UPSC Prelims 2015 · CSAT
Question 39: Reading Comprehension
The mangroves can shed tons of leaves per acre every year; fungi and bacteria break down this leaf litter and consume it, they then are consumed by tiny worms and crustaceans, which in turn feed small fish, which feed larger fish and birds and crocodiles. Which among the following is the most logical inference of the above statement ?
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (c).
The passage traces a food chain that starts with mangrove leaf litter: the leaves are broken down by fungi and bacteria, eaten by small animals, then by small fish, then by larger fish, birds and crocodiles. The safe inference is limited to what is shown: mangroves play a crucial role in some coastal food chains. Claims that no coastal food chain can exist without them, that they are essential to all marine ecosystems, or that they decide the makeup of marine life, go well beyond the passage.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Wrong: 'cannot have' is an overstatement; only this chain is described.
- (b) Wrong: 'all marine ecosystems' goes beyond the coastal chain described.
- (c) Right: leaf litter starts a food chain, so mangroves matter to some coastal food chains.
- (d) Wrong: 'largely determined' claims more than the passage shows.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2015, General Studies Paper II (CSAT), Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.