Comprehension : Comprehension

Q 7 / 466

UPSC CSE Prelims 2026

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the items that follow. Your answers should be based solely on the passage.
Passage: The process by which countries close their labour-productivity gap with the technology leader is based on convergence theory. The convergence model divides economic eras into three phases: the breakaway, the catch-up, and the fine-tuning phase. It also divides economic entities into two categories: the technology leaders and the technology followers. The process begins with the development of a new technology, such as scavenging three million years ago (MYA), hunting - one MYA, farming - 12 thousand years ago, and industrial technology - a little more than 200 years ago. During the breakaway phase, the per capita income of the technology leaders (e.g., Western Europe and North America in the industrial era) rises, but is unchanged for the technology followers. In the catch-up phase, the followers adopt the new technology and close their per capita income gap with the technology leaders. In the fine-tuning phase, where participants try to extract the remaining benefits from an increasingly exhausted technology, leaders and followers have similar per capita incomes.
Which of the following conclusions are correct?
  1. In the breakaway phase, economic progress is slow for the technology followers.
  2. In the catch-up phase, leaders stagnate and followers, therefore, close the gap between them and the leaders.
  3. In the fine-tuning phase, technology is exhausted, as it were, and both leaders and followers attempt to extract leftover benefits, leading to more or less similar per capita income levels.
  4. Industrial technology followed scavenging, which preceded hunting, which itself was followed by farming.
Select the answer using the code given below.

EXPLANATION

The correct option is (a) - 3 and 4 only.

[as per provisional answerkey]

Why this is correct

Based on the passage, we can evaluate the validity of each conclusion as follows:

  • Conclusion 3: The passage explicitly states that in the fine-tuning phase, participants try to extract remaining benefits from an "increasingly exhausted technology," resulting in leaders and followers having "similar per capita incomes." This matches the conclusion perfectly.
  • Conclusion 4: The passage provides a chronological timeline: scavenging (3 MYA), hunting (1 MYA), farming (12,000 years ago), and industrial technology (200+ years ago). Therefore, industrial technology did follow scavenging, scavenging preceded hunting, and hunting was followed by farming. This is factually consistent with the text.

Why the other options are incorrect

  • Conclusion 1 - Economic progress is slow for followers: The passage states that during the breakaway phase, the per capita income for technology followers is "unchanged." "Unchanged" implies zero growth or stagnation, not "slow progress." Therefore, this conclusion misinterprets the degree of stagnation.
  • Conclusion 2 - Leaders stagnate in the catch-up phase: The passage says followers close the gap by adopting new technology. It does not state that leaders stagnate; rather, the followers accelerate. The gap closes because the followers catch up, not necessarily because the leaders stop progressing.
  • Option (b), (c), and (d): These options are incorrect because they include Conclusion 1 or Conclusion 2, both of which contain logical inaccuracies or assumptions not supported by the specific language of the passage.

Key Concept

This question tests the ability to distinguish between "stagnation/unchanged" versus "slow growth" and requires precise chronological mapping of data provided in the text.