UPSC Prelims 2021 CSAT Paper II · Q71 of 79 Comprehension medium

Passage

Medieval merchants risked the hazards of the Silk Road to reach the markets of China; Portuguese caravels in the 15th century sailed beyond the bounds of the known world, searching less for knowledge than for gold and spices. Historically, the driver for opening frontiers has always been the search for resources. Science and curiosity are weaker drivers. The only way to open up space, whether the space of solar system or interstellar space is to create an economic engine and that engine is resource extraction.

Which one of the following statements best sums up the passage given above ?

  1. (a) Wealth generation is the primary motive for any human endeavour.
  2. (b) Space, whether space in solar system or interstellar space, will govern our future economy.
  3. (c) Human beings are motivated to explore new frontiers principally by economic considerations. ✓ UPSC's answer
  4. (d) Wealth generation is based on the risk-taking behaviour of some men.

Why the answer is (c)

• The passage explicitly states that historically, the driver for opening frontiers has always been the search for resources, citing medieval merchants and Portuguese caravels as examples.

• It argues that science and curiosity are weaker drivers compared to the economic need for resources.

• The text concludes that the only way to open up space is to create an economic engine based on resource extraction.

• Therefore, the central theme is that economic considerations, specifically the search for resources, are the primary motivation for exploring new frontiers.

• Option (c) accurately captures this main idea by stating that human beings are motivated to explore new frontiers principally by economic considerations.

Why the other options are wrong

(a) Wealth generation is the primary motive for any human endeavour.
The passage focuses specifically on the motivation for exploring new frontiers, not on all human endeavors in general.
(b) Space, whether space in solar system or interstellar space, will govern our future…
The passage argues that space exploration is driven by economic needs, not that space itself will govern the future economy.
(d) Wealth generation is based on the risk-taking behaviour of some men.
While risk-taking is mentioned in the context of medieval merchants, the passage identifies the search for resources as the primary driver, not risk-taking behavior itself.

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.

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