COMPREHENSION SYLLABUS
In this section, the aim will be to test how good a candidate is at fact-finding, sifting through information, interpreting text, predicting and inferring events and recognising implied meanings. In order to be good at Comprehension, a candidate must have the ability to understand the basic information given to solve a question / problem on the basis of rules.
Let’s look at an example released by UPSC:
Read the following passage and answer the given questions. Your answers should be drawn from the content of given passage only.
The economy of contemporary India is a great paradox.It is a strange combination of outstanding achievements as well as grave failures. Since independence, India has achieved remarkable progress in overcoming its economic backwardness. From being a very poor country in the 1950s and a ‘basket case’ in the mid 1960s, it has emerged as the fourth largest economy in the world (in terms of purchasing power parity). Our economy has become one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Now the country is one of the leading players in the world knowledge economy with vast intellectual capital and booming software and information technology services. While our country has joined the league of the world’s top five fastest growing economies, we are in the bottom 20 among all countries in terms of the Human Development Index. While the country is celebrating its growth rate and technological wonders, it is witnessing social contradictions and the paradox and ironies of development. Thus, there are ‘two Indias’ in contemporary India.
Q 1. Why is the Indian economy considered ‘a great paradox’?
- It is a leading player in information technology services with low levels of literacy.
- There is poverty amidst plenty in agricultural produce.
- It is one of the largest economies with low human development.
- It has scientific achievements with social contradictions.
This gives an idea about the level of language and ideas that candidates need to be comfortable with. It has fancier and more difficult language, which will be difficult to understand and when twisted questions are based upon such a paragraph, cracking the questions becomes even more difficult.
In the first go if a student reads the passage and attempts question with normal concentration, then all four choices look familiar and acceptable. Though, at a more holistic level, the question is asking - Why is the Indian economy considered ‘a great paradox’? So if we understand the structure of the paragraph, then we can see that it has been written in an argumentative style, with the author’s conclusion in the opening sentence itself, while the rest of the sentences provide propositions to support/ prove the argument. After the opening sentence, which is also the author’s conclusion, the next sentence gives the major reason why - economy of contemporary India is a great paradox- but none of the options corresponds to this sentence.
Another sentence, which further elaborates the Indian economy paradox, is the seventh sentence- While the country.......................Development Index. This is the location for the answer and it corresponds to option (c). So (c) is the best option.
Another sentence, which further elaborates the Indian economy paradox, is the seventh sentence- While the country.......................Development Index. This is the location for the answer and it corresponds to option (c). So (c) is the best option.
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