UPSC Prelims 2010 · General Studies
Question 127: Science and Technology
Consider the following statements :
- 1.Every individual in the population is equally susceptible host for Swine Flu.
- 2.Antibiotics have no role in the primary treatment of Swine Flu.
- 3.To prevent the future spread of Swine Flu in the epidemic area, the swine (pigs) must all be culled.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
AnswerThe answer is (a).
Swine flu (the 2009 H1N1 pandemic) is a viral disease, so antibiotics have no role in treating the flu itself; antiviral drugs such as oseltamivir are used (antibiotics serve only for secondary bacterial infection), which makes statement 2 correct. Because it was a new virus, most people had no immunity, which the given answer takes to mean that every individual was a susceptible host, statement 1. The disease spread from person to person, so culling pigs was not needed and statement 3 is wrong.
- 1. As keyed, a new virus meant the whole population was susceptible.
- 2. Antibiotics act on bacteria; antivirals treat the flu.
- 3. The flu spread between humans, so culling pigs was not required.
How you could have got this
- If you were sure statement 3 is not correct, (c) and (d) go: each of them includes 3.
What you needed to know: The flu spread between humans, so culling pigs was not required.
The red flag in statement 3 is “all”. In UPSC’s papers, statements with “all” were true 41% of the time (76 statements). A hint, not a rule.
- Then, if you were sure statement 1 is correct, (b) goes: it leaves 1 out.
What you needed to know: As keyed, a new virus meant the whole population was susceptible.
Only (a) is left. You didn’t need statement 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) Right (as keyed): statements 1 and 2 are correct.
- (b) Statement 1 is also accepted as correct in the key.
- (c) Statement 3 is wrong: culling pigs was not needed to stop human spread.
- (d) Statement 3 is wrong, so all three cannot hold.
Worth knowing: Statement 1 is a loose, sweeping claim and the key's reading of it is open to dispute.
Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2010, General Studies, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.