Prelims 2026 · CSAT / Reading Comprehension · Question 26
Which of the following conclusions is/are valid?<br/>1. Though SARS-CoV-2 and HMPV are similar viruses with somewhat different epidemiology, the former became a pandemic because it was novel and people had not been exposed to it in the past.<br/>2. The two viruses have fundamentally different impacts on human populations and should not therefore be dealt with in a similar manner.<br/>Select the answer using the code given below.<br/><br/>**Passage:**<br/>When SARS-CoV-2 was first detected in 2019, it was a truly novel virus for the world. At that time, no one in the world had been exposed to SARS-CoV-2 or had specific immunity against it. In contrast, people across the world have been exposed to HMPV for decades and the virus is well-studied. HMPV and SARS-CoV-2 belong to two very different virus families with fundamentally different characteristics and epidemiology, with strong seasonality seen in HMPV, unlike SARS-CoV-2. Both viruses cause different severity of symptoms, particularly over the long term, and the affected population segments do not fully overlap. In general, HMPV causes milder illness with deaths being very rare and with no long-term post-viral symptoms.<br/>
Answer
2 only
Conclusion 1 is invalid because the passage expressly says that HMPV and SARS-CoV-2 belong to very different virus families; calling them similar reverses the passage. Conclusion 2 follows from the stated differences in epidemiology, severity and affected populations: the two viruses should not automatically receive an identical response. Hence, conclusion 2 only is valid.