2016 CSAT, all questions

UPSC Prelims 2016 · CSAT

Question 25: Reading Comprehension

Passage-2 · as printed by UPSC
Passage beginning “We are witnessing a dangerous dwindling…”

Which among the following is the most logical and critical inference that can be made from the above passage ?

aIn our agricultural practices, we have become heavily dependent on expensive chemical fertilizers and toxic pesticides only due to green revolution
bMonocropping vast fields with high-yield varieties is possible due to green revolution
cMonocropping with high-yield varieties is the only way to ensure food security to millions
dGreen revolution can pose a threat to biodiversity in food supply and food security in the long run

AnswerUPSC’s answer is (d).

The passage says reliance on a few high-yield varieties has reduced the variety of crops in our food supply, that these weaker crops need costly fertilisers and pesticides, and that the push for output today has put future food supply at risk. The inference closest to this is that the green revolution can threaten crop diversity and, over time, food security. Options with 'only due to' or 'only way' overstate, and (b) merely restates a detail.

Why each option is right or wrong
  • (a) 'Only due to' overstates: the green revolution is not made the sole cause.
  • (b) A restated detail, not an inference about risk.
  • (c) 'The only way' contradicts the passage's worry about monocropping.
  • (d) Right: it links dwindling crop variety to long-term food risk.

Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2016, General Studies Paper II (CSAT), Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.