UPSC Insta–DART (Daily Aptitude and Reasoning Test) 8 Oct 2025

A, B and C can do a piece of work in 18, 27 and 54 days respectively. In how many days can A do the work if he is assisted by B and C on every third day?

A alone can do a piece of work in 10 days and B alone in 15 days. A and B undertook to do it for Rs. 4500. With the help of C, they completed the work in 5 days. How much is to be paid to C?

Ethnography, a core method in anthropology and sociology, emphasizes immersive, long-term engagement with a community to understand its practices, beliefs, and social structures from within. Unlike survey-based research, which relies on standardized questions, ethnography values participant observation, narrative accounts, and contextual interpretation. Advocates argue that it captures the subtle dynamics of power, identity, and meaning that often remain invisible in quantitative studies. Critics, however, question its subjectivity, limited generalizability, and the ethical dilemmas of representing others’ voices. In recent decades, reflexive ethnography has gained traction, urging researchers to acknowledge their positionality and the power relations embedded in the act of observation itself. This evolution reflects a shift from seeing ethnography as a “mirror of reality” to recognizing it as a co-constructed account shaped by both researcher and participants.

Which of the following is/are emphatically conveyed by the author of the passage?

1. Ethnography prioritizes deep contextual understanding over standardized, survey-based approaches.
2. Reflexive ethnography highlights that the researcher’s perspective inevitably shapes the knowledge produced.

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Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:

1. No research method can be completely free from the researcher’s influence.
2. The strength of ethnography lies in its ability to reveal meanings and relationships that quantitative data may overlook.

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Adam Smith’s idea of the “invisible hand” suggests that when individuals pursue their own self-interest in a competitive market, they unintentionally promote collective welfare by increasing efficiency and wealth. This concept has shaped classical and modern economic thought, reinforcing arguments for minimal state intervention. Supporters claim that decentralized decision-making fosters innovation, allocates resources effectively, and rewards hard work. Critics, however, argue that the invisible hand overlooks structural inequalities, externalities such as pollution, and the concentration of wealth in monopolies. They contend that unregulated markets often fail to address issues like poverty, public goods, and environmental sustainability. The debate over the invisible hand therefore reflects a broader tension between faith in market forces and the need for regulatory frameworks to ensure fairness and long-term stability.

Which of the following is/are emphatically conveyed by the author of the passage?

1. The invisible hand theory assumes that self-interest-driven markets automatically generate collective benefits.
2. Critics highlight that unregulated markets can perpetuate inequality and environmental harm.

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