fertile soil is lost to erosion. That is alarming — and not just for food producers. Soil can trap huge quantities of carbon dioxide in the form of organic carbon and prevent it from escaping into the atmosphere.

On the basis of the above passage, the following assumptions have been made :

1. Large scale soil erosion is a major reason for widespread food insecurity in the world.

2. Soil erosion is mainly anthropogenic.

3. Sustainable management of soils helps in combating climate change.

Which of the above assumptions is/are valid ?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 3 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: d

Passage - 3

Inequality is visible, even statistically measurable in many instances, but the economic power that drives it is invisible and not measurable... Like the force of gravity, power is the organising principle of inequality, be it of income, or wealth, gender, race, religion and region. Its effects are seen in a pervasive manner in all spheres, but the ways in which economic power pulls and tilts visible economic variables remain invisibly obscure,

On the basis of the above passage, the following assumptions have been made :

1. Economic power is the only reason for the existence of inequality in a society.

2. Inequality of different kinds, income, wealth, etc, reinforces power.

3. Economic power can be analysed more through its effects than by direct empirical methods.

Which of thy above oasomptions is/are valid ?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: c

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UPSC CSAT PASSAGE 03

Climate change may actually benefit some plants by lengthening growing seasons and increasing carbon dioxide. Yet other effects of a warmer world, such as more pests, droughts, and flooding, will be less benign. How will the world adapt ? Researchers project that by 2050, suitable croplands for four commodities — maize, potatoes, rice and wheat — will shift, in some cases pushing farmers to plant new crops. Some farmlands may benefit from warming, but others won't. Climate alone does not dictate yields; political shifts, global "demand, and agricultural practices will influence how farms fare in the future.

Which one of the following is the most logical and rational inference that can be made from) the above passage ?

(a) Farmers who modernize their methods and diversify their fields will be. in an advantageous position in future.

(b) Climate change will adversely affect the crop diversity.

(c) Shifting ma' r crops to new croplands will lead to a gr t increase in the total area under culti tion and thus an increase in overall agricultural production.

(d) Climate change is the most important factor affecting the agricultural economy in the future.

Answer:

UPSC CSAT PASSAGE 02

A bat's wings may look like sheets of skin. But underneath, a bat has the same five fingers as an orangutan or a human, as well as a wrist connected to the same cluster of wrist bones connected to the same long bones of the arm. What can be more curious than that the hand of a man, formed for grasping, that of a mole for digging, the leg of the horse, the-paddle of the porpoise, and the wing of the bat, should all be constructed on the some pattern?

Which one of the following is the most logical, scientific and rational inference that can be made from the above passage?

(a) Different species having similar structure of hands is an example of biodiversity.

(b) Limbs being used by different species for different kinds of work is an example of biodiversity.

(c) Man and the aforementioned animals having similar structure of limbs is an example of coincidence in evolution.

(d) Man and the aforementioned animals have a shared evolutionary history.

Answer:

UPSC CSAT Passage - 1

Around 56 million years ago, the Atlantic Ocean had not fully opened and animals, perhaps including our primate ancestors, could walk from Asia to North America through Europe and across Greenland. Earth was warmer than it is today, but as the Palaeocene epoch gave way to Eocene, it was about to get much warmer still —rapidly and radically. The cause was a massive geologically sudden release of carbon. During this period called Palaeocene - Eocene Thermal Maximum or PETM, the carbon injected into the atmosphere was roughly the amount that Would be injected today if humans burned all the Earth's reserves of coal, oil and natural gas. The PETM lasted for about 1,50,000 years, until the excess carbon was reabsorbed. It brought on drought, floods, insect plagues and a few extinctions. Life on Earth survived — indeed, it prospered — but it was drastically different.

Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made :

1. Global warming has a bearing on the planet's biological evolution.

2. Separation of land masses causes the release of huge quantities of carbon into the atmosphere.

3. Increased warming of Earth's atmosphere can change the composition of its flora and fauna.

4. The present man-made global warming will finally lead to conditions similar to those which happened 56 million years ago.

Which of the assumptions given above are valid ?

(a) 1 and 2

(b) 3 and 4

(c) 1 and 3

(d) 2 and 4

Answer