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UPSC CSE CSAT 2017 · Question 63 · Reading comprehension

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

Passage—3

A landscape-scale approach to land use can encourage greater biodiversity outside protected areas. During hurricane ‘Mitch’ in 1998, farms using ecoagricultural practices suffered 58 per cent, 70 per cent and 99 per cent less damage in Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala, respectively, than farms using conventional techniques. In Costa Rica, vegetative windbreaks and fencerows boosted farmers’ income from pasture and coffee while also increasing bird diversity. Bee pollination is more effective when agricultural fields are closer to natural or seminatural habitat, a finding that matters because 87 per cent of the world’s 107 leading crops depend on animal pollinators. In Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Colombia silvopastoral systems that integrate trees with pastureland are improving the sustainability of cattle production, and diversifying and increasing farmers’ income.

CSAT 2017 · Q63

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: (a) Agricultural practices that enhance biodiversity can often increase farm output and reduce the vulnerability to disasters.

The examples show biodiversity-friendly farming cutting hurricane damage, raising income from pasture and coffee, improving pollination and making cattle farming more sustainable. The inference is that such practices can often raise output and reduce vulnerability to disasters.

  • ✓ (a) Less hurricane damage (lower vulnerability) and higher incomes, better pollination and more sustainable cattle production (higher output) — all from practices that also add biodiversity.
  • ✗ (b) The reverse of the passage, which favours ecoagriculture over conventional techniques.
  • ✗ (c) The passage speaks of biodiversity outside protected areas; it does not propose ecoagriculture inside them.
  • ✗ (d) 'Very high' yields is an overstatement; the passage reports reduced damage and higher incomes, not crop yields as such.

Remember · Prefer the cautious inference ('can often') that sums up all the examples over options that overstate or reverse them.

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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