UPSC Prelims 2016 CSAT Paper II · Q48 of 79 Comprehension medium

Passage

Passage-8 About 15 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions come from agricultural practices. This includes nitrous oxide from fertilizers; methane from livestock, rice production, and manure storage; and carbon dioxide (CO₂) from burning biomass, but this excludes CO₂ emissions from soil management practices, savannah burning and deforestation. Forestry, land use, and land-use change account for another 17 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions each year, three quarters of which come from tropical deforestation. The remainder is largely from draining and burning tropical peatland. About the same amount of carbon is stored in the world's peatlands as is stored in the Amazon rainforest.

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

  1. (a) Organic farming should immediately replace mechanised and chemical dependant agricultural practices all over the world
  2. (b) It is imperative for us to modify our land use practices in order to mitigate climate change ✓ UPSC's answer
  3. (c) There are no technological solutions to the problem of greenhouse gas emissions
  4. (d) Tropical areas are the chief sites of carbon sequestration

Why the answer is (b)

['- The passage states that agricultural practices contribute 15% and forestry/land use contributes 17% to global greenhouse gas emissions, totaling 32%.', '- It specifies that three-quarters of the 17% from land use comes from tropical deforestation, and the remainder is from draining and burning tropical peatland.', '- Since a significant portion of emissions is directly linked to how land is managed (deforestation, peatland drainage, and agricultural methods), changing these practices is a direct way to reduce emissions.', '- Therefore, the most logical inference is that modifying land use practices is imperative to mitigate climate change.', '- Option (b) follows because it directly addresses the source of emissions identified in the text without making unsupported claims about technology or specific farming types.']

Why the other options are wrong

(a) Organic farming should immediately replace mechanised and chemical dependant agricultural…
The passage does not advocate for the immediate replacement of mechanized farming with organic farming, nor does it claim organic farming is the only solution.
(c) There are no technological solutions to the problem of greenhouse gas emissions
The passage does not state that there are no technological solutions; it only identifies the sources of emissions.
(d) Tropical areas are the chief sites of carbon sequestration
The passage states that peatlands store as much carbon as the Amazon, but it does not claim tropical areas are the chief sites of carbon sequestration globally.

Asked in the CSAT Paper II of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2016, held on 7 August 2016. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.

Reading the answer is not the same as getting it right under a clock. Practise this question with UPSC's negative marking, and anything you miss goes into an error notebook until you get it right twice.

Practise this paper free