UPSC Prelims 2022 · CSAT
Question 3: Reading Comprehension
According to the passage given above, deforestation and denudation will ultimately lead to which of the following?
- 1.Depletion of soil resource
- 2.Shortage of land for the common man
- 3.Lack of water for cultivation
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (c).
The passage warns that unchecked deforestation lets wind and water erode the soil, and that once-forested areas now have streams and springs that run only in the monsoon, where they once flowed all year. So depletion of the soil resource (1) and lack of water for cultivation (3) follow. Nothing in the passage speaks of a shortage of land for the common man (2); it speaks of land turning barren, which is a different point. Pick only what the passage links to the cause, and do not add plausible side effects.
- 1. Soil erosion by wind and water increases.
- 2. Shortage of land for ordinary people is never mentioned.
- 3. Streams and springs run dry outside the rainy season, so farming loses water.
How you could have got this
- If you were sure statement 2 is not correct, (a), (b) and (d) go: each of them includes 2.
What you needed to know: Shortage of land for ordinary people is never mentioned.
Only (c) is left. You didn’t need statements 1 or 3.
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) Wrong: statement 2 is not in the passage, and statement 3 is left out.
- (b) Wrong: statement 2 is not in the passage, and statement 1 is left out.
- (c) Correct: soil loss and water shortage are both described.
- (d) Wrong: adds statement 2, which the passage never states.
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.