UPSC Prelims 2017 CSAT Paper II · Q45 of 79 Comprehension medium

Passage

An innovative India will be inclusive as well as technologically advanced, improving the lives of all Indians. Innovation and R&D can mitigate increases in social inequality and relieve the pressures created by rapid urbanization. The growing divergence in productivity between agriculture and knowledge-intensive manufacturing and services threatens to increase income inequality. By encouraging India's R&D labs and universities to focus on the needs of poor people and by improving the ability of informal firms to absorb

Which among the following is the most logical and rational assumption that can be made from the above passage?

  1. (a) Innovation and R&D is the only way to reduce rural to urban migration.
  2. (b) Every rapidly growing country needs to minimize the divergence between productivity in agriculture and other sectors.
  3. (c) Inclusive innovation and R&D can help create an egalitarian society. ✓ UPSC's answer
  4. (d) Rapid urbanization takes place only when a country's economic growth is rapid.

Why the answer is (c)

• The passage explicitly states that an innovative India will be 'inclusive' and that innovation and R&D can 'mitigate increases in social inequality'.

• It further notes that the divergence in productivity between agriculture and knowledge-intensive sectors threatens to increase income inequality.

• By encouraging R&D to focus on the needs of poor people, the passage implies that such efforts can address these inequalities.

• Therefore, the logical assumption is that inclusive innovation and R&D contribute to reducing inequality, thereby helping to create a more egalitarian society.

• This aligns directly with the text's assertion that innovation can relieve pressures from urbanization and mitigate social inequality.

Why the other options are wrong

(a) Innovation and R&D is the only way to reduce rural to urban migration.
The passage states that innovation can 'relieve the pressures' of urbanization, not that it is the 'only way' to reduce rural-to-urban migration.
(b) Every rapidly growing country needs to minimize the divergence between productivity in…
The passage discusses the threat of productivity divergence in the specific context of India, not as a universal requirement for 'every rapidly growing country'.
(d) Rapid urbanization takes place only when a country's economic growth is rapid.
The passage mentions that rapid urbanization creates pressures, but it does not establish a causal link stating that urbanization occurs 'only when' economic growth is rapid.

Asked in the CSAT Paper II of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2017, held on 18 June 2017. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.

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