UPSC Civil Services Exam (CSE) CSAT (Prelims Paper-II): Aptitude and Reasoning Syllabus

CSAT (Prelims Paper-II): Aptitude and Reasoning syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for CSAT (Prelims Paper-II): Aptitude and Reasoning in UPSC Civil Services Exam (CSE), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Comprehension

   3 topics

   • Reading Comprehension Passages
     • Identifying main idea and tone
     • Inference and assumption-based questions
   • Critical Reasoning within Passages
   • Vocabulary and Contextual Meaning
2. 2

   Interpersonal Skills, Communication and Decision Making

   3 topics

   • Interpersonal and Communication Skills
   • Logical Reasoning and Analytical Ability
     • Statements and conclusions
     • Syllogisms and arrangements
   • Decision Making and Problem Solving
3. 3

   Basic Numeracy and Mental Ability

   4 topics

   • Numbers and their Relations
     • Number system, LCM, HCF
     • Percentages, ratio and proportion
   • Orders of Magnitude and Arithmetic
     • Time, speed, distance and work
     • Profit, loss, interest and averages
   • General Mental Ability
     • Series, coding-decoding and analogies
     • Direction sense and blood relations
   • Class X Level Mathematics
     • Basic algebra and equations
     • Geometry and mensuration
4. 4

   Data Interpretation

   3 topics

   • Tables, Graphs and Charts
     • Bar graphs, pie charts and line graphs
     • Data sufficiency
   • Class X Level Data Analysis and Statistics
   • Interpretation and Estimation from Data Sets

CSAT (Prelims Paper-II): Aptitude and Reasoning flashcards for UPSC Civil Services Exam (CSE)

21 of 51 cards from the CSAT (Prelims Paper-II): Aptitude and Reasoning deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. In CSAT Reading Comprehension, what is the difference between the 'main idea' and a 'supporting detail' of a passage?

   The main idea is the central point or overall message the passage conveys; a supporting detail is a specific fact, example, or piece of evidence that explains, illustrates, or backs up that main idea.

2. What is an 'inference' question in Reading Comprehension, and how does it differ from a 'directly stated' question?

   An inference question asks for a conclusion that logically follows from the passage but is not explicitly written; a directly stated question can be answered from words appearing verbatim in the text.

3. In CSAT comprehension, what does the 'tone' of a passage refer to, and name three common tone types.

   Tone is the author's attitude toward the subject as revealed by word choice. Common types: critical/negative, appreciative/positive, neutral/objective (others include sarcastic, optimistic, pessimistic).

4. What is the recommended strategy for answering CSAT comprehension questions strictly based on the passage?

   Answer only using information given or implied within the passage, ignoring outside knowledge or personal opinion; the correct option must be supportable by the text alone.

5. In critical reasoning, what is an 'assumption' underlying an argument?

   An assumption is an unstated premise taken for granted that must be true for the argument's conclusion to hold; the argument falls apart if the assumption is false.

6. What is the difference between a 'premise' and a 'conclusion' in an argument?

   A premise is a statement offered as evidence or reason; the conclusion is the claim the premises are meant to support. The conclusion is what the argument is trying to establish.

7. In critical reasoning, what does it mean to 'strengthen' versus 'weaken' an argument?

   To strengthen is to add information that makes the conclusion more likely or supports the assumption; to weaken is to add information that undermines the conclusion or breaks the assumption.

8. What is a logical 'fallacy', and give one common example tested in CSAT critical reasoning.

   A fallacy is an error in reasoning that makes an argument invalid. Example: post hoc (assuming that because B followed A, A caused B) or correlation mistaken for causation.

9. In vocabulary questions, what does it mean to determine a word's meaning 'in context'?

   It means selecting the meaning that fits the specific sentence and passage, since many words have multiple meanings; the surrounding text determines which sense is intended.

10. What is the difference between a 'synonym' and an 'antonym'?

    A synonym is a word with the same or nearly the same meaning as another; an antonym is a word with the opposite meaning.

11. In contextual vocabulary, what are 'connotation' and 'denotation'?

    Denotation is a word's literal dictionary meaning; connotation is the emotional or cultural association the word carries beyond its literal meaning (positive, negative, or neutral).

12. What is the meaning of an 'idiom', and why can it not be understood word-by-word?

    An idiom is a fixed expression whose overall meaning differs from the literal meaning of its individual words (e.g., 'spill the beans' = reveal a secret); its meaning is conventional, not compositional.

13. In interpersonal and communication skills, what is the difference between 'verbal' and 'non-verbal' communication?

    Verbal communication uses spoken or written words; non-verbal communication conveys meaning through body language, facial expressions, gestures, tone of voice, posture, and eye contact.

14. What is 'active listening' in interpersonal communication?

    Active listening is fully concentrating on, understanding, and responding to a speaker — including paying attention, withholding judgment, paraphrasing, and giving feedback rather than just passively hearing.

15. What is 'empathy' in the context of interpersonal skills?

    Empathy is the ability to understand and share another person's feelings and perspective by putting oneself in their position, which builds trust and effective communication.

16. Name the basic elements of the communication process.

    Sender (source), message, encoding, channel/medium, receiver, decoding, and feedback; 'noise' is any interference that distorts the message.

17. What is 'noise' (a barrier) in the communication process, and name two types?

    Noise is any interference that distorts or blocks the message. Types: physical noise (external sounds), semantic noise (language/meaning differences), and psychological noise (emotions, biases).

18. In logical reasoning, what is a 'syllogism'?

    A syllogism is a deductive argument with two premises and a conclusion; from general statements (e.g., 'All A are B', 'All B are C') a valid conclusion is drawn ('All A are C').

19. In syllogism logic, what do the four standard statement types A, E, I, O mean?

    A = universal affirmative (All S are P); E = universal negative (No S is P); I = particular affirmative (Some S are P); O = particular negative (Some S are not P).

20. In blood-relation reasoning, how is a 'maternal uncle' related to a person?

    A maternal uncle is the brother of one's mother (i.e., a male sibling on the mother's side of the family).

21. In direction-sense reasoning, if you face North and turn 90 degrees clockwise, which direction do you face?

    East. (Clockwise from North goes North to East to South to West.)

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