UPSC Prelims 2022 CSAT Paper II · Q61 of 78 Comprehension easy

Passage

Directions for the following 3 (three) items : Read the following two passages and answer the items that follow the passages. Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only. Passage—1 The majority of people who fail to accumulate money sufficient for their needs, are generally, easily influenced by the opinions of others. They permit the newspapers and the gossiping neighbours to do their thinking for them. Opinions are the cheapest commodities on the earth. Everyone has a flock of opinions ready to be wished upon by anyone who will accept them. If you are influenced by opinions when you reach decisions, you will not succeed in any undertaking.

Which one of the following is implied by the passage?

  1. (a) Most of the people do not accumulate money for their needs.
  2. (b) Most of the people never fail to accumulate money for their needs.
  3. (c) There are people who fail to accumulate money for their needs. ✓ UPSC's answer
  4. (d) There is no need to accumulate money.

Why the answer is (c)

• The passage begins with the statement: 'The majority of people who fail to accumulate money sufficient for their needs...'.

• This phrase presupposes the existence of a group of people who actually fail to accumulate sufficient money.

• If no one failed to accumulate money, the group 'people who fail to accumulate money' would be empty, making the statement about the 'majority' of that group logically void or meaningless.

• Therefore, the passage implies that such a group exists, i.e., there are people who fail to accumulate money for their needs.

• Option (c) directly states this necessary condition for the passage's premise to hold true.

Why the other options are wrong

(a) Most of the people do not accumulate money for their needs.
The passage discusses the characteristics of those who fail to accumulate money, but it does not state that 'most of the people' (in the general population) fail to do so.
(b) Most of the people never fail to accumulate money for their needs.
The passage explicitly discusses people who 'fail' to accumulate money, which contradicts the claim that most people 'never fail' to do so.
(d) There is no need to accumulate money.
The passage discusses the difficulty of accumulating money and the influence of opinions, but it does not imply that there is no need to accumulate money.

Asked in the CSAT Paper II of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2022, held on 5 June 2022. 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