Which of the following is/are the correct inference/inferences that can be made from the passage?
- 1.Deforestation can cause changes in the course of rivers.
- 2.Salinization of land takes place due to human activities only.
- 3.Intense monoculture practice in plains is a major reason for desertification in Tropical Asia, Africa and South America.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) 1 only
The Brahmaputra example links deforestation-driven erosion and siltation to 'the changing course of the river system', so statement 1 follows. Statement 2 adds 'only', and statement 3 carries the monoculture of the Indian plains over to other continents — neither is in the passage.
- ✓ 1. Deforestation causes erosive losses and siltation, and the passage ties 'siltation and the changing course of the river system' together in the Brahmaputra example.
- ✗ 2. Salinization in 'green revolution' areas is one example of impoverishment of human-impacted ecosystems; the passage never says human activity is its only cause.
- ✗ 3. Rice/wheat monoculture is mentioned for 'the Indian plains'; the high erosion in Tropical Asia, Africa and South America is linked to deforestation and ill-suited land management.
Remember · Reject inferences that add absolute words ('only') or move an example from one place to a different region.
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·