UPSC Prelims 2021 CSAT Paper II · Q62 of 79 Comprehension medium

Passage

In our schools; we teach our children all that is there to know about physics, maths and history and what-have-you. But do we teach them about the bitter caste divide that plagues the country, about the spectre of famine that stalks large parts of our land, about gender sensitivity, about the possibility of atheism as a choice, etc. ? Equally important, do we teach them to ask questions, or do we teach them only to passively receive our wisdom ? From the cocooned world of school, suddenly, the adolescent finds himself/herself in the unfettered world of university. Here he/she is swept up in a turmoil of ideas, influences and ideologies. For someone who has been discouraged from asking questions and forming an opinion, this transition can be painful.

Which one of the following statements best reflects the central idea of the passage given above ?

  1. (a) School curriculum is not compatible with the expectations of children and parents.
  2. (b) Emphasis on academic achievements does give time for development of personality and skills.
  3. (c) Preparing the children to be better citizens should be the responsibility of the education system.
  4. (d) To be a better citizen, the present world order demands societal and life-coping skills in addition to academic content. ✓ UPSC's answer

Why the answer is (d)

• The passage argues that schools focus exclusively on academic subjects like physics, maths, and history, neglecting critical social issues such as caste, famine, and gender sensitivity.

• It highlights the gap between the 'cocooned' school environment and the 'unfettered' university world, where students face a turmoil of ideas without prior preparation.

• The text emphasizes that students are discouraged from asking questions or forming opinions, leading to a painful transition when they encounter complex societal realities.

• Therefore, the central idea is that being a better citizen requires not just academic content but also societal awareness and life-coping skills to navigate the real world.

• Option (d) accurately captures this dual requirement of academic content and societal/life-coping skills demanded by the present world order.

Why the other options are wrong

(a) School curriculum is not compatible with the expectations of children and parents.
The passage does not discuss the expectations of parents or claim the curriculum is incompatible with them, but rather criticizes the lack of social and critical thinking education.
(b) Emphasis on academic achievements does give time for development of personality and…
The passage states that schools do not teach personality and skills, but it does not frame this as a result of an 'emphasis on academic achievements' giving time, but rather as a systemic omission of necessary life skills.
(c) Preparing the children to be better citizens should be the responsibility of the…
While the passage implies education should prepare citizens, option (c) is too broad and misses the specific point that the *present world order* demands *societal and life-coping skills* in addition to academics, which is the core argument.

Asked in the CSAT Paper II of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2021, held on 10 October 2021. 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.

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