Comprehension : Comprehension

Q 19 / 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: 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.

EXPLANATION

The correct option is D - 1 and 2.

[as per provisional answerkey]

Why this is correct

The passage discusses the historical context and potential future of customer-service technology.
Statement 1 is correct: The passage explicitly mentions that "Previous waves of customer-service technology... stoked concerns of job losses." The word "invariably" in the statement aligns with the passage's description of these concerns being a consistent reaction to previous technological waves.
Statement 2 is correct: The passage suggests that while technology might replace certain tasks (like listening to irate customers), it can free up human agents for "creative and rewarding tasks" such as using feedback to improve products. This directly supports the idea that alternative channels for engagement are discovered when tasks are replaced.

Why the other options are incorrect

  • Statement 3 - The advent of technology inevitably leads to stressful outcomes: This is incorrect because the passage suggests the opposite. It states that AI could have "salutary" (beneficial) effects and allow workers to spend "less time listening to irate customers," which implies a reduction in stress rather than an inevitable increase.
  • Option (a) - 1 and 3: This is incorrect because Statement 3 contradicts the positive ("salutary") outlook presented in the passage regarding the future of AI in customer service.
  • Option (b) - 2 only: This is incorrect because it ignores Statement 1, which is a valid conclusion based on the opening sentence of the passage regarding historical concerns over job losses.
  • Option (c) - 3 only: This is incorrect because Statement 3 is a pessimistic generalization not supported by the text, and it misses the valid conclusions found in Statements 1 and 2.

Key Concept

Passage-based inference requires distinguishing between historical patterns (fears of job loss) and projected benefits (shifting from mundane to creative tasks) while avoiding extreme negative generalizations not supported by the text.