Reading Comprehension: Answer from the Passage

Syllabus connection

Comprehension of given passages is included in UPSC's qualifying English syllabus for 2026. Answers to the English paper must be in English. This lesson therefore keeps the passage, questions and model answers in English in both language versions. UPSC 2026 notice, page 33

Read for meaning and evidence

Begin by identifying the situation and the writer's central point. Then read the question carefully: a request for two reasons needs two reasons, while an inference must be supported by the passage even if it is not stated in exactly the same words.

Distinguish three things:

• Explicit information: directly stated in the passage.
• Supported inference: a conclusion that follows from the stated information.
• Outside assumption: a claim based on your knowledge or opinion rather than the passage.

For a reference question, identify the specific noun or idea to which the phrase points. For vocabulary in context, choose the meaning that fits this passage, rather than the first meaning you remember.

Original practice passage

The association and events below are fictional and were created for reading practice.

A residents' association replaced its paper repair register with an online form. Each submission received a tracking number, and volunteers could see which streetlight faults had been reported. During the first month, the number of reports fell. Some members treated this decline as proof that fewer lights were failing. Others asked whether every resident could use the new form.

A volunteer visited four streets and spoke to people who had submitted no reports. Several residents lacked a reliable internet connection; others did not understand which location details to enter. Their silence therefore did not necessarily indicate satisfaction. The association kept the online form but added a telephone option and a weekly help desk. Volunteers entered reports from these channels into the same register, so that faults could still be tracked together.

At the next review, members examined how quickly faults were repaired and whether residents could check progress. The total number of reports remained useful, but it was treated as a measure influenced by access as well as by the number of faults. The association had learned that a convenient count can hide the very problem a service is meant to reveal.

Questions

Answer in complete English sentences. Aim for roughly 20–40 words where an explanation is requested; this is a practice guide, not an official examination word limit.

1. What advantage did tracking numbers give the volunteers?
2. Why did fewer reports not necessarily mean that fewer streetlights were faulty? Give two barriers mentioned in the passage.
3. What two additional reporting channels did the association introduce?
4. In the final sentence, what does “a convenient count” refer to, and why can it be misleading?
5. Which conclusion is better supported: “Online reporting should always be abandoned” or “Reporting methods should be checked for accessibility”? Explain briefly.

Model answers

1. They helped volunteers identify and track the streetlight faults that had been reported.
2. Some residents could not report faults because they lacked reliable internet access or did not understand the location details required by the form. Fewer reports could therefore reflect reporting barriers rather than fewer faults.
3. It introduced a telephone option and a weekly help desk.
4. It refers to the total number of reports. That total depends partly on whether residents can report problems, so a low count can hide faults that remain unreported.
5. “Reporting methods should be checked for accessibility” is better supported. The association retained the online form and added other channels after discovering barriers to its use.

Trace the answers to evidence

Questions 1 and 3 mainly require explicit information. Question 2 asks for reasons stated in the second paragraph. Question 4 combines reference with an explanation of the writer's argument. Question 5 requires a supported inference: keeping the form contradicts the claim that online reporting should always be abandoned.

A model answer is one acceptable wording. A different answer can also be correct if it preserves the meaning, supplies the requested details and uses clear English.

Practice rubric: 10 points

This rubric is for this exercise only and is not an official UPSC marking scheme. Allow 2 points for each answer: 1 for the correct central response and 1 for the requested detail or supporting explanation. For Question 3, allow 1 point for each correct channel. Review grammar separately so that a language mistake does not conceal whether you understood the passage.

Common errors to repair

Unsupported: Fewer reports prove that the online system repaired the lights.

Supported: Fewer reports may result from barriers to reporting.

Incomplete answer to Question 2: Some residents could not use the form.

More precise: Some lacked reliable internet access, while others did not understand the required location details.

Before submitting, check whether you answered the exact question and whether every factual claim can be supported by the passage.