UPSC Prelims 2024 CSAT Paper II · Q41 of 79 Comprehension medium

Passage

Conventional classrooms, by emphasizing fixed duration over learning effectiveness, resign themselves to variable outcomes. The tyranny of the classroom is that every learner is subjected to the same set of lectures in the same way for the same duration. In the end, a few learners shine, some survive, and the rest are left behind. After the fixed duration, the classroom model moves on, with not a thought spared for those left behind. This is how we end up with 10 percent employability in our graduates after a decade and half of formal education. Repeating the same ineffectual script in the realm of skill education will not produce different results.

Which of the following statements best reflects/reflect the most logical and rational inference/inferences that can be made from the passage? 1. In conventional classroom learning, the central goal is duration of learning rather than attainment of competency. 2. Conventional classrooms encourage one-size-fits-all approach and stamp out all differentiation. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

  1. (a) 1 only
  2. (b) 2 only
  3. (c) Both 1 and 2 ✓ UPSC's answer
  4. (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Why the answer is (c)

• Statement 1 is supported by the passage's opening line, which states that conventional classrooms emphasize 'fixed duration over learning effectiveness,' implying the central goal is time spent rather than competency attained.

• Statement 2 is supported by the description of the 'tyranny of the classroom,' where every learner is subjected to the 'same set of lectures in the same way for the same duration,' which defines a one-size-fits-all approach.

• The phrase 'not a thought spared for those left behind' and the uniform treatment of all learners confirm that the model does not accommodate individual differences, effectively stamping out differentiation.

• Since both statements are direct logical inferences from the text's critique of the fixed-duration, uniform lecture model, both are correct.

• Therefore, the option stating 'Both 1 and 2' is the correct answer.

Why the other options are wrong

(a) 1 only
This option is incorrect because Statement 2 is also a valid inference, as the passage explicitly describes the uniform treatment of all learners as a 'tyranny' that ignores individual needs.
(b) 2 only
This option is incorrect because Statement 1 is also a valid inference, as the passage explicitly contrasts 'fixed duration' with 'learning effectiveness' as the primary focus of conventional classrooms.
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
This option is incorrect because both statements are directly supported by the text's arguments regarding the prioritization of time over outcomes and the uniformity of instruction.

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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