Read the following passage and answer the items that follow. Your answers to these items should be based on the passage only.

Where are we? Somewhere lost in the never-ending cosmos, smaller than quarks and gluons (compared to the universe), paying taxes and living in fear. That is what an astronaut must feel when viewing Earth from space - fragile, borderless, and suspended in vast silence. This is called the Overview Effect, a profound shift in perspective realizing how massive everything is and how small we are, an awe and self-transcendent experience. This detached vantage dissolves political, religious, and cultural constructs, replacing them with a visceral awareness of planetary unity and interdependence. The ego recedes as the immensity of the cosmos reorients one’s sense of purpose and belonging. The Earth, once a battleground of divisions, becomes a shared home, finite and sacred. This transformative perception challenges anthropocentrism, compelling a moral awakening toward stewardship, humility, and an ethical imperative to transcend narrow identities for the collective good.

61. Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
1. Political, religious, and cultural constructs are primarily maintained by limited, Earth-bound perspectives and lack a more universal basis.
2. Astronauts, prior to experiencing the Overview Effect, universally hold strong and uncritical attachments to these specific terrestrial constructs.

Which of the assumptions given above are valid?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Question

Read the following passage and answer the items that follow. Your answers to these items should be based on the passage only.

Where are we? Somewhere lost in the never-ending cosmos, smaller than quarks and gluons (compared to the universe), paying taxes and living in fear. That is what an astronaut must feel when viewing Earth from space - fragile, borderless, and suspended in vast silence. This is called the Overview Effect, a profound shift in perspective realizing how massive everything is and how small we are, an awe and self-transcendent experience. This detached vantage dissolves political, religious, and cultural constructs, replacing them with a visceral awareness of planetary unity and interdependence. The ego recedes as the immensity of the cosmos reorients one&rsquo;s sense of purpose and belonging. The Earth, once a battleground of divisions, becomes a shared home, finite and sacred. This transformative perception challenges anthropocentrism, compelling a moral awakening toward stewardship, humility, and an ethical imperative to transcend narrow identities for the collective good.

61. Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
1. Political, religious, and cultural constructs are primarily maintained by limited, Earth-bound perspectives and lack a more universal basis.
2. Astronauts, prior to experiencing the Overview Effect, universally hold strong and uncritical attachments to these specific terrestrial constructs.

Which of the assumptions given above are valid?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

ONLiNE UPSC · Accepted Answer

Statement 1 is correct: For these constructs to "dissolve" when viewed from a detached vantage, it's assumed they are products of, or heavily reliant on, our typical Earth-bound view. The broader cosmic perspective reveals their relative, perhaps even artificial, nature compared to planetary unity.

Statement 2 is not correct: While the effect involves a "shift in perspective," it doesn't require assuming astronauts were uncritically attached or held strong beliefs. Even those with nuanced views could experience a profound shift when confronted with the Earth's borderless fragility. The passage nowhere suggests that astronauts, prior to experiencing the Overview Effect, universally hold strong and uncritical attachments to these terrestrial political, religious, and cultural constructs.

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M Question 1	⏱ 0
Read the following passage and answer the items that follow. Your answers to these items should be based on the passage only. Where are we? Somewhere lost in the never-ending cosmos, smaller than quarks and gluons (compared to the universe), paying taxes and living in fear. That is what an astronaut must feel when viewing Earth from space - fragile, borderless, and suspended in vast silence. This is called the Overview Effect, a profound shift in perspective realizing how massive everything is and how small we are, an awe and self-transcendent experience. This detached vantage dissolves political, religious, and cultural constructs, replacing them with a visceral awareness of planetary unity and interdependence. The ego recedes as the immensity of the cosmos reorients one’s sense of purpose and belonging. The Earth, once a battleground of divisions, becomes a shared home, finite and sacred. This transformative perception challenges anthropocentrism, compelling a moral awakening toward stewardship, humility, and an ethical imperative to transcend narrow identities for the collective good. 61. Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made: 1. Political, religious, and cultural constructs are primarily maintained by limited, Earth-bound perspectives and lack a more universal basis. 2. Astronauts, prior to experiencing the Overview Effect, universally hold strong and uncritical attachments to these specific terrestrial constructs. Which of the assumptions given above are valid? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2