According to the above passage, which of the following helps/help in reducing hunger and starvation in the developing economies?
- 1.Balancing demand and supply of food
- 2.Increasing imports of food
- 3.Increasing purchasing power of the poor
- 4.Changing the food consumption patterns and practices
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only
Supply-demand balance is called an 'inescapable prerequisite for warding off hunger and starvation', and hunger persists where the poor lack purchasing power. So balancing supply and demand and raising the purchasing power of the poor both help; imports and changes in diet are not offered as remedies.
- ✓ 1. Supply-demand balance is 'an inescapable prerequisite for warding off hunger and starvation'.
- ✗ 2. Buying food abroad is mentioned only for open economies with 'adequate exchange surpluses', not as a remedy for poor economies.
- ✓ 3. Food does not move to deficit countries 'if the latter lack in purchasing power'; hunger comes from 'empty-pocket hungry mouths'.
- ✗ 4. The changing 'composition of demand' is a reason the issue has grown, not a remedy.
Remember · Separate what the passage gives as a cause of the problem from what it gives as a remedy; only remedies count here.
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). ·