UPSC Prelims 2019 CSAT Paper II · Q28 of 79 Comprehension medium

Passage

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?

  1. (a) TB is not a curable disease in Indian circumstances.
  2. (b) Curing TB requires more than diagnosis and medical treatment. ✓ UPSC's answer
  3. (c) Government's surveillance mechanism is deficient; and poor people have no access to treatment.
  4. (d) India will be free from diseases like TB only when its poverty alleviation programmes are effectively and successfully implemented.

Why the answer is (b)

• The passage highlights that TB is exacerbated by poverty, lack of nutrition, and poor housing, which are social determinants beyond medical scope.

• It explicitly states that stigma, lack of counselling, expensive treatment, and side-effects demotivate patients, leading to treatment discontinuation.

• These factors indicate that medical intervention alone is insufficient to ensure patient compliance and recovery.

• Therefore, the core message is that addressing TB effectively requires a holistic approach involving social support, counselling, and economic assistance alongside diagnosis and medical treatment.

• This aligns with option (b), which asserts that curing TB requires more than just diagnosis and medical treatment.

Why the other options are wrong

(a) TB is not a curable disease in Indian circumstances.
The passage does not claim TB is incurable; it states that patients are demotivated to continue treatment due to social and economic barriers, not because the disease itself is incurable.
(c) Government's surveillance mechanism is deficient; and poor people have no access to…
The passage does not mention government surveillance mechanisms or a complete lack of access to treatment; it focuses on the high cost of treatment and lack of support, not the absence of access.
(d) India will be free from diseases like TB only when its poverty alleviation programmes are…
While poverty is a major factor, the passage emphasizes the immediate need for comprehensive care (counselling, support, affordability) to cure TB, rather than making a broad claim that poverty alleviation alone will eliminate all diseases like TB.

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.

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