Q. Computers increasingly deal not just with abstract data like credit card details and databases, but also with the real world of physical objects and vulnerable human bodies.
A modern car is a computer on wheels; an aeroplane is a computer on wings. The arrival of the “Internet of Things” will see computers baked into everything from road signs and MRI scanners to prosthetics and insulin pumps. There is little evidence that these gadgets will be any more trustworthy than their desktop counterparts. Hackers have already proved that they can take remote control of internet connected cars and pacemakers.
Q1 . Which one of the following statements best reflects the most critical inference that can be made from the passage given above?
(a) Computers are not completely safe.
(b) Companies producing the software do not take cyber security seriously.
(c) Stringent data security laws are needed.
(d) The present trend of communication technologies will affect our lives in future.
Question from UPSC Prelims 2021 CSAT Paper
Explanation :
Q1: Correct Answer – (a) Computers are not completely safe.
Explanation – The passage discusses how computers are increasingly dealing with the real world of physical objects and vulnerable human bodies. It mentions that the arrival of the “Internet of Things” will see computers embedded into everything from road signs to insulin pumps. However, there is little evidence that these gadgets will be any more trustworthy than their desktop counterparts. The passage gives examples of hackers taking remote control of internet-connected cars and pacemakers.
Based on this information, the most critical inference that can be made from the passage is that (a) Computers are not completely safe. This option reflects the main concern raised in the passage about the trustworthiness and safety of computers embedded in physical objects.
Option (b) Companies producing the software do not take cyber security seriously is not supported by information in the passage. Option © Stringent data security laws are needed may be a possible solution to address computer safety concerns but it is not an inference that can be made from the given information. Option (d) The present trend of communication technologies will affect our lives in future is a general statement that does not reflect a critical inference from the given information.
