UPSC Prelims 2018 CSAT Paper II · Q78 of 58 Comprehension medium

Passage

The quest for cheap and plentiful meat has resulted in factory farms where more and more animals are squeezed into smaller lots in cruel and shocking conditions. Such practices have resulted in many of the world's health pandemics such as the avian flu. Worldwide, livestock are increasingly raised in cruel, cramped conditions, where animals spend their short lives under artificial light, pumped full of antibiotics and growth hormones, until the day they are slaughtered. Meat production is water-intensive. 15000 litres of water is needed for every kilogram of meat compared with 3400 litres for rice, 3300 litres for eggs and 255 litres for a kilogram of potatoes.

What is the most rational and crucial message given by the passage?

  1. (a) Mass production of meat through industrial farming is cheap and is suitable for providing protein nutrition to poor countries.
  2. (b) Meat-producing industry violates the laws against cruelty to animals.
  3. (c) Mass production of meat through industrial farming is undesirable and should be stopped immediately.
  4. (d) Environmental cost of meat production is unsustainable when it is produced through industrial farming. ✓ UPSC's answer

Why the answer is (d)

• The passage highlights three main issues with factory farming: animal cruelty, health pandemics, and high water consumption.

• It provides specific data comparing water usage: 15,000 litres per kg of meat versus 3,400 litres for rice, 3,300 for eggs, and 255 for potatoes.

• This quantitative comparison emphasizes that meat production is extremely water-intensive compared to other food sources.

• The term 'rational and crucial' points to the objective, data-driven argument regarding resource depletion rather than subjective moral or legal arguments.

• Therefore, the core message is that the environmental cost, specifically water usage, makes industrial meat production unsustainable.

Why the other options are wrong

(a) Mass production of meat through industrial farming is cheap and is suitable for providing…
The passage describes factory farming conditions as 'cruel and shocking' and links them to pandemics, contradicting the claim that it is suitable or desirable.
(b) Meat-producing industry violates the laws against cruelty to animals.
While the passage mentions cruel conditions, it does not reference specific laws or legal violations, making this an unsupported inference.
(c) Mass production of meat through industrial farming is undesirable and should be stopped…
The passage argues against the sustainability and health risks of industrial farming but does not explicitly call for an immediate stop, which is an extreme conclusion not supported by the text.

Asked in the CSAT Paper II of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2018, held on 3 June 2018. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.

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