Considering the alarming importance of CSAT in UPSC CSE Prelims exam and with enormous requests we received recently, InsightsIAS has started Daily CSAT Test to ensure students practice CSAT Questions on a daily basis. Regular Practice would help one overcome the fear of CSAT too.We are naming this initiative as Insta– DART – Daily Aptitude and Reasoning Test. We hope you will be able to use DART to hit bull’s eye in CSAT paper and comfortably score 100+ even in the most difficult question paper that UPSC can give you in CSP-2021. Your peace of mind after every step of this exam is very important for us.
Looking forward to your enthusiastic participation (both in sending us questions and solving them on daily basis on this portal).
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Question 1 of 5
1. Question
The increasing automation of industries, driven by artificial intelligence and robotics, is transforming the nature of work itself. Routine manual and cognitive tasks are being replaced by algorithms capable of performing them with greater accuracy and speed. However, this transformation also creates opportunities for new kinds of employment that rely on creativity, emotional intelligence, and complex problem-solving—skills uniquely human. Therefore, education and training systems must adapt quickly to prepare people not just for specific jobs but for continuous learning across their lifetime. The goal should not be to compete with machines, but to cultivate the qualities that make us human.
Which one of the following statements best reflects the central idea of the passage?
Correct
Answer: (b)
Explanation:
Option (a) is incorrect: While the passage acknowledges job transformation due to automation, it does not predict total obsolescence of traditional employment. The tone is adaptive, not catastrophic.
Option (c) is incorrect: The passage does not convey fear or threat; instead, it presents automation as both a challenge and an opportunity.
Option (d) is incorrect: The passage suggests “continuous learning across lifetime” as a complementary goal, not as a replacement for formal education.
Option (b) is correct: This option captures the essence of the passage—education systems must focus on qualities “that make us human,” such as creativity and emotional intelligence, to coexist productively with machines. The focus is on reorienting education to nurture irreplaceably human capabilities rather than competing with automation.Incorrect
Answer: (b)
Explanation:
Option (a) is incorrect: While the passage acknowledges job transformation due to automation, it does not predict total obsolescence of traditional employment. The tone is adaptive, not catastrophic.
Option (c) is incorrect: The passage does not convey fear or threat; instead, it presents automation as both a challenge and an opportunity.
Option (d) is incorrect: The passage suggests “continuous learning across lifetime” as a complementary goal, not as a replacement for formal education.
Option (b) is correct: This option captures the essence of the passage—education systems must focus on qualities “that make us human,” such as creativity and emotional intelligence, to coexist productively with machines. The focus is on reorienting education to nurture irreplaceably human capabilities rather than competing with automation. -
Question 2 of 5
2. Question
With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
- The future of work will depend more on adaptability and human creativity than on technical repetition.
- Artificial intelligence will completely replace human involvement in the workforce.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
Correct
Answer: (a)
Explanation:
Assumption I is correct: The passage clearly states that new opportunities will rely on “creativity, emotional intelligence, and complex problem-solving,” which implies that adaptability and creativity are central to future work. Hence, this assumption aligns with the main argument.
Assumption II is incorrect: The author does not claim that AI will completely replace humans. In fact, the passage stresses coexistence, arguing that humans should cultivate skills that complement machines. Therefore, the assumption exaggerates and misinterprets the author’s stance.
Thus, only assumption I is valid.Incorrect
Answer: (a)
Explanation:
Assumption I is correct: The passage clearly states that new opportunities will rely on “creativity, emotional intelligence, and complex problem-solving,” which implies that adaptability and creativity are central to future work. Hence, this assumption aligns with the main argument.
Assumption II is incorrect: The author does not claim that AI will completely replace humans. In fact, the passage stresses coexistence, arguing that humans should cultivate skills that complement machines. Therefore, the assumption exaggerates and misinterprets the author’s stance.
Thus, only assumption I is valid. -
Question 3 of 5
3. Question
Technological progress has often been described as a double-edged sword: while it liberates humanity from drudgery, it also subtly redefines what it means to be human. As machines become capable of making decisions, the line between “instrument” and “agent” begins to blur. This blurring is not merely technical—it challenges the moral framework of accountability. When an autonomous system causes harm, who is responsible: the programmer, the user, or the machine itself? The difficulty lies in our instinct to attribute moral agency only to entities capable of consciousness and intent. Yet, in an algorithmic age, the consequences of action may arise without conscious intent at all. Thus, technology confronts us with a paradox: it extends our agency but simultaneously dilutes our sense of responsibility.
Q3. Which one of the following statements best reflects the central theme of the passage?
Correct
Answer: (a)
Explanation:
Option (a) is correct: The passage revolves around the ethical dilemma of responsibility in the context of autonomous technologies. It explicitly notes that as machines make decisions, our moral framework of accountability becomes uncertain, thus requiring a rethinking of traditional moral concepts.
Option (b) is incorrect: The passage raises the question of responsibility but does not settle it by assigning blame solely to programmers. It explores the complexity of the issue, not its resolution.
Option (c) is incorrect: The author does not condemn technological progress as “dangerous”; instead, it is described as a “paradox” that extends human power while complicating moral responsibility.
Option (d) is incorrect: The author acknowledges that machines lack consciousness, but the passage’s focus is not on denying their moral agency—it’s on questioning whether moral frameworks based on consciousness can still function in an algorithmic world. Hence, (a) best captures the philosophical core.Incorrect
Answer: (a)
Explanation:
Option (a) is correct: The passage revolves around the ethical dilemma of responsibility in the context of autonomous technologies. It explicitly notes that as machines make decisions, our moral framework of accountability becomes uncertain, thus requiring a rethinking of traditional moral concepts.
Option (b) is incorrect: The passage raises the question of responsibility but does not settle it by assigning blame solely to programmers. It explores the complexity of the issue, not its resolution.
Option (c) is incorrect: The author does not condemn technological progress as “dangerous”; instead, it is described as a “paradox” that extends human power while complicating moral responsibility.
Option (d) is incorrect: The author acknowledges that machines lack consciousness, but the passage’s focus is not on denying their moral agency—it’s on questioning whether moral frameworks based on consciousness can still function in an algorithmic world. Hence, (a) best captures the philosophical core. -
Question 4 of 5
4. Question
With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
I. The growing autonomy of machines challenges conventional human-centered moral frameworks.
II. Artificial intelligence can possess consciousness and intent similar to humans.
III. Technological progress always results in diminished human responsibility.Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
Correct
Answer: (a)
Explanation:
Assumption I is correct: The passage clearly indicates that as machines act autonomously, “the line between instrument and agent begins to blur,” which implies that human-centered moral systems based on conscious intent are being challenged. Hence, assumption I is valid.
Assumption II is incorrect: The author states that our moral frameworks depend on the idea that only conscious entities can be moral agents—but never suggests that machines actually possess consciousness or intent. Thus, this assumption goes beyond the text.
Assumption III is incorrect: The passage describes the dilution of responsibility as a paradoxical risk, not an inevitable outcome (“technology extends our agency but simultaneously dilutes our sense of responsibility”). It may or may not always occur, so the assumption overgeneralizes.
Hence, only assumption I is valid.Incorrect
Answer: (a)
Explanation:
Assumption I is correct: The passage clearly indicates that as machines act autonomously, “the line between instrument and agent begins to blur,” which implies that human-centered moral systems based on conscious intent are being challenged. Hence, assumption I is valid.
Assumption II is incorrect: The author states that our moral frameworks depend on the idea that only conscious entities can be moral agents—but never suggests that machines actually possess consciousness or intent. Thus, this assumption goes beyond the text.
Assumption III is incorrect: The passage describes the dilution of responsibility as a paradoxical risk, not an inevitable outcome (“technology extends our agency but simultaneously dilutes our sense of responsibility”). It may or may not always occur, so the assumption overgeneralizes.
Hence, only assumption I is valid. -
Question 5 of 5
5. Question
A father said to his son, “8 years ago, I was 4 times as old as you were. 8 years from now, I will be twice your age.”
What is the difference in their present ages?Correct
Answer: (c)
Solution:
Let son’s present age = x
Father = x + d8 years ago:
x + d − 8 = 4(x − 8)
→ x + d − 8 = 4x − 32
→ d = 3x − 24 … (1)8 years ahead:
x + d + 8 = 2(x + 8)
→ x + d + 8 = 2x + 16
→ d = x + 8 … (2)Equating (1) and (2):
3x − 24 = x + 8 ⇒ 2x = 32 ⇒ x = 16
Then d = x + 8 = 24Incorrect
Answer: (c)
Solution:
Let son’s present age = x
Father = x + d8 years ago:
x + d − 8 = 4(x − 8)
→ x + d − 8 = 4x − 32
→ d = 3x − 24 … (1)8 years ahead:
x + d + 8 = 2(x + 8)
→ x + d + 8 = 2x + 16
→ d = x + 8 … (2)Equating (1) and (2):
3x − 24 = x + 8 ⇒ 2x = 32 ⇒ x = 16
Then d = x + 8 = 24
