UPSC CSE Prelims
Assumption & Argument Previous Year Questions (PYQs)
Practice solved questions for Assumption & Argument with detailed step-by-step solutions, key insights, and trend analysis for UPSC CSE PRELIMS.
Solved Previous Year Questions
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Which of the following conclusions is/are valid?
- Though SARS-CoV-2 and HMPV are similar viruses with somewhat different epidemiology, the former became a pandemic because it was novel and people had not been exposed to it in the past.
- The two viruses have fundamentally different impacts on human populations and should not therefore be dealt with in a similar manner. Select the answer using the code given below.
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Correct Answer: Option B
Detailed Explanation:
The passage states HMPV and SARS-CoV-2 belong to "two very different virus families with fundamentally different characteristics and epidemiology."
- Statement 1 is Invalid: Calling them "similar viruses" directly contradicts the passage's assertion of fundamental differences.
- Statement 2 is Valid: The passage confirms different characteristics, epidemiology, severity, affected populations, and long-term impacts—supporting that they should not be dealt with similarly.
- Therefore, only Statement 2 is valid, making Option 2 the correct answer.
Which of the following conclusions are correct?
- In the breakaway phase, economic progress is slow for the technology followers.
- In the catch-up phase, leaders stagnate and followers, therefore, close the gap between them and the leaders.
- In the fine-tuning phase, technology is exhausted, as it were, and both leaders and followers attempt to extract leftover benefits, leading to more or less similar per capita income levels.
- Industrial technology followed scavenging, which preceded hunting, which itself was followed by farming.
Select the answer using the code given below.
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Correct Answer: Option A
Detailed Explanation:
Evaluate each statement against the passage:
- Statement 1 is Incorrect: The passage states per capita income is "unchanged" for technology followers in the breakaway phase, meaning zero progress, not slow progress.
- Statement 2 is Incorrect: The passage says followers "adopt the new technology and close their per capita income gap" during catch-up; it does not state that leaders stagnate.
- Statement 3 is Correct: The passage explicitly describes the fine-tuning phase as one where "participants try to extract the remaining benefits from an increasingly exhausted technology" with similar per capita incomes.
- Statement 4 is Correct: The chronological sequence given is: Scavenging (3 MYA) → Hunting (1 MYA) → Farming (12,000 years ago) → Industrial technology (200 years ago), matching the statement perfectly.
- Therefore, only statements 3 and 4 are correct, making Option 1 the correct answer.
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Common questions about Assumption & Argument in UPSC CSE PRELIMS
Practicing Previous Year Questions on Assumption & Argument helps aspirants identify recurring concepts, question patterns, weightage, and topic-specific nuances tested by UPSC CSE in PRELIMS.
Currently, there are 2 solved questions for Assumption & Argument spanning years 2026 to 2026 with comprehensive answers and explanations.
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