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UPSC CSE CSAT 2017 · Question 62 · Reading comprehension

Which among the following is the most logical and rational inference that can be made from the…

Passage—2

Productive jobs are vital for growth and a good job is the best form of inclusion. More than half of our population depends on agriculture, but the experience of other countries suggests that the number of people dependent on agriculture will have to shrink if per capita incomes in agriculture are to go up substantially. While industry is creating jobs, too many such jobs are low-productivity non-contractual jobs in the unorganized sector, offering low incomes, little protection, and no benefits. Service jobs are relatively of high productivity, but employment growth in services has been slow in recent years.

CSAT 2017 · Q62

Reading comprehension Medium

Which among the following is the most logical and rational inference that can be made from the above passage?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) We must create conditions for the faster growth of productive jobs outside of agriculture even while improving the productivity of agriculture.

Farm incomes can rise only if fewer people depend on agriculture, yet industry's new jobs are mostly low-productivity and productive service jobs are growing slowly. So India must create productive jobs outside agriculture while also raising incomes and productivity within it.

  • ✗ (a) Too narrow: it looks only at service jobs, while the passage's concern covers agriculture and industry as well.
  • ✗ (b) The passage says industry's jobs are largely low-productivity, so it does not call manufacturing 'highly productive'; simply shifting farm workers is also more drastic than anything it proposes.
  • ✓ (c) People must move out of agriculture into productive jobs, and per capita farm incomes must rise — this option covers every part of the passage.
  • ✗ (d) Hybrid and GM crops are not mentioned; the passage's concern is productive jobs.

Remember · When several options are partly right, choose the one that covers every sector or point the passage raises.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2017, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·

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