UPSC Prelims 2024 CSAT Paper II · Q33 of 79 Comprehension easy

Passage

Passage—2 Only with long experience and opening of his wares on many a beach where his language is not spoken, will the merchant come to know the worth of what he carries, and what is parochial and what is universal in his choice. Such delicate goods as justice, love and honour, courtesy, and indeed all the things we care for, are valid everywhere but they are variously moulded and often differently handled, and sometimes nearly unrecognizable if you meet them in a foreign land, and the art of learning fundamental common values is perhaps the greatest gain of travel to those who wish to live at ease among their fellows.

When we meet other people while we travel, we learn to differentiate between

  1. (a) imagination and understanding
  2. (b) communities and nationalities
  3. (c) local values and universal values ✓ UPSC's answer
  4. (d) friends and foes

Why the answer is (c)

• The passage states that a merchant learns the worth of his goods and distinguishes between what is 'parochial' and what is 'universal' through travel and experience.

• It explicitly mentions that delicate goods like justice, love, and honour are 'valid everywhere' (universal) but are 'variously moulded' and 'differently handled' in foreign lands (local/parochial).

• The text concludes that the 'art of learning fundamental common values' is the greatest gain of travel, implying the ability to separate these common (universal) values from their specific local manifestations.

• Therefore, the process described is learning to differentiate between local (parochial) variations and universal (fundamental) values.

• This directly aligns with option (c), which identifies the distinction between local values and universal values.

Why the other options are wrong

(a) imagination and understanding
The passage discusses the recognition of values and goods, not the cognitive distinction between imagination and understanding.
(b) communities and nationalities
While the text mentions foreign lands, it focuses on the nature of values (parochial vs. universal) rather than distinguishing between communities and nationalities.
(d) friends and foes
The passage refers to living at ease among 'fellows' and understanding values, but does not discuss the differentiation between friends and foes.

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.

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