UPSC Prelims 2004 · General Studies

Question 78: Economy and Social Development

Consider the following statements: India continues to be dependent on imports to meet the requirement of oilseeds in the country because

1.Farmers prefer to grow food grains with highly remunerative support prices.
2.Most of the cultivation of oil-seed crops continues to be dependent on rainfall.
3.Oils from the seeds of tree origin and rice bran have remained unexploited.
4.It is far cheaper to import oil seeds than to cultivate the oil-seed crops.

Which of these statements is/are correct?

a1 and 2

b1, 2 and 3

c3 and 4

d1, 2, 3 and 4

AnswerThe answer is (b).

Statements 1, 2 and 3 are accepted reasons for the oilseed shortfall: farmers prefer food grains with assured support prices, oilseed cultivation is largely rain-fed, and tree-borne oilseeds and rice bran oil remain under-used. Statement 4 is not accepted: the shortfall comes from weak domestic production, not from oilseeds being far cheaper to import than to grow.

1. Farmers prefer food grains with remunerative support prices.
2. Oilseed cultivation is mostly rain-fed.
3. Tree-borne oils and rice bran oil remain unexploited.
4. Import being far cheaper than cultivation is not accepted as the cause.

How you could have got this

If you were sure statement 3 is correct, (a) goes: it leaves 3 out.
What you needed to know: Tree-borne oils and rice bran oil remain unexploited.
Then, if you were sure statement 4 is not correct, (c) and (d) go: each of them includes 4.
What you needed to know: Import being far cheaper than cultivation is not accepted as the cause.

Only (b) is left. You didn’t need statements 1 or 2.

This follows an unofficial answer: UPSC has not published its key for this year, and if that answer is wrong, so is this path.

Which options go is worked out from UPSC’s key and the options, not by a model.

Why each option is right or wrong

(a) Leaves out statement 3, which is also a reason.
(b) Correct: statements 1, 2 and 3.
(c) Includes statement 4, which is not accepted, and leaves out 1 and 2.
(d) Statement 4 is not accepted as a reason.

Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2004, General Studies. UPSC's own paper isn't online; the words are from a published compilation. The paper on upsc.gov.in.