UPSC Prelims 2016 · GS Paper I
Question 57: Environment and Ecology
With reference to ‘Agenda 21’, sometimes seen in the news, consider the following statements :
- 1.It is a global action plan for sustainable development.
- 2.It originated in the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg in 2002.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (a).
Agenda 21 is a global action plan for sustainable development, adopted at the UN Conference on Environment and Development, the Earth Summit, in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. It did not originate at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, which reviewed progress on it. Statement 1 is correct and statement 2 is wrong.
- 1. Agenda 21 is a global action plan for sustainable development.
- 2. It originated at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio, not Johannesburg 2002.
How you could have got this
- If you were sure statement 1 is correct, (b) and (d) go: each of them leaves 1 out.
What you needed to know: Agenda 21 is a global action plan for sustainable development.
- Then, if you were sure statement 2 is not correct, (c) goes: it includes 2.
What you needed to know: It originated at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio, not Johannesburg 2002.
Only (a) is left. This one needs every statement.
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: it is a global action plan, but it came from Rio 1992.
- (b) Statement 2 is wrong: Agenda 21 came from Rio in 1992.
- (c) Statement 2 is wrong, so 'both' fails.
- (d) Statement 1 is correct, so 'neither' fails.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2016, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.