Which among the following is the most crucial message conveyed by the above passage?
- (a) Climate change has caused Arctic summer to be short but temperature to be high.
- (b) Polar bears can be shifted to South Pole to ensure their survival.
- (c) Without the presence of polar bears, the food chains in Arctic region will disappear.
- (d) Climate change poses a threat to the survival of polar bears. ✓ UPSC's answer
Why the answer is (d)
• The passage states that summer sea ice is melting earlier and faster, while winter freeze is coming later, indicating a lengthening melt period.
• It notes that summer ice extent has declined by about 30 per cent in the last three decades.
• This lengthening melt period threatens to undermine the entire Arctic food web.
• The passage explicitly states that polar bears stand atop this threatened food web.
• Therefore, the central message is that the changing climate conditions (ice loss) directly threaten the survival of polar bears.
Why the other options are wrong
- (a) Climate change has caused Arctic summer to be short but temperature to be high.
- The passage states that the summer melt period is lengthening, not that the summer is becoming short.
- (b) Polar bears can be shifted to South Pole to ensure their survival.
- The passage does not suggest relocating polar bears to the South Pole as a solution.
- (c) Without the presence of polar bears, the food chains in Arctic region will disappear.
- The passage states that polar bears stand atop the food web, not that the food web depends on the presence of polar bears.
Asked in the CSAT Paper II of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2017, held on 18 June 2017. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.