UPSC Prelims 2023 CSAT Paper II · Q31 of 77 Comprehension medium

Passage

Passage - 1 In India, the segregation of municipal waste at source is rare. Recycling is mostly with the informal sector. More than three-fourths of the municipal budget goes into collection and transportation, which leaves very little for processing/resource recovery and disposal. Where does waste-to-energy fit into all this ? Ideally it fits in the chain after segregation (between wet waste and the rest), collection, recycling, and before getting to the landfill. Which technology is most appropriate in converting waste to energy depends on what is in the waste (that is biodegradable versus non-biodegradable component) and its calorific value. The biodegradable component of India's municipal solid waste is a little over 50 per cent, and biomethanation offers a major solution for processing this.

Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made : 1. Collection, processing and segregation of municipal waste should be with government agencies. 2. Resource recovery and recycling require technological inputs that can be best handled by private sector enterprises. Which of the assumptions given above is/are correct ?

  1. (a) 1 only
  2. (b) 2 only
  3. (c) Both 1 and 2
  4. (d) Neither 1 nor 2 ✓ UPSC's answer

Why the answer is (d)

["- The passage states that recycling is 'mostly with the informal sector,' which contradicts Assumption 2's claim that private sector enterprises are best suited for resource recovery and recycling.", '- The text does not mention government agencies for collection, processing, or segregation; it only notes that over three-fourths of the municipal budget goes to collection and transportation, implying a financial constraint rather than a mandate for government-only execution.', "- Assumption 1 is not supported because the passage does not assert that these functions 'should be' with government agencies, nor does it exclude other entities from these roles.", '- Since the passage explicitly attributes recycling to the informal sector and remains silent on the necessity of government agencies for all waste management stages, neither assumption is valid based on the provided text.', '- Therefore, the correct answer is that neither assumption 1 nor assumption 2 is correct.']

Why the other options are wrong

(a) 1 only
Assumption 1 is not supported by the passage, which does not mandate government agencies for collection, processing, or segregation.
(b) 2 only
Assumption 2 is contradicted by the passage, which states that recycling is mostly handled by the informal sector, not private sector enterprises.
(c) Both 1 and 2
Both assumptions are incorrect; Assumption 1 lacks textual support, and Assumption 2 is directly contradicted by the reference to the informal sector.

Asked in the CSAT Paper II of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2023, held on 28 May 2023. 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