UPSC CSAT 2017 DAILY PRACTICE TEST 03

Passage-III

In spring, polar bear mothers emerge from dens with three month old cubs. The mother bear has fasted for as long as eight months but that does not stop the young from demanding full access to her remaining reserves. If there are triplets, the most persistent stands to gain an extra meal and it may have the meal at the expense of others. The smallest of the litter forfeits many meals to stronger siblings. Females are protective of their but tend to ignore family rivalry over food. In 21 years of photographing polar bears, I’ve only once seen the smallest of triplets survive till autumn.

1. Female polar bears give birth during

(a) Spring

(b) Summer

(c) Autumn

(d) Winter

2. Mother bear

(a) Takes sides over cubs

(b) Lets the cubs fend for themselves

(c) Feeds only their favorites

(d) Sees that all cubs get an equal share

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

1. Polar bears fast as long as eight months due to non-availability of prey.

2. Polar bears always give birth to triplets.

Which of the assumptions given above is/are valid?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2 

ANSWERS:

RC PASSAGE FOR UPSC CSAT 2017 PRACTICE TEST FREE DOWNLOAD

Directions for the following 5 (five) items: 

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

Passage 

Now India’s children have a right to receive at least eight years of education, the gnawing question is whether it will remain on paper or become a reality. One hardly needs a reminder that this right is different from the others enshrined in the Constitution, that the beneficiary- a six year old child cannot demand it, nor can she or he fight a legal battle when the right is denied or violated. In all cases, it is the adult society which must act on behalf of the child. In another peculiarity, where a child’s right to education is denied, no compensation offered later can be adequate or relevant. This is so because childhood does not last. If legal battle fought on behalf of a child is eventually won, it may be of little use to the boy or girl because the opportunity missed at school during childhood cannot serve the same purpose later in life. This may be painfully true for girls because our society permits them only a short childhood, if at all. The Right to Education (RTE) has become law at a point in India’s history when the ghastly practice of female infanticide has resurfaced in the form of foeticide. This is “symptomatic of a deeper turmoil” in society which is compounding the traditional obstacles to the education of girls. Tenacious prejudice against the intellectual potential of girls runs across our cultural diversity and the systems of education has not been able to address it.  

1. With reference to the passage, consider the following statements:

1. When children are denied education, adult society does not act on behalf of them.

2. Right to Education as a law cannot be enforced in the country.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

2. According to the passage, what could be the traditional obstacles to the education of girls?

1. Inability of parents to fight a legal battle when the right to Educatio is denied to their children.

2. The traditional way of thinking about girls’ role in society.

3. The prejudice against the intellectual potential of girls.

4. Improper system of education.

Select the correct answer from the codes given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2, 3 and 4 only

(c) 1, 3 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

3. On the basis of the passage, consider the following statements:

1. Right to education is a legal right and not a fundamental right.

2. For realizing the goal of universal education, the education system in the country must be made identical to that of developed countries.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

4. Which one of the following statements conveys the key message of the passage?

(a) Indian has declared that education is compulsory for its children.

(b) Adult society is not keen on implementing the right to education.

(c) The right to education, particularly of a girl child, needs to be safeguarded.

(d) The system of education should address the issue of Right to Education.

5. Which one of the following statements conveys the inference of the passage?

(a) The society has a tenacious prejudice against the intellectual potential of girls.

(b) Adult cannot be relied upon to fight on behalf of children for their right to education.

(c) The legal fight to get education for children is often protracted and prohibitive.

(d) There is no sufficient substitute for education received in childhood. 

ANSWERS:

RC UPSC CSAT 2017 PRACTICE 01

A moral act must be our own act; must spring from our own will. If we act mechanically, there is no moral content in our act. Such action would be moral, if we think it proper to act like a machine and dos so. For, in doing so, we use our discrimination. We should bear in mind the distinction between acting mechanically and acting intentionally. It may be moral of a king to pardon a culprit. But the messenger carrying out the order of pardon plays only a mechanical part in the king’s moral act. But if the messenger were to carry out king’s order considering it to be his duty, his action would be a moral one. How can a man understand morality who does not use his own intelligence and power of thought, but lets himself be swept along like a log of wood by a current? Sometimes a man defies convention and acts on his own with a view to absolute good.

4. Which of the following statements best describe/describes the thought of the writer?

1. A moral act calls for using our discretion.

2. Man should react to a situation immediately.

3. Man must do his duty.

4. Man should be able to defy convention in order to be moral.

Select the correct answer from the codes given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 3

(c) 2 and 3

(d) 1 and 4

5. Which of the following statements is the nearest definition of moral action, according to the writer?

(a) It is a mechanical action based on official orders from superiors.

(b) It is an action based on our sense of discretion.

(c) It is a clever action based on the clarity of purpose.

(d) It is a religious action based on understanding.

6. The passage contains a statement “lets himself be swept along like a log of wood by a current.” Among the following statements, which is/are nearest in meaning to this?

1. A person does not use his own reason.

2. He is susceptible to influence/pressure.

3. He cannot withstand difficulties/challenges.

4. He is like a log of wood

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 2

(c) 2 and 3

(d) 1 and 4 

ANSWERS :

RC UPSC CSAT 2017 PRACTICE

Directions for the following 6 (six) items: 

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

Ecosystems provide people with a variety of goods and services; food, clean water, clean air, flood control, soil stabilization, pollination, climate regulation, spiritual fulfillment and aesthetic enjoyment, to name just a few. Most of these benefits either are irreplaceable or the technology necessary to replace them is prohibitively expensive. For example, potable fresh water can be provided by desalinating sea-water, but only at great cost. 

The rapidly expanding human their increased requirements of some of the goods and services, particularly food, fresh water, timber, fibre and fuel. These modifications have contributed substantia economic development. The benefits have not been equally distributed. Some people have actually been harmed by these changes. Moreover, short goods and services have come at the cost of the long efforts to increase the production of food and fibre have decreased the ecosystems to provide clean water, regulate flooding and support biodiversity.

1 . With reference to the passage, consider the following statements.

Expanding human population has an adverse effect on :

1. Spiritual fulfillment

2. Aesthetic enjoyment

3. Potable fresh water

4. Production of food and fibre

5. Biodiversity

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1, 2 and 3 only

(b) 2, 4 and 5 only

(c) 3 and 5 only

(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

2. The passage mentions that “some people have actually been harmed by these changes”. What does it imply?

1. The rapid expansion of population has adversely affected some people.

2. Sufficient efforts have not been made to increase the production of food and fibre.

3. In the short term some people may be harmed, but in the long term everyone will benefit from modifications in the Earth’s ecosystems.

Which of the statement given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2

(c) 1 and 3

(d) None of the statements given above

3. With reference to the passage, consider the following statements:

1. It is imperative to modify the Earth’s ecosystems for the well being of mankind.

2. Technology can never replace all the goods and services provided by ecosystems.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 Only

(b) 2 Only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2 

Answers :

UPSC CSAT 2017 PASSAGE 01

For achieving inclusive growth there is critical need to rethink the role of the State. The early debate among economists about the size of the Government can be misleading. The need of the hour is to have an enabling Government. India is too large and complex a nation for the State to be able to deliver all that needed. Asking the Government to produce all the essential goods, create all the necessary jobs, and keep a curb on the prices of all goods is to lead to a large cumbersome bureaucracy and widespread corruption. 

The aim must be to stay with the objective of inclusive growth that was laid down by the founding fathers of the nation and also to take a more modern view of what the State can realistically deliver. 

This is what leads to the idea of an enabling State, that is, a Government that does not try to directly deliver to the citizens everything that they need. Instead, it (1) creates an enabling ethos for the market so that individual enterprise can flourish and citizens can, for the most part, provide for the needs of one another, and (2) steps in to help those who do not manage to do well for themselves, for there will always be individuals, no matter what the system, who need support and help. Hence we need a Government that, when it comes to the market, sets effective, incentive-compatible rules and remains on the sidelines with minima interference, and, at the same time, plays an important role in directly helping the poor by ensuring that they get basic education and health services and receive adequate nutrition and food.

1. According to the passage:

1. The objective of inclusive growth was laid down by the founding fathers of the nation.

2. Need of the hour is to have an enabling Government.

3. The Government should engage in maximum interference in market processes.

4. There is a need to change the size of the Government.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

2. According to the passage, the strategy of inclusive growth can be effected by focusing on

(a) Meeting all the needs of every citizen in the country.

(b) Increasing the regulations over the manufacturing sector.

(c) Controlling the distribution of manufactured goods.

(d) Delivery of the basic services to the deprived sections of the society. 

3. What constitutes an enabling Government?

1. A large bureaucracy.

2. Implementation of welfare programmes through representatives.

3. Creating an ethos that helps individual enterprise.

4. Providing resources to those who are underprivileged.

5. Offering direct help to the poor regarding basic services.

Select the correct answer from the codes given below:

(a) 1, 2 and 3 only

(b) 4 and 5 only

(c) 3, 4 and 5 only

(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

4. Why is the State unable to deliver “ all that is needed”?

1. It does not have sufficient bureaucracy.

2. It does not promote inclusive growth.

Select the correct answer from the codes given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

5. What is the essential message being conveyed by the author of the passage?

(a) The objectives of inclusive growth laid down by the founding fathers of the nation should be remembered.

(b) The Government needs to make available more schools and health services.

(c) The Government needs to establish markets and industries to meet the needs of the poor strata of the society.

(d) There is a need to rethink the role of the State in achieving inclusive growth.

Answer : 

Reading Comprehension Passage 2017

The concept of ‘creative society’ refers to a phase of development of a society in which a large number of potential contradictions become articulate and active. This is most evident when oppressed social groups get politically mobilized and demand their rights. The upsurge of the peasants and tribals, the movements for regional autonomy and self-determination, the environmental movements, and the women’s movements in the developing countries are sings of emergence of creative society in contemporary times. The forms of social movements and their intensity may vary from country to country and place to place within a country. But the very presence of movements for social transformation in various spheres of a society indicates the emergence of a creative society in a country.

1. What does the author imply by “creative society”? 

1. A society where diverse art forms and literary writings seek incentive. 

2. A society where social inequalities are accepted as the norm. 

3. A society where a large number of contradictions are recognised. 

4. A society where the exploited and the oppressed groups grow conscious of their human rights and upliftment. 

Select the correct answer using the codes given below: 

(a) 1, 2 and 3 

(b) 4 only 

(c) 3 and 4 

(d) 2 and 4  

2. What according to the passage are the manifestations of social movements?

1. Aggressiveness and being incendiary.
2. Instigation by external forces.
3. Quest for social equality and individual freedom.
4. Urge for granting privileges and self-respect to disparaged sections of the society.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 2 and 4 only
(c) 3 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4 

3. With reference to the passage, consider the following statements:

1. To be a creative society, it is essential to have a variety of social movements.
2. To be a creative society, it is imperative to have potential contradictions and conflicts.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 

4. Consider the following three statements:

1. Only students can participate in the race.
2. Some participants in the race are girls.
3. All girl participants in the race are invited for coaching.

Which one of the following conclusions can be drawn from the above statements?
(a) All participants in the race are invited for coaching.
(b) All students are invited for coaching
(c) All participants in the race are students.
(d) None of the statements (a), (b) and (c) given above is correct 

Answer :