UPSC Prelims 2024 CSAT Paper II · Q11 of 79 Comprehension medium

Passage

Directions for the following 4 (four) 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 Today, if we consider cities such as New York, London and Paris as some of the most iconic cities in the world, it is because plans carrying a heavy systems approach were imposed on their precincts. The backbone of the systems theory is the process of translating social, spatial and cultural desirables into mathematical models using computing, statistics, optimization and an algorithmic way of formulating and solving problems. The early universities of the West which began to train professionals in planning, spawned some of the most ingenious planners, who were experts in these domains. This was because these very subjects were absorbed into the planning curriculum that had its roots in the social sciences, geography and architecture. Planning in India, and its education differ from the West.

Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical and rational inference that can be made from the above passage?

  1. (a) Curriculum for urban planning courses should have diverse and interdisciplinary approach. ✓ UPSC's answer
  2. (b) In India, city administration is under bureaucracy which lacks formal training in urban planning and management.
  3. (c) In India, the management of urban areas is a local affair with a chronic problem of insufficient funds.
  4. (d) With high density of population and widespread poverty in our urban areas, planned development in them is very difficult.

Why the answer is (a)

• The passage states that iconic cities like New York, London, and Paris succeeded because plans with a 'heavy systems approach' were imposed on them.

• It explains that this systems approach relies on translating social, spatial, and cultural desirables into mathematical models using computing, statistics, and optimization.

• The text notes that Western universities trained planners by absorbing these technical subjects into a curriculum rooted in social sciences, geography, and architecture.

• This combination of technical systems theory with social sciences and architecture constitutes a diverse and interdisciplinary approach.

• Since the passage contrasts this successful Western model with the differing approach in India, the logical inference is that urban planning curricula should adopt this diverse and interdisciplinary method to be effective.

Why the other options are wrong

(b) In India, city administration is under bureaucracy which lacks formal training in urban…
The passage does not mention bureaucracy or the specific training levels of Indian administrators, only that planning education in India differs from the West.
(c) In India, the management of urban areas is a local affair with a chronic problem of…
The text contains no information regarding local affairs or insufficient funds in Indian urban management.
(d) With high density of population and widespread poverty in our urban areas, planned…
The passage does not discuss population density, poverty, or the difficulty of planned development in Indian urban areas.

Asked in the CSAT Paper II of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2024, held on 16 June 2024. 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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