Level 1: Vocabulary

• Being stuck at this level, trust us, you need to first improve your vocabulary. We understand that UPSC’s comprehension is not of CAT level; yet a decent vocabulary is needed. This will also help you to write concise answers in Mains examination (if you get through Prelims :-))
• You can improve your vocabulary in three ways:
• If you don’t know the meaning of a word, try to extract its meaning based on the context of the passage. You will be right many a times. For e.g. Slow Judicial System of India ‘brooks’ no further delay in revamping it. You can figure out easily that ‘brooks’ means to allow or tolerate. Similarily, you need not know the meaning of each and every word, smart guess also works.
• If you still can’t make out meaning, make it a habit to refer to Dictionary (not all the time). If you have a smartphone, nothing better than that. Install a dictionary – that makes referring again and again very easy. You will also be able to keep track of the words that you have referred to in the Dictionary app history.
• With this, we strongly recommend reading WORD POWER by Norman Lewis (even for those who have a decent vocabulary). Do not read the book in one shot. Read the instructions in the book and follow accordingly – 1-2 sessions of the book daily. You will see a major change in the way you look at the English language itself. The same language that may have haunted you all these years will now appear so simple, lucid, logical and easy to grasp. The book is indispensable in this sense.
• All this work on vocabulary not only pays off in CSAT, it is of significant value when you are writing Mains.
• Finally, enhancing your vocabulary should not be at the cost of your reading. Please do not give yourself the excuse that I could not read newspapers, magazines etc. because I was busy enriching vocabulary. Make all of this an organic process where your reading, vocabulary building, comprehension and understanding (say editorials – from exam point of view too) happen simultaneously in an integrated manner.
• Most importantly, enjoy the process. Don’t get bogged down. Trust us, it feels very good to finally be able to understand and fully grasp The Hindu’s enigmatic editorials. 

Level 2: Able to gather correct meaning from the text

• Meaning from the text is not just about understanding the text, it is about understanding it objectively.
• When you read a text, you read it with so many biases and prejudices in your mind. For e.g.

“TRAI will eventually take a call on whether India has to change its approach to Internet regulation. But isn’t the Internet perfect the way it is? Apparently not. At least that is what telecom companies believe. After spending billions of dollars in setting up infrastructure and bringing themselves under regulatory scrutiny, telecom companies can’t bear the fact that numerous applications ride on their networks for free. Some of the apps have millions of subscribers and command valuations of billions of dollars.”
Based on the above text, answer whether the Author is against “Net Neutrality” or not?
a) Against
b) For
c) Neither For nor against
d) Insufficient text to determine Author’s view

• The moment you read the article, you will fill it with your ideas of and opinions about net neutrality. A lot of people will choose ‘(a)’ as the answer – that the author is against net neutrality. But that is wrong, because no where neither the term ‘net neutrality’ occurs, nor does the author takes an explicit stand.
• “But isn’t the Internet perfect the way it is? Apparently not” does not mean that the author is against net neutrality.
• So the correct answer should be (d), as insufficient information is provided.
• Therefore, start practicing reading without biases in mind. Make it a habit to first empty your mind; and then read any article objectively. Because UPSC tricks candidates giving options in such a way that the ‘apparently’ correct answer will reflect the prejudice of the majority. Just be careful.

Level 3: Reading Speed

• Comprehension ability and reading speed are very closely co-related. Contrary to popular belief, you need not be a superhuman reader who needs to read 1000 words per minute. On the opposite, if you read too fast, you lose comprehension of the text.
• However, if you are too slow, 50-60 words per minute, then also you cannot comprehend the text properly. And you lose time in the exam too.
• Best way is the way of the Buddha – the middle way. 
• Even reading at an average speed , if you are able to read a 400 words passage in 2-3 minutes, its enough for UPSC. You will enough time to re-read the passage, to understand it clearly. Moreover, you can refer to the passage again and again in case you have doubt between options.
• Its a misconception that you can solve the comprehension by reading the passage just once. We are not super-celestial beings who will remember each and every word of the article reading it just once. The purpose of first reading is to get the essence or gist of the passage. Now there will be several minor details, for e.g. in the passage below:

“After spending billions of dollars in setting up infrastructure and bringing themselves under regulatory scrutiny, telecom companies can’t bear the fact that numerous applications ride on their networks for free. Some of the apps have millions of subscribers and command valuations of billions of dollars. Some like Skype and WhatsApp compete head on with the voice and messaging offerings of the telcos, who to be fair also need money to invest in building networks. Still, what’s not to be forgotten is that the telcos do benefit from the apps that piggyback on them. More app usage means more data consumed and more money inflow. Whether telcos are really aggrieved or not is debatable.
Even if they are, violating the core principle governing the Internet will be a disastrous way of delivering justice. For, the licence to violate net neutrality will mean telcos could now be in a position to ensure some sites are served faster than others. It could also mean it becomes costlier to use certain applications. Most importantly, it could endanger the very feature of the Internet that has over the years made it possible for countless start-ups, right from the Googles to the Flipkarts, to dream and act big. It’s well acknowledged that the Internet has disrupted the world of business like no other technology has in recent decades. It has helped start-ups with hardly any capital and clout to still make a mark. So by rejecting net neutrality, which will enable telcos to play the gatekeeper to a valuable resource, we will be shutting the door on the entrepreneurial aspirations of millions.”
Based on the above passage, answer what services can NOT be offered by non-telecos if ‘net neutrality’ is violated?

1. Voice
2. Messaging
3. Flipkart e-retail
4. Google search engine

Choose the correct answer.

Choose the correct answer.
a) 1 and 2 only
b) 3 and 4 only
c) 1 and 3 only
d) 1 only

• The correct answer will be (d). Now to answer this question, you might have to go through the passage more than once. So be prepared to give one or two more readings to the passages asked in the exam. You can afford to give some extra time to the passages in the exam, but not make a mistake once you have spent your precious time.
• So the lesson that you need to learn is – even if it is taking more time reading editorials, articles while studying; spend that time. It is worth it. Otherwise, you lose both your time and marks. The ability to comprehend is more important than your ideas about time and speed.  

Level 4: Confusion in picking the right option

• Passages in UPSC revolve around similar patterns every year, where a comprehension question is made tricky by including certain elements (discussed here), and aspirants often make a mistake in that very element. This is a series of 8 lessons that you need to keep in mind before attempting a comprehension question. By being aware of these 8 lessons, your chances of making these common mistakes (being tricked by UPSC) will reduce a lot.

Lesson 1
Here is a passage from CSAT 2014:
“Many nations now place their faith in capitalism and governments choose it as the strategy to create wealth for their people. The spectacular economic growth seen in Brazil, China and India after the liberalisation of their economies is proof of its enormous potential and success. However, the global banking crisis and the economic recession have left many bewildered. The debates tend to focus on free market operations and forces, their efficiency and their ability for self correction. Issues of justice, integrity and honesty are rarely elaborated to highlight the failure of the global banking system. The apologists of the system continue to justify the success of capitalism and argue that the recent crisis was a blip.
Their arguments betray an ideological bias/ with the assumptions that an unregulated market is fair and competent, and that the exercise of private greed will be in the larger public interest.
Few recognize the bidirectional relationship between capitalism and greed; that each reinforces the other. Surely, a more honest conceptualisation of the conflicts of interest among the rich and powerful players who have benefited from the system, their biases and ideology is needed; the focus on the wealth creation should also highlight the resultant gross inequity.”
The apologists of the “Free Market System”, according to the passage, believe in
(a) market without control by government authorities.
(b) market without protection by the government.
(c) ability of market to self correct.
(d) market for free goods and services.

• Here you can easily discard options (d) and (b) because there cannot be made out from the text. For aspirants, there might be confusion between the other two, because as per your knowledge, both options show the characteristics of a free market system. And both are somewhere mentioned in the passage.
• Now, you need to be a little careful and be objective in selecting the options. You need to select the answer “according to the passage”.
• Now move on to examine the first option. Here is the supporting text – “…The apologists of the system continue to justify the success of capitalism and argue that the recent crisis was a blip. Their arguments betray an ideological bias/ with the assumptions that an unregulated market is fair…..”
• Notice the word ‘unregulated market is fair’ and their focus on ‘self correction’. It means either of option A or C.  As per UPSC answer is C

SO LESSON 1 is – ALWAYS CHOOSE THE EXPLICIT OVER THE IMPLICIT.
Lesson 2
Here is another UPSC passage from 2014.
The Himalayan ecosystem is highly vulnerable to damage, both due to geological reasons and on account of the stress caused by increased pressure of population, exploitation of natural resources and other related challenges. These aspects may be exacerbated due to the impact of climate change. It is possible that climate change may adversely impact the Himalayan ecosystem through increased temperature altered precipitation patterns, episodes of drought and biotic influences.
This would not only impact the very sustenance of the indigenous communities in uplands but also the life of downstream dwellers across the country and beyond.
Therefore, there is an urgent need for giving special attention to sustain the Himalayan ecosystem. This would require conscious efforts for conserving all the representative systems.
Further, it needs to be emphasized that the endemics with restricted distribution, and most often with specialized habitat requirements, are among the most vulnerable elements. In this respect the Himalayan biodiversity hotspot, with rich endemic diversity, is vulnerable to climate change.
The Threats include possible loss of genetic resources and species, habitats and concomitantly a decrease in ecosystem services. Therefore, conservation of endemic elements in representative ecosystems/habitats assumes a great significance while drawing conservation plans for the region.
Towards achieving the above, we will have to shift towards contemporary conservation approaches, which include a paradigm of landscape level interconnectivity between protected area systems. The concept advocates a shift from the species-habitat focus to an inclusive focus on expanding the bio-geographic range so that natural adjustments to climate change can proceed without being restrictive.
Consider the following statements:
According to the passage, the adverse impact of climate change on an ecosystem can be a
Permanent disappearance of some of its flora and fauna.
Permanent disappearance of ecosystem itself.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Solution: a)
UPSC will always try to trick you giving options that will relate to the passage text, but will be an extreme version of it. For e.g. in statement 2: it says “disappearance of the ecosystem itself”. First statement too is extreme, but you can find its mention in the passage.
So Lesson 2 is: BE CAREFUL OF EXTREME AND EMPHASIZING WORDS LIKE ONLY, NECESSARILY, PERMANENT, TOTALLY, COMPLETELY ETC.
Lesson 3
Consider another question from the same passage.
Which one of the following statements best implies the need to shift toward contemporary conservation approach?
(a) Exploitation of natural resources causes a stress on the Himalayan ecosystem.
(b) Climate change alters precipitation patterns, causes episodes of drought and biotic interference.
(c) The rich biodiversity, including endemic diversity, makes the Himalayan region a biodiversity hotspot.
(d) The Himalayan biogeographic region should be enabled to adapt to climate change smoothly.
Solution: d)
On first look, it seems that all options except (d) are correct. But the reverse is the case.
Read the question carefully. It asks for the ‘need’ to shift, not the ‘cause’ of shifting to contemporary conservation practices. If cause was asked then all except (d) would be correct.
So, If you are confused in picking up the right option, you have not read the question carefully. Even a single word can make all the difference.
So, LESSON 3 is: BE CAREFUL WITH THE ‘KEYWORDS’.
Take another example of the same from the same passage.
What is the most important message conveyed by the passage?
(a) Endemism is a characteristic feature of Himalayan region.
(b) Conservation efforts should emphasize on biogeographic ranges rather than on some species or habitats.
(c) Climate change has adverse impact on the Himalayan ecosystem.
(d) Without Himalayan ecosystem, the life of the communities of uplands and downstream will have no sustenance.
Solution: b)

• Even though all the options mentioned in the question have been conveyed by the passage, it asks specifically for the ‘important message’ – not ‘concern’, or ‘fact’ etc. Look at the ‘keyword’ here.
• If it was ‘most important concern’ in the question, then the answers should have been (c) or (d).
• If it was ‘most important fact’, answer would have been (a).

So, LESSON 3 is: BE CAREFUL WITH THE ‘KEYWORDS’.
Lesson 4
Consider another question from the same passage as above.
With reference to the passage, the following assumptions have been made:
To maintain natural ecosystems, exploitation of natural resources should be completely avoided.
Not only anthropogenic but also natural reasons can adversely affect ecosystems.
Loss of endemic diversity leads to the extinction of ecosystems.
Which of the above assumptions is/are correct?
(a)  1 and 2
(b) 2 only
(c) 2 and 3
(d) 3 only
Solution: b)

• Thats a cakewalk. 1 and 3 cannot be correct. So the answer has to be (b). Simple elimination will save you a lot of time and makes your job easy.
• SO, LESSON 4 is: FIRST ELIMINATE, THEN CHOOSE.

Lesson 5
Consider another UPSC passage.
It is often forgotten that globalization, is not only about policies on international economic relationships and transactions, but has equally to do with domestic policies of a nation. Policy changes necessitated by meeting the internationally set conditions (by WTO etc.) of free trade and investment flows obviously affect domestic producers and investors. But the basic philosophy underlying  globalization emphasizes absolute freedom to markets to determine prices and production and distribution patterns, and view government interventions as processes that create distortions and bring in inefficiency. Thus, public enterprises have to be privatized through disinvestments and sales; sectors and activities hitherto reserved for the public sector have to be opened to the private sector. This logic extends to the social services like education and health. Any restrictions on the adjustments in workforce by way of retrenchment of workers should also be removed and exit should be made easier by removing any restrictions on closures. Employment and wages should be governed by free play of market forces, as any measure to regulate them can discourage investment and also create inefficiency in production.
Above all, in line with the overall philosophy of reduction in the role of the state, fiscal reforms should be undertaken to have generally low levels of taxation and government expenditure should be kept to the minimum to abide by the principle of fiscal prudence. All these are policy actions on the domestic front and are not directly related to the core items of the globalization agenda, namely free international flow of goods and finance.
According to the passage, the basic philosophy of globalization is to
(a) give absolute freedom to producers to determine prices and production.
(b) give freedom to producers to evolve distribution patterns.
(c) give absolute freedom to markets to determine prices, production and employment.
(d) give freedom to producers to import and export.
Solution: c)
Although direct mention has not been made, its there in the passage in bits and pieces. So while reading the passage, you should be able to grasp the essence of it. Confusion reduces.