UPSC Prelims 2022 · CSAT
Question 1: Reading Comprehension
Unsustainability in production pattern is due to which of the following?
- 1.Heavy dependence on fossil fuels
- 2.Limited availability of resources
- 3.Expansion of recycling
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (a).
Unsustainability comes from how output is produced: heavy reliance on fossil fuels, and the fact that resources are finite. The passage ties the two together, because a model run on fuel that will run out cannot last. Recycling is not a cause; it is one of the remedies that some developed countries have begun to use, along with public transport and infrastructure. In 'cause' questions, check that each item is a problem and not a response to the problem.
- 1. Heavy use of fossil fuels is the first cause the passage names.
- 2. Resources are finite, which is why that production model cannot last.
- 3. Recycling is a corrective step, not a cause.
How you could have got this
- If you were sure statement 1 is correct, (b) goes: it leaves 1 out.
What you needed to know: Heavy use of fossil fuels is the first cause the passage names.
- Then, if you were sure statement 3 is not correct, (c) and (d) go: each of them includes 3.
What you needed to know: Recycling is a corrective step, not a cause.
Only (a) is left. You didn’t need statement 2.
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) Correct: dependence on fossil fuels and limited resources are both named as causes.
- (b) Incomplete: leaves out fossil-fuel dependence, which the passage also names as a cause.
- (c) Wrong: recycling is a remedy, so item 3 cannot be a cause.
- (d) Wrong: adds recycling, which eases unsustainability and does not cause it.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2022, General Studies Paper II (CSAT), Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.