UPSC Prelims 2024 CSAT Paper II · Q44 of 79 Comprehension easy

Passage

When a child reaches adolescence, there is apt to be a conflict between the parents and the child, since the latter considers himself to be by now quite capable of managing his own affairs, while the former are filled with parental solicitude, which is often a disguise for love of power. Parents consider, usually, that the various moral problems which arise in adolescence are peculiarly their province. The options they express, however, are so

Which one of the following statements best reflects the central idea of the above passage?

  1. (a) Parents in general may not be of much help when children are on their way to becoming adults. ✓ UPSC's answer
  2. (b) When children reach adolescence, involvement of parents in their lives is unnecessary.
  3. (c) Modern-day nuclear families are not capable of bringing up children properly.
  4. (d) In modern societies, adolescents tend to be stubborn, disobedient and careless.

Why the answer is (a)

• The passage highlights a conflict during adolescence where parents, driven by 'parental solicitude' and a 'love of power,' insist on managing moral problems.

• It notes that the options parents express are often inadequate or ineffective in resolving these specific adolescent issues.

• The core argument is that parental intervention, motivated by control rather than genuine guidance, fails to assist the child in the transition to adulthood.

• Therefore, the central idea is that parents are generally not of much help during this specific developmental phase.

• This aligns directly with option (a), which summarizes the ineffectiveness of parental help in this context.

Why the other options are wrong

(b) When children reach adolescence, involvement of parents in their lives is unnecessary.
The passage suggests parental involvement is counterproductive or ineffective, not that it is entirely unnecessary or that the child is fully capable of managing all affairs alone.
(c) Modern-day nuclear families are not capable of bringing up children properly.
The text does not mention 'nuclear families' or make a general claim about their inability to bring up children properly; it focuses on the specific dynamic of adolescent conflict.
(d) In modern societies, adolescents tend to be stubborn, disobedient and careless.
The passage attributes the conflict to parental 'love of power' and the child's desire for autonomy, not to inherent traits like stubbornness, disobedience, or carelessness in adolescents.

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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