UPSC Prelims 2019 CSAT Paper II · Q2 of 79 Comprehension medium

Passage

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.

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 ?

  1. (a) 1 only
  2. (b) 2 only
  3. (c) Both 1 and 2
  4. (d) Neither 1 nor 2 ✓ UPSC's answer

Why the answer is (d)

• The passage states that historical injustice involves overlapping wrongs like economic deprivation and social discrimination, but notes that discrimination tends to acquire 'partial autonomy' from other wrongs.

• This autonomy implies that removing one form of injustice (such as economic discrimination) does not automatically lead to the removal of another (such as social discrimination), invalidating Assumption 1.

• The text focuses on the structural and historical complexity of injustice and the resistance to repair, without mentioning 'democratic polity' as a mechanism or the 'best way' to repair these wrongs.

• Since the passage does not support the claim that democratic polity is the optimal solution, Assumption 2 is not valid based on the provided text.

• Therefore, neither assumption is supported by the passage, leading to option (d).

Why the other options are wrong

(a) 1 only
Assumption 1 is invalid because the passage explicitly states that discrimination acquires partial autonomy, meaning economic removal does not guarantee social removal.
(b) 2 only
Assumption 2 is invalid because the passage does not mention democratic polity or identify it as the best method for repairing historical wrongs.
(c) Both 1 and 2
Both assumptions are invalid as the passage contradicts the link between economic and social discrimination and does not endorse democratic polity as the best repair mechanism.

Asked in the CSAT Paper II of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2019, held on 2 June 2019. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.

Reading the answer is not the same as getting it right under a clock. Practise this question with UPSC's negative marking, and anything you miss goes into an error notebook until you get it right twice.

Practise this paper free