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CSAT 2019 paper

UPSC CSE CSAT 2019 · Question 63 · Reading comprehension

Which one of the following is the most logical, rational and crucial inference that can be derived…

Passage—2

In a study, scientists compared the microbiomes of poorly nourished and well nourished infants and young children. Gut microbes were isolated from faecal samples of malnourished and healthy children. The microbiome was “immature” and less diverse in malnourished children compared to the better developed “mature” microbiome found in healthy children of the same age. According to some studies, the chemical composition of mother’s milk has shown the presence of a modified sugar (sialylated oligosaccharides). This is not utilized by the baby for its own nutrition. However, the bacteria constituting the infant’s microbiome thrive on this sugar which serves as their food. Malnourished mothers have low levels of this sugar in their milk. Consequently, the microbiomes of their infants fail to mature. That in turn, leads to malnourished babies.

CSAT 2019 · Q63

Reading comprehension Medium

Which one of the following is the most logical, rational and crucial inference that can be derived from the above passage?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (d) Research on benign effects of gut bacteria on nutrition has policy implications.

The passage traces child malnutrition to low levels of a milk sugar in malnourished mothers, which keeps the infant gut microbiome immature. Research on how gut bacteria support nutrition therefore bears on policy against malnutrition, without the passage prescribing a particular cure.

  • ✗ (a) Nothing says the condition cannot be treated; knowing the cause points towards possible remedies.
  • ✗ (b) Inoculating guts with mature microbiomes is a specific treatment the passage neither tests nor proposes.
  • ✗ (c) Replacing mother's milk with fortified dairy milk goes far beyond the passage, which shows mother's milk is the natural source of the sugar.
  • ✓ (d) The research links mothers' nutrition, gut bacteria and child malnutrition — a finding with clear policy relevance, stated without overreach.

Remember · When options prescribe specific remedies, prefer the broad inference the passage fully supports.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2019, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·

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