UPSC Prelims 2017·CSAT·Reading Comprehension·Passage Comprehension

We live in digital times. The digital is not just something we use strategically and specifically to do a few tasks. Our very perception of who we are, how we connect to the world around us, and the ways in which we define our domains of life, labour and language are hugely structured by the digital technologies. The digital is everywhere and; like air, invisible. We live within digital systems, we live with intimate gadgets, we interact through digital media, and the very presence and imagination of the digital has dramatically restructured our lives. The digital, far from being a tool, is a condition and context that defines the shapes and boundaries of our understanding of the self, the society, and the structure of governance. Which among the following is the most logical and essential message conveyed by the above passage?

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Last updated 23 May 2026, 3:31 pm IST
  1. AAll problems of governance can be solved by using digital technologies
  2. BSpeaking of digital technologies is speaking of our life and livingCorrect
  3. COur creativity and imagination cannot be expressed without digital media
  4. DUse of digital systems is imperative for the existence of mankind in futur

Explanation

The passage emphasizes that digital technologies are not just tools, but a fundamental condition and context that structures our perception of self, connection to the world, and domains of life, labour, and language. It states that the digital is "everywhere and; like air, invisible," and has "dramatically restructured our lives." Option B) Speaking of digital technologies is speaking of our life and living. This perfectly encapsulates the passage's core message. The passage argues that digital technologies are so deeply integrated and pervasive that they define our very existence and way of life, making them synonymous with "our life and living." Option A) is incorrect because the passage highlights the structuring and defining nature of digital technologies on governance, not their ability to solve "all problems" of governance. This is an overstatement not supported by the text. Option C) is incorrect because while the passage mentions the "imagination of the digital has dramatically restructured our lives," it does not claim that creativity and imagination *cannot be expressed without* digital media. This is an extreme and unsupported conclusion. Option D) is incorrect because the passage describes the current pervasive influence and structuring power of digital technologies on our lives and understanding. It does not make a futuristic claim about their absolute imperative for the "existence of mankind."
Reading Comprehension: We live in digital times. The digital is not just something we use strategically and specifically to do a few tasks. Our

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