UPSC Prelims 2025 CSAT Paper II · Q1 of 78 Comprehension medium

Passage

In our country, regrettably, teaching and learning for the examination have been our forte but the new demands of society and the future of work require critical and independent thinking, learning through doing, asking questions from multiple disciplinary perspectives on the same issue, using evidence for building arguments, and reflecting and articulation. Higher education should not "either be a mere servant of the government policy or a passive respondent to public mood." Higher learning is all about how to think rather than what to think. Teaching has to be re-invented.

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

  1. (a) India does not have enough resources for promoting quality education in its universities.
  2. (b) The institutions of higher learning in the country should not be under the control of the Government.
  3. (c) Classroom approach to higher education should be done away with.
  4. (d) Classroom needs to be reimagined and teaching needs to be re-invented. ✓ UPSC's answer

Why the answer is (d)

• The passage explicitly states that the current focus on examination-oriented teaching is insufficient for the future of work, which demands critical thinking, independent inquiry, and learning through doing.

• It argues that higher education must move beyond being a passive respondent to public mood or a mere servant of government policy, emphasizing 'how to think' over 'what to think'.

• The final sentence of the passage provides the direct conclusion: 'Teaching has to be re-invented.'

• Option (d) accurately captures this call for a fundamental transformation in pedagogical methods and the reimagining of the classroom environment to foster critical and independent thinking.

• Therefore, the central idea is that the traditional classroom approach must be reimagined and teaching methods must be re-invented to meet new societal demands.

Why the other options are wrong

(a) India does not have enough resources for promoting quality education in its universities.
The passage does not mention a lack of resources; it focuses on pedagogical methods and the nature of learning rather than financial or material constraints.
(b) The institutions of higher learning in the country should not be under the control of the…
The passage states that higher education should not be a 'mere servant' of government policy, but it does not argue that institutions should be entirely free from government control or oversight.
(c) Classroom approach to higher education should be done away with.
The passage advocates for re-inventing teaching and adding critical thinking and learning through doing, not for completely abolishing the classroom approach.

Asked in the CSAT Paper II of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2025, held on 25 May 2025. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.

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