Reading comprehension II: central idea, author's view, purpose and passage-based facts: previous-year questions
263 real UPSC Prelims questions (2011–2026) with the official answer and a clear explanation. 71 of them came in the last five papers.
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Read the passage
How is deflation done? Most countries use a method called ‘double deflation’, where input and output prices are deflated separately. Consider a manufacturer importing oil for use in production. If oil prices fall, output prices do not and quantities remain the same, real value added should not change. But if the same deflator is used for inputs and outputs, as in India, it would look as if the manufacturer had become more productive.
Which of the following statements is/are correct?
- 1. Real value should not change in the instance of static output cost and unchanged quantities against falling oil prices.
- 2. Deflators are to be used separately for inputs and outputs, and this is a practice universally adopted by all economies.
Select the answer using the code given below.
Answer (d) & explanation
Neither statement is correct (d). Step 1: the passage says if oil prices fall while output prices and quantities stay the same, real value added should not change. Statement 1 changes this to "real value" and "static output cost", which distorts the idea. So 1 is not correct as worded. Step 2: statement 2 says separate deflators are used "universally" by all economies. But the passage says India uses the same deflator for both. So 2 is false. Step 3: options (a), (b) and (c) fail.
Tip: in economic passages, exact terms matter: "value added" is not "value", and "price" is not "cost". "Universally" is disproved by a single exception, here India.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
How is deflation done? Most countries use a method called ‘double deflation’, where input and output prices are deflated separately. Consider a manufacturer importing oil for use in production. If oil prices fall, output prices do not and quantities remain the same, real value added should not change. But if the same deflator is used for inputs and outputs, as in India, it would look as if the manufacturer had become more productive.
Which of the following assumptions is/are valid?
- 1. Deflation strategies can be used to make manufacturers appear to be doing better than they actually are.
- 2. When input and output prices are both deflated against a single input price, it is referred to as ‘double deflation’.
Select the answer using the code given below.
Answer (a) & explanation
Only assumption 1 is valid (a). Step 1: the passage says that using one deflator for inputs and outputs, as in India, makes it "look as if the manufacturer had become more productive". So deflation methods can make firms appear better than they are (1). Step 2: assumption 2 says double deflation means deflating both against a single price. But the passage defines double deflation as deflating inputs and outputs separately. So 2 reverses the definition. Step 3: options (b), (c) and (d) fail.
Tip: check definitions word for word against the passage. Deflating means removing the effect of price changes to find real growth, as in real GDP.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
Previous waves of customer-service technology, including email and those pesky voice menus, stoked concerns of job losses, only for them to fail to materialise. AI could yet prove different. And if it does, its effects may be salutary. Human agents could be freed up to spend more time on creative and rewarding tasks, like using feedback to make products and services better—and thereby spend less time listening to irate customers!
Which one among the following statements most appropriately reflects the point of view of the given passage?
Answer (c) & explanation
The view is that AI might raise the value of human work by moving people to more fulfilling tasks (c). Step 1: the writer's own view is in the last lines: AI's effects "may be salutary" (good). Step 2: human agents "could be freed up" for "creative and rewarding tasks", like using feedback to improve products. That is (c). Step 3: option (a), no work left for humans, is extreme. Options (b) and (d) only describe the background about earlier technology, not the writer's point of view.
Tip: separate background from the author's view. Words like "may be salutary" usually mark the author's own opinion.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
Previous waves of customer-service technology, including email and those pesky voice menus, stoked concerns of job losses, only for them to fail to materialise. AI could yet prove different. And if it does, its effects may be salutary. Human agents could be freed up to spend more time on creative and rewarding tasks, like using feedback to make products and services better—and thereby spend less time listening to irate customers!
Which of the following conclusions, made on the basis of the given passage, is/are correct?
- 1. The advent of new customer-service technology had invariably sparked fears about job losses.
- 2. Often it is found that instead of job losses, alternative channels for employee engagement are discovered while certain tasks are replaced by technology.
- 3. The advent of technology inevitably leads to stressful outcomes.
Select the answer using the code given below.
Answer (d) & explanation
Conclusions 1 and 2 are correct (d). Step 1: the passage says earlier waves like email and voice menus "stoked concerns of job losses". So new customer-service technology has sparked such fears (1). Step 2: those losses "failed to materialise", and AI may free humans for creative, rewarding work. So technology often redirects people rather than replacing them (2). Step 3: conclusion 3 says technology inevitably leads to stress. The passage expects salutary effects and less time with irate customers, the opposite. So options (a), (b) and (c) fail.
Tip: "inevitably" is a strong word; check that the passage supports it fully. Here it says the reverse.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
Was it the sun-dappled ambience, the strawberries and cream, the frustration of Flavio Cobolli’s unforced errors against Serbian Novak Djokovic on Centre Court or simply the crushing weight of being a 64-year-old man in the third act of a very public life? Whatever the reason, Hugh Grant, the actor, deserves empathy. There he was, in the Royal Box at Wimbledon, flanked by Britain’s well-dressed and well-rested spectators, watching the men’s singles quarterfinals, when the actor did something quietly radical : head at a tilt, eyes closed, utterly unbothered, he took a nap. So praise be to Grant for serving up an unexpected ace. In that small, delicious moment, he didn’t merely catch forty winks, he made an elegant case for surrender. Not to laziness, but to limits. To the body’s quiet wisdom over society’s relentless performance metrics. Wimbledon had its tennis. The perpetually sleep-deprived discovered a leading man, not of action, but of rest.
Which of the following statements is/are correct?
- 1. Radical action can also be attributed to mild surrender where one acts against societal expectations.
- 2. Submitting to one’s limitations, given the effect of age and other factors, ought not to be conflated with laziness.
- 3. ‘Leading man’ usually refers to one who plays the lead role in a movie; in this instance the implication is that Hugh Grant is performing the role of not an action hero, but that of a resting one!
Select the answer using the code given below.
Answer (c) & explanation
All three statements are correct (c). Step 1: statement 1: the writer calls Hugh Grant's nap "quietly radical" and "an elegant case for surrender". Napping in the formal Royal Box goes against social expectation, so mild surrender becomes radical action. Correct. Step 2: statement 2 matches "Not to laziness, but to limits": giving in to age and tiredness is not laziness. Correct. Step 3: statement 3 explains the pun in the last line: "a leading man, not of action, but of rest". A leading man is a film's lead actor; here Grant leads in resting. Correct. So options (a), (b) and (d) fail.
Tip: in light, witty passages, look for wordplay. The nap happened at Wimbledon in July 2025, during the Djokovic–Cobolli quarterfinal.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
Was it the sun-dappled ambience, the strawberries and cream, the frustration of Flavio Cobolli’s unforced errors against Serbian Novak Djokovic on Centre Court or simply the crushing weight of being a 64-year-old man in the third act of a very public life? Whatever the reason, Hugh Grant, the actor, deserves empathy. There he was, in the Royal Box at Wimbledon, flanked by Britain’s well-dressed and well-rested spectators, watching the men’s singles quarterfinals, when the actor did something quietly radical : head at a tilt, eyes closed, utterly unbothered, he took a nap. So praise be to Grant for serving up an unexpected ace. In that small, delicious moment, he didn’t merely catch forty winks, he made an elegant case for surrender. Not to laziness, but to limits. To the body’s quiet wisdom over society’s relentless performance metrics. Wimbledon had its tennis. The perpetually sleep-deprived discovered a leading man, not of action, but of rest.
Which of the following statements is/are correct?
- 1. Hugh Grant was watching, from the Royal Box, the men’s semifinal match on Centre Court between Flavio Cobolli and Novak Djokovic.
- 2. The phrase ‘unexpected ace’ in the context uses a term from the game of tennis to highlight Hugh Grant’s somewhat uncharacteristic act of catching ‘forty winks’; an act that is viewed with opprobrium.
- 3. Grant subjects the demands of society to the wisdom of his body.
Select the answer using the code given below.
Answer (b) & explanation
Only statement 3 is correct (b). Step 1: statement 3 matches "the body's quiet wisdom over society's relentless performance metrics". Grant let his body's need win over social demands. Correct. Step 2: statement 1 says it was the semifinal. The passage says "men's singles quarterfinals". Wrong. Step 3: statement 2 rightly explains "ace" as a tennis term, but adds that the nap is viewed with "opprobrium" (disgrace). The writer praises it: "praise be to Grant". So 2 is wrong. Options (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Tip: a statement that is half right is still wrong. Check every part, especially the tone words like "opprobrium". The match was played on 9 July 2025.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
A single number for inflation is aggregate across different commodities and Services the price rise differs for different items of consumption. So, the single number is arrived at by assigning weights to different commodities and services. For WPI, the weights in production are used; for CPI, the consumption basket is used. But people are not homogeneous.
The consumption basket is vastly different for the poor, the middle classes, and the rich. Hence, the CPI is different for each of these classes and a composite index requires averaging the baskets.
Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical, rational and crucial message conveyed by the passage?
Answer (b) & explanation
The message is that the present single inflation number does not correctly show the price rise of individual items (b). Step 1: the passage says one inflation number is an average of many items, each given a weight. Prices of different items rise differently. Step 2: it adds that consumption baskets differ for the poor, middle class and rich, so one composite CPI averages them too. So the single number hides how individual prices move: (b). Step 3: option (a), scrap CPI and use only WPI, and (d), inflation data is useless, are extreme. Option (c), services under-represented, is not discussed.
Tip: WPI uses production weights; CPI uses consumption weights. Since 2014 the RBI targets CPI inflation at 4% (with a band of 2–6%).
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
Each State in India faces a distinctive set of challenges regarding the impact of warming, but also offers its own set of opportunities for reducing emissions depending on its natural resources. For example, coastal States need to take action to protect their shores from sea level rise, districts that are drier need to prepare for variable monsoon precipitation. Himalayan regions have their own unique challenges, and selected parts of peninsular India and offshore areas offer great opportunities for harnessing wind power. These various aspects need to be considered for developing clear and sustainable goals for the future.
Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical, rational and pragmatic message conveyed by the author of the passage?
Answer (d) & explanation
The message is that India needs climate strategies at the State or regional level (d). Step 1: the passage says each State faces "a distinctive set of challenges" and has its own opportunities. Coasts face sea-level rise; dry districts face erratic monsoons; peninsular areas suit wind power. Step 2: so plans must suit each region: (d). Step 3: option (a) makes it solely the State's duty; the passage does not exclude the Centre. Option (b) is defeatist. Option (c) gives the job only to the Union Government, against the passage.
Tip: prefer options that match the passage's scope without adding "only" or "essentially". India has a National Action Plan on Climate Change, and every State has its own State Action Plan.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
Over the next 30 years, many countries are promising to move to net-zero carbon, implying that household emissions will have to be cut to close to nothing. A leading climate scientist reckons that, at best, half the reduction might be achieved through demand-side measures, such as behavioural changes by individuals and households. And even that would require companies and governments to provide more incentives to change through supply-side investments to make low-carbon options cheaper and more widely available.
With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
- I. Supply-side investments in companies can result in low-carbon behaviour in people.
- II. People are not capable of adapting low-carbon behaviour without the involvement Government and Companies.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
Answer (a) & explanation
Only assumption I is valid (a). Step 1: the passage says supply-side investments make low-carbon options "cheaper and more widely available", which encourages people to change. So such investments can lead to low-carbon behaviour (I). Step 2: assumption II says people are "not capable" of changing without government and companies. The passage only says incentives help; it never says people cannot change on their own. Step 3: "not capable" overstates it. Options (b), (c) and (d) fail.
Tip: "needs help to do more" is not the same as "cannot do at all". Strong words like "not capable" or "impossible" usually make an assumption invalid.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
Trust stands commonly defined as being vulnerable to others. Entrepreneurship implies trust in others and willingness to expose oneself to betrayal. Trust in expert systems is the essence of globalizing behaviour; trust itself emerges as a super-commodity in the social market and defines the characteristics of goods and services in a global market. Trusting conduct also means holding others in good esteem, and an optimism that they are, or will be, competent in certain respects.
Which one of the following statements best reflects the crux of the passage?
Answer (d) & explanation
The crux is that trust is important even though it carries risk (d). Step 1: the passage defines trust as "being vulnerable to others", and says entrepreneurship means a "willingness to expose oneself to betrayal". That is the risk. Step 2: it also calls trust "a super-commodity" and "the essence of globalizing behaviour". That is the importance. Both together give (d). Step 3: option (a) says trust cannot be expected in entrepreneurship, the opposite. Option (b) mixes up those who trust with those who are trustworthy. Option (c) says "no economic activity", too sweeping.
Tip: a good crux often joins two sides: "important but risky". Watch for word swaps like trusting versus trustworthy.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
Each State in India faces a distinctive set of challenges regarding the impact of warming, but also offers its own set of opportunities for reducing emissions depending on its natural resources. For example, coastal States need to take action to protect their shores from sea level rise, districts that are drier need to prepare for variable monsoon precipitation. Himalayan regions have their own unique challenges, and selected parts of peninsular India and offshore areas offer great opportunities for harnessing wind power. These various aspects need to be considered for developing clear and sustainable goals for the future.
With reference to the passage, the following assumptions have been made:
- I. Green energy production can be linked to/integrated with the climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.
- II. Effects of climate change are much more severe in coastal and mountainous regions.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
Answer (a) & explanation
Only assumption I is valid (a). Step 1: the passage lists wind power opportunities alongside adaptation needs like coastal protection, and says all these must be considered in setting goals. So green energy fits into climate strategies (I). Step 2: assumption II says climate effects are "much more severe" in coastal and mountain regions. The passage says each region has its own challenges, including dry districts; it never ranks them. Step 3: so II makes a comparison the passage does not. Options (b), (c) and (d) fail.
Tip: reject comparisons ("more severe", "most affected") unless the passage clearly compares. Mitigation means cutting emissions; adaptation means coping with impacts.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
In only 50 years, the world’s consumption of raw materials has nearly quadrupled, to more than 100 billion tons. Less than 9% of this is reused. Batteries of old vehicles contain materials such as lithium, cobalt, manganese and nickel that are pricey and can be hard to obtain. Supply chains are long and complicated. Buyers’ risks are being aggravated by their suppliers’ poor environmental and labour standards. Reusing materials makes sense. Once batteries reach the ends of their lives, they should go back to a factory where their ingredients can be recovered and put into new batteries.
Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical, rational and pragmatic message conveyed by the passage?
Answer (c) & explanation
The message is that a circular economy can support sustainable growth (c). Step 1: the passage says raw material use has nearly quadrupled in 50 years, but less than 9% is reused. Battery metals like lithium and cobalt are costly and supply chains are risky. Step 2: it concludes "reusing materials makes sense", sending old batteries back to factories for new ones. Reuse in a loop is a circular economy: (c). Step 3: option (a) says green economy is "not possible" without it. Option (b) says "every sector immediately". Option (d) says "only option". All three are extreme.
Tip: "can be beneficial" is mild and safe; prefer it over absolute options. India's Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022, make producers responsible for collecting and recycling batteries.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
If the social inequality is the most acutely felt social problem in India, insecurity, more than poverty, is the most acutely felt economic problem. Besides those below the official poverty line, even those just over the poverty line are subject to multiple economic insecurities of various kinds (due to wealth and/or health risks, market fluctuations, job-related uncertainties). Many Government policies are actually intended towards mitigating these insecurities.
Which one of the following statements best reflects the critical message conveyed by the passage?
Answer (d) & explanation
The critical message is that insecurity, more than poverty, is the main economic issue policy must address (d). Step 1: the passage says plainly: "insecurity, more than poverty, is the most acutely felt economic problem." Step 2: it adds that even those just above the poverty line face risks from health, markets and jobs, and many policies aim at "mitigating these insecurities". That is (d). Step 3: option (a) calls insecurity a social problem; the passage calls inequality the social problem. Option (b) makes poverty the primary cause. Option (c) calls it "unmanageable", which is not stated.
Tip: watch for options that mix up labels (social vs economic). Social security schemes like health insurance and pensions target such insecurity.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
In only 50 years, the world’s consumption of raw materials has nearly quadrupled, to more than 100 billion tons. Less than 9% of this is reused. Batteries of old vehicles contain materials such as lithium, cobalt, manganese and nickel that are pricey and can be hard to obtain. Supply chains are long and complicated. Buyers’ risks are being aggravated by their suppliers’ poor environmental and labour standards. Reusing materials makes sense. Once batteries reach the ends of their lives, they should go back to a factory where their ingredients can be recovered and put into new batteries.
With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
- I. Automobile factories are examples of the circular economy.
- II. Economic growth is compatible with circular use of mineral resources.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
Answer (b) & explanation
Only assumption II is valid (b). Step 1: the passage says recovering battery materials and putting them into new batteries makes sense, keeping production going with fewer raw materials. So growth and the circular use of minerals can go together (II). Step 2: assumption I says automobile factories are examples of the circular economy. The passage says batteries should go back to factories, a suggestion, not a description of what already happens. Step 3: so I fails. Options (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Tip: watch the difference between "should" (a recommendation) and "is" (a fact). An assumption that turns a suggestion into a present fact is invalid.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
If the social inequality is the most acutely felt social problem in India, insecurity, more than poverty, is the most acutely felt economic problem. Besides those below the official poverty line, even those just over the poverty line are subject to multiple economic insecurities of various kinds (due to wealth and/or health risks, market fluctuations, job-related uncertainties). Many Government policies are actually intended towards mitigating these insecurities.
With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
- I. People above the poverty line also are prone to suffer from anxiety about economic insecurity.
- II. Eradication of poverty can result in peace and social equality in the country.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
Answer (a) & explanation
Only assumption I is valid (a). Step 1: the passage says "even those just over the poverty line are subject to multiple economic insecurities." So people above the line also worry about economic security (I). Step 2: assumption II says ending poverty will bring peace and social equality. But the passage says insecurity affects people beyond poverty, and treats social inequality as a separate problem. Ending poverty alone would not solve both. Step 3: so II overreaches. Options (b), (c) and (d) fail.
Tip: when a passage separates two problems, do not assume solving one solves the other. Look for the passage's own words to support each assumption.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
It is hard to predict how changes in the climate and the atmosphere’s chemistry will affect the prevalence and virulence of agricultural diseases. But there is a risk that such changes will make some plant infections more common in all climatic zones, perhaps catastrophically so. Part of the problem is that centuries of selective breeding have refined the genomes of most high-value crops. They are spectacular at growing in today’s conditions but genetic variations that are not immediately useful to them have been bred out. This is good for yields but bad for coping with changes. A minor disease or even an unknown one could suddenly rampage through a genetically honed crop.
Which one of the following statements best reflects the central idea conveyed by the passage?
Answer (b) & explanation
The central idea is that relying fully on genetically honed crops risks food insecurity (b). Step 1: the passage says selective breeding has made crops great at growing today, but has bred out genetic variety. Step 2: so they cope badly with change: "a minor disease or even an unknown one could suddenly rampage through a genetically honed crop". That threatens food supply: (b). Step 3: option (a) talks about productivity, but the passage is about disease risk. Option (c) is vague. Option (d), replacing crops with wild varieties, is an extreme remedy the passage never suggests.
Tip: genetic uniformity is a known danger: the Irish potato famine (1840s) wiped out a crop with little variety. Seed banks protect crop diversity.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
In our country, handlooms are equated with a culture that ensures a continuity of tradition. This idea has become part of the public policy-framing and provides a legitimate basis for the State to support the sector. But the notion of tradition as a single, linear entity is being strongly contested today. The narratives dominant in defining culture/tradition in a particular way are seen to have emerged as the identities and histories of large sections. The discounted and, at times, forcibly stifled identities are fighting for their rightful place in history. Against this backdrop, when we promote handloom as a traditional industry, it is not surprising that large sections of our population choose to ignore it.
Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical and rational message conveyed by the author of the passage?
Answer (a) & explanation
The message is that handloom must be freed from the narrow "cultural heritage" narrative (a). Step 1: the passage says handloom is promoted as tradition, but the idea of one single tradition is now contested. Step 2: so when handloom is sold as "traditional", "large sections of our population choose to ignore it". The narrow narrative is the problem: (a). Step 3: option (b) repeats the very framing the author questions. Options (c), modernising household units, and (d), machine-made products, are not suggested and (d) is extreme.
Tip: identify what the author criticises; the answer usually removes that problem. India marks National Handloom Day on 7 August, recalling the Swadeshi Movement of 1905.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
It is hard to predict how changes in the climate and the atmosphere’s chemistry will affect the prevalence and virulence of agricultural diseases. But there is a risk that such changes will make some plant infections more common in all climatic zones, perhaps catastrophically so. Part of the problem is that centuries of selective breeding have refined the genomes of most high-value crops. They are spectacular at growing in today’s conditions but genetic variations that are not immediately useful to them have been bred out. This is good for yields but bad for coping with changes. A minor disease or even an unknown one could suddenly rampage through a genetically honed crop.
With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made
- I. Global climate change can result in the migration of several plant diseases to new areas.
- II. Scientific understanding of the wild relatives of our present crops would enable us to strengthen food security.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
Answer (c) & explanation
Both assumptions are valid (c). Step 1: the passage says climate change may make plant infections "more common in all climatic zones". So diseases can spread to new areas (I). Step 2: it says useful genetic variety has been bred out of modern crops. That variety still exists in wild relatives of crops, so studying them can help breed hardier crops and protect food security (II). Step 3: both fit the passage's argument. Options (a), (b) and (d) fail.
Tip: wild relatives of crops carry genes for disease and drought resistance. India's National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources in New Delhi runs one of the world's largest gene banks.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
In our country, handlooms are equated with a culture that ensures a continuity of tradition. This idea has become part of the public policy-framing and provides a legitimate basis for the State to support the sector. But the notion of tradition as a single, linear entity is being strongly contested today. The narratives dominant in defining culture/tradition in a particular way are seen to have emerged as the identities and histories of large sections. The discounted and, at times, forcibly stifled identities are fighting for their rightful place in history. Against this backdrop, when we promote handloom as a traditional industry, it is not surprising that large sections of our population choose to ignore it.
With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
- I. There is no need for the State to be involved in any manner in the handloom sector.
- II. Handloom products are no longer appealing and attractive in the rapidly changing modern world.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
Answer (d) & explanation
Neither assumption is valid (d). Step 1: assumption I says the State should have no role at all. The author only questions how the State frames its support (as tradition), not support itself. So I fails. Step 2: assumption II says handloom products are no longer appealing. The passage says people ignore the narrative, the "traditional" label, not the products. So II fails too. Step 3: options (a), (b) and (c) fail.
Tip: separate the product from the way it is presented. Criticising a policy's framing is not rejecting the policy. Extreme words like "no need ... in any manner" are usually wrong.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
“A good statesman, like any other sensible human being, learns more from his opponents than from his fervent supporters. For his supporters will push him to disaster unless his opponents show him where the dangers are. So if he is wise he will often pray to be delivered from his friends, because they will ruin him. But, though it hurts, he ought also to pray never to be left without opponents; for they keep him on the path of reason and good sense. The national unity of free people depends upon a sufficiently even balance of political power to make it impracticable for the administration to be arbitrary and for opposition to be revolutionary and irreconcilable.”
Which one of the following statements best reflects the critical message conveyed by the author of the passage?
Answer (d) & explanation
The message is that opposition is indispensable for balance of power and good governance in a democracy (d). Step 1: the passage says a statesman learns more from opponents than from supporters, because opponents "keep him on the path of reason and good sense". Step 2: it ends: free people's unity needs "a sufficiently even balance of political power". So opposition is essential: (d). Step 3: option (a) says government improves without opposition, the opposite. Option (b) wants revolutionary opposition; the passage warns against that. Option (c) says rulers need opposition's support, a misreading.
Tip: the last sentence often holds the political message. In India, the Leader of the Opposition holds an official, recognised role in Parliament.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.