2019 Prelims Paper 2 UPSC Question Paper

Directions for the following 8 (eight) items:
Read the following passage and answer the items that follow. Your answers to these items should be based on the passage only.

Passage-1
Low-end loT (Internet of Things) devices are cheap commodity items: addressing security would add to the cost. This class of items is proliferating with new applications, many home appliances, thermostats, security and monitoring devices and personal convenience devices are part of the IoT. So are fitness trackers, certain medical implants and computer-like devices in automobiles. The IoT is expected to expand exponentially-but new security challenges are daunting.

Which one of the following statements is the most logical and rational inference that can be made from the above passage?

Passage-2
With the digital phenomenon restructuring most social sectors, it is little surprise that global trade negotiations are now eyeing the digital area in an attempt to pre-emptively -colonise it. Big Data is freely collected or mined from developing countries, and converted into digital intelligence in developed countries. This intelligence begins to control different sectors and extract monopoly rents. A large foreign company providing cab service, for instance, is not a network of cars and drivers; it is digital intelligence about commuting, public transport, roads, traffic, city events, personal behavioural characteristics of commuters and drivers and so on.

Which one of the following is the most logical and rational corollary to the above passage?

Passage-3
The rural poor across the world, including India, have contributed little to human-induced climate change, yet they are on the frontline in coping with its effects. Farmers can no longer rely on historical averages for rainfall and temperature, and the more frequent and extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods, can spell disaster. And there are new threats, such as sea level rise and the impact of melting glaciers on water supply. How significant are small farms? As many as two billion people worldwide depend on them for their food and livelihood. Small-holder farmers in India produce 41 percent of the country's food grains, and other food items that contribute to local and national food security.

What is the most logical and rational corollary to the above passage?

The above passage implies that
1. There is a potential problem of food insecurity in India.
2. India will have to strengthen its disaster management capabilities.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

Passage-4
A changing climate, and the eventual efforts of governments (however reluctant) to deal with it, could have a big impact on investors' returns. Companies that produce or use large amounts of fossil fuels will face higher taxes and regulatory burdens. Some energy producers may find it impossible to exploit their known reserves, and be left with "stranded assets" deposits of oil and coal that have to be left in the ground. Other industries could be affected by the economic damage caused by more extreme weather-storms, floods, heat waves and droughts.

On the basis of the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
1. Governments and companies need to be adequately prepared to face the climate change.
2. Extreme weather events will reduce the economic growth of governments and companies in future.
3. Ignoring climate change is a huge risk for investors.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

Passage-5
Access to schooling for those coming of school age is close to universal, but access to quality exhibits a sharp gradient with socio-economic status. Quotas for the weaker sections in private schools is a provision introduced by the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009. The quotas have imposed a debate on issues of social integration and equity in education that private actors had escaped by and large. The idea of egalitarian education system with equality of opportunity as its primary goal appears to be outside the space that private school principals inhabit. Therefore, the imposition of the quotas has led to resistance, sometimes justified.

With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
1. Making equality of opportunity a reality is the fundamental goal of the Indian education system.
2. The present Indian school system is unable to provide egalitarian education.
3.Abolition of private schools and establishment of more government schools is the only way to ensure egalitarian education.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

Passage - 6
A majority of the TB infected in India are poor and lack sufficient nutrition, suitable housing and have little understanding of prevention. TB then devastates families, makes the poor poorer, particularly affects women and children, and leads to ostracisation and loss of employment. The truth is that even if TB does not kill them, hunger and poverty will. Another truth is that deep-seated stigma, lack of counselling, expensive treatment and lack of (c) Statement 1 is not sufficient, but adequate support from providers and family. coupled with torturous side-effects demotivate patients to continue treatment with disastrous

Which one of the following is the most logical, rational and crucial message conveyed by the above passage?

A five-storeyed building with floors from I to V is painted using four different colours and only one colour is used to paint a floor. Consider the following statements:
1. The middle three floors are painted in different colours.
2. The second (II) and the fourth (IV) floors are painted in different colours.
3. The first (1) and the fifth (V) floors are painted red.
To ensure that any two consecutive floors have different colours