Question

Difficulty: EasyMain Idea and Central Theme Identification

Read the following passage carefully:

"Public sector digitization in developing nations has frequently focused on automating existing bureaucratic procedures rather than redesigning service delivery around citizens' needs. While administrative agencies celebrate the adoption of web portals and mobile applications, these technological layers often replicate legacy inefficiencies, creating digital barriers for underserved populations. True administrative modernization requires integrating digital infrastructure with institutional reforms, ensuring that public services become transparent, accessible, and accountable. Without fundamental structural reorientation, technological interventions risk exacerbating social inequalities instead of fostering inclusive governance."

Based on the passage provided above, which of the following statements correctly capture the author's central argument regarding public sector digitization?

  1. Technological adoption alone cannot achieve administrative modernization without accompanying structural and institutional reforms.Answer
  2. Simply automating legacy bureaucratic processes without citizen-centric redesign risks compounding social inequalities.Answer
  3. C
    Developing nations currently lack the financial resources required to deploy basic web portals and mobile applications.
  4. D
    Governments should completely halt technological adoption in public administration until traditional services are fully optimized.

Answer

The author's central thesis is captured by the statements asserting that technology requires structural reform to modernize administration and that automating flawed legacy systems risks worsening inequality.
The passage focuses primarily on the idea that public sector digitization must involve institutional reform rather than simple automation of existing procedures. Therefore, the statements asserting that technology needs structural reform to succeed and that automating legacy processes deepens inequality correctly synthesize the author's central argument.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the main argument of the passage
The passage argues that digitizing public services without institutional reform fails to solve core inefficiencies and can heighten inequality.
Understanding the core focus helps evaluate which summary statements accurately represent the central thesis.
2
Evaluate the first correct summary statement
The statement highlighting that technology alone is insufficient without institutional reform directly mirrors the passage's core thesis.
The author explicitly emphasizes combining digital infrastructure with structural reorientation.
3
Evaluate the second correct summary statement
The statement about automating legacy processes worsening social inequality matches the author's warning in the concluding sentence.
It accurately captures the central message regarding the risk of surface-level automation.

Key Concept

Identifying the primary message and central thesis of a passage
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