UPSC Prelims 2023 CSAT Paper II · Q51 of 77 Comprehension medium

Passage

Directions for the following 3 (three) items : Read the following three passages and answer the items that follow the passages. Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only. Passage – 1 Sourcing food from non-agricultural lands (uncultivated systems such as forests, wetlands, pastures, etc) in addition to agricultural lands enables a systemic approach to food consumption. It allows rural and tribal communities to sustain themselves for the whole year and steer clear of natural disasters and season-induced shortfalls of agricultural food. Since the productivity of trees is often more resilient to adverse weather conditions than annual crops, forest foods often provide a safety net during periods of food shortages caused by crop failure; forest foods also make important contributions during seasonal crop production gaps.

Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical and rational message conveyed by the author of the passage ?

  1. (a) Food yielding trees should replace other trees in rural and tribal areas and community owned lands.
  2. (b) Food security cannot be ensured in India with the present practice of conventional agriculture.
  3. (c) Wastelands and degraded areas in India should be converted into agroforestry systems to help the poor.
  4. (d) Agroecosystems should be developed in addition to or along with conventional agriculture. ✓ UPSC's answer

Why the answer is (d)

• The passage explicitly states that sourcing food from non-agricultural lands (like forests and wetlands) 'in addition to' agricultural lands enables a systemic approach to food consumption.

• It highlights that this dual approach allows rural and tribal communities to sustain themselves year-round and avoid natural disasters and seasonal shortfalls.

• The text emphasizes that tree productivity is more resilient to adverse weather than annual crops, providing a safety net during crop failures.

• Therefore, the core message is that non-agricultural food sources (agroecosystems) must complement, not replace, conventional agriculture to ensure food security.

• Option (d) accurately captures this by stating that agroecosystems should be developed 'in addition to or along with' conventional agriculture.

Why the other options are wrong

(a) Food yielding trees should replace other trees in rural and tribal areas and community…
The passage advocates for adding non-agricultural food sources to existing systems, not replacing other trees with food-yielding ones.
(b) Food security cannot be ensured in India with the present practice of conventional…
The passage does not claim that conventional agriculture alone cannot ensure food security, but rather that adding non-agricultural sources improves resilience.
(c) Wastelands and degraded areas in India should be converted into agroforestry systems to…
The passage discusses utilizing existing non-agricultural lands like forests and wetlands, not specifically converting wastelands into agroforestry systems.

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