Minimalist IAS
CSAT 2016 paper

UPSC CSE CSAT 2016 · Question 64 · Reading comprehension

What is the critical message conveyed by the above passage?

Directions for the following 8 (eight) items: Read the following five passages and answer the items that follow each passage. Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only.

Passage—1

As we look to 2050, when we will need to feed two billion more people, the question of which diet is best has taken on new urgency. The foods we choose to eat in the coming decades will have dramatic ramifications for the planet. Simply put, a diet that revolves around meat and dairy, a way of eating that is on the rise throughout the developing world, will take a greater toll on the world's resources than one that revolves around unrefined grains, nuts, fruits and vegetables.

CSAT 2016 · Q64

Reading comprehension Easy

What is the critical message conveyed by the above passage?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) Our increasing demand for foods sourced from animals puts a greater burden on our natural resources

As we prepare to feed two billion more people by 2050, the passage says a diet built on meat and dairy — rising across the developing world — takes a greater toll on the world's resources than a plant-based one. The critical message is that growing demand for animal foods burdens natural resources.

  • ✓ (a) A meat and dairy diet 'will take a greater toll on the world's resources'.
  • ✗ (b) The passage weighs the toll on resources, not health.
  • ✗ (c) Habits changing 'irrespective of the health concerns' is not discussed.
  • ✗ (d) The passage does say which diet is lighter on resources; it does not claim ignorance.

Remember · The critical message usually sits in the 'simply put' sentence; reject options that switch the frame, such as health instead of resources.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2016, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·

More on Reading comprehension

All Reading comprehension questions →