UPSC Prelims 2020 · CSAT
Question 22: Reading Comprehension
With reference to the above passage, which of the following could be the most rational and practical implications for India?
- 1.Inter-linking of rivers should be undertaken.
- 2.A network of dams and canals should be built across the country for proper distribution of water.
- 3.Farmers should be provided easy loans for digging borewells.
- 4.Usage of water for agriculture should be regulated by law.
- 5.Distribution of river water among regions should be regulated by the Union Government.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (a).
The passage notes that monsoon flows are lost, rivers discharge unused water into the sea, and many people suffer droughts and floods at once, so water must be held and released through the year. Moving surplus river water to dry regions (river inter-linking) and storing and distributing it through dams and canals follow directly. Groundwater loans, legal limits on farm water and Union control of river sharing address issues the passage does not raise.
- 1. Moves surplus river water, otherwise lost to the sea, towards drought-hit regions.
- 2. Dams and canals hold monsoon water and distribute it through the year.
- 3. Cheap borewell loans would tap groundwater, not the unused river and monsoon flows discussed.
- 4. The passage does not discuss agricultural water use or regulating it.
- 5. Who controls the sharing of river water is not the passage's concern.
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: Moves surplus river water, otherwise lost to the sea, towards drought-hit regions.
- Then, if you were sure statement 2 is correct, (c) goes: it leaves 2 out.
What you needed to know: Dams and canals hold monsoon water and distribute it through the year.
Only (a) is left. You didn’t need statements 3, 4 or 5.
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: inter-linking and storage-distribution networks answer the lost monsoon flows and unused river water.
- (b) Includes 4 and 5, which concern regulation and governance, not harnessing surplus flows.
- (c) Borewell loans and legal limits on farm water do not address the unused surface water discussed.
- (d) Borewell loans and Union control of distribution are not implied.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2020, General Studies Paper II (CSAT), Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.