UPSC CSAT 28th May 2023 SET A

The paradox of choice is illustrated by the story of Buridan's ass. Jean Buridan, the $$14^{th}$$ century philosopher, wrote about free will and the inability to choose due to numerous choices and uncertainties. In the story, a donkey stands between two equally appealing stacks of hay. Unable to decide which to eat, it starves to death. Changes in technology and innovations such as smart phones and tables only exacerbate our glut of choices. Constant connectivity and overconsumption of real-time data and social media can leave little room for self-reflection and rest, making decisions more difficult. Life is about choices. Many people are overwhelmed with attractive life choices, yet find themselves unhappy and anxious.

Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical message implied by above the passage?

Household finance in India is unique. We have a tendency to invest heavily in physical assets such assets such as gold and property, Steps to encourage the financialization of saving are critical. A populace accustomed to traditional processes will not simply jump into financialization. Hurdles to change include onerous bureaucracy, a scepticism of organized financial 'institutions, a lack of basic information about which the myriad services and providers is best for each family, and how ( and even if ) one can make the transition between them if necessary.

Regarding the financialization of household savings, which of the following statements best reflect the solutions that are implied by the passage?
1. A flexible environment is needed to develop solution
2. Households need customised solutions.
3. Innovations in financial technology are required.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Pharmaceutical patents grant protection to the patentee for the duration of the patent term. The patentees enjoy the liberty to determine the price of monopoly, but could be unaffordable to the public. Such patent protection offered to the patentees is believed to benefit the public over the longer term through innovations and research and development (R&D), although it comes at a cost, in the nature of higher prices for the patented medicine. The patent regime and price protection - though a legally validated high price for the medicine during the currency of the patent - provide the patentee with a legitimate mechanism to get returns on the costs incurred in innovation and research.

Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made :
1. Patent protection given to patentees puts a huge burden on public's purchasing power in accessing patented medicines.
2. Dependence on other countries for pharmaceutical products is a huge burden for developing and poor countries.
3. Providing medicines to the public at affordable prices is a key goal during the public health policy design in many countries.
4. Governments need to find an appropriate balance between the rights of patentees and the requirements of the patients.

India should ensure the growth of the digital economy while keeping personal data of citizens secure and protected. No one will innovate in a surveillance-oriented environment or in a place were an individual's personal information is compromised. The ultimate control of the data must reside with the individual who generate it; they should be enabled to use, restrict or monetise it as they wish. Therefore, data protection laws should enable the right kind of innovation - one that is user-centric and privacy protecting.

Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made.
1. Protections of privacy is not just a right, but it has value to the economy.
2. There is a fundamental link between privacy and innovation.

Which of the above assumptions is/are valid ?

In an examination, the maximum marks for each of the four papers namely P, Q, R and S are 100. Marks scored by the students are in integers. A student can score 99% in n different ways. What is the value of n ?

A flag has to be designed with 4 horizontal stripes using some or all of the clolours red, green and yellow. What is the number of different ways in which this can be done so that no two adjacent stripes have the same colour ?

A rectangular floor measures 4m in length and 2·2 m in breadth. Tiles of size 140 cm by 60 cm have to be laid such that the tiles do not overlap. A tile can be placed in any orientation so long as its edges are parallel to the edges of the floor. What is the maximum number of tiles that can be accommodated on the floor ?

There are five persons P, Q, R, S and T each one of whom has to be assigned one task. Neither P nor Q can be assigned Task-1. Task-2 must be assigned to either R or S. In how many ways can the assignment be done ?

There are large number of silver coins weighing 2 gm, 5 gm, 10 gm, 25 gm, 50 gm, each. Consider the following statements.
1. To buy 78 gm of coins one must buy at least 7 coins.
2. To weigh 78 gm using these coins one can use less than 7 coins.
Which of the statements give above is/are correct ?

Consider the following:
I. A $$+$$ B means A is neither smaller nor equal to B.
II. A $$-$$ B means A is not greater than B.
III. A $$\times$$ B means A is not smaller than B.
IV. A $$\div$$ B means A is neither greater nor equal to B.
V. A $$\pm$$ B means A is neither smaller nor greater than B.
Statement: $$P \times Q, P - T, T\div R, R \pm S$$
Conclusion -1: $$Q \pm T$$
Conclusion -2: $$S + Q$$
Which of the following is correct in respect of the above Statement and the Conclusions?