UPSC Prelims 2026 CSAT Paper II · Q53 of 70 Comprehension medium

Passage

Directions for the next 2 (two) items : Read the following passage and answer the items that follow. Your answers should be based solely on the passage. Passage Previous waves of customer-service technology, including email and those pesky voice menus, stoked concerns of job losses, only for them to fail to materialise. AI could yet prove different. And if it does, its effects may be salutary. Human agents could be freed up to spend more time on creative and rewarding tasks, like using feedback to make products and services better—and thereby spend less time listening to irate customers!

Which of the following conclusions, made on the basis of the given passage, is/are correct? 1. The advent of new customer-service technology had invariably sparked fears about job losses. 2. Often it is found that instead of job losses, alternative channels for employee engagement are discovered while certain tasks are replaced by technology. 3. The advent of technology inevitably leads to stressful outcomes. Select the answer using the code given below.

  1. (a) 1 and 3
  2. (b) 2 only
  3. (c) 3 only
  4. (d) 1 and 2 ✓ UPSC's answer

Why the answer is (d)

• Statement 1 is correct because the passage explicitly states that previous waves of customer-service technology, including email and voice menus, 'stoked concerns of job losses,' indicating that such fears were invariably sparked by these advancements.

• Statement 2 is correct as the passage notes that these fears 'failed to materialise' and that human agents could be 'freed up to spend more time on creative and rewarding tasks,' which implies that alternative channels for engagement are discovered while specific tasks are replaced.

• Statement 3 is incorrect because the passage suggests the effects of AI may be 'salutary' (beneficial) and that agents would spend 'less time listening to irate customers,' contradicting the claim that technology inevitably leads to stressful outcomes.

• Therefore, only statements 1 and 2 are supported by the text, making option (d) the correct answer.

Why the other options are wrong

(a) 1 and 3
Option (a) is incorrect because it includes statement 3, which is contradicted by the passage's assertion that the effects of AI may be salutary and reduce stress for agents.
(b) 2 only
Option (b) is incorrect because it excludes statement 1, which is directly supported by the passage's mention of previous technologies stoking concerns of job losses.
(c) 3 only
Option (c) is incorrect because it relies solely on statement 3, which is false according to the passage, and excludes the valid statements 1 and 2.

Asked in the CSAT Paper II of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2026, held on 24 May 2026. 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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