Which one of the following is the most logical and rational inference that can be made from the above passage?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) Wetlands need to be reinforced as more than just open sources of water.
The irony the author points to is that water comes from rivers and wetlands, yet policy treats it as a resource divorced from them and engineers supply instead of strengthening ecosystems. The inference is that wetlands must be seen as ecological systems, not merely as taps of water.
- ✗ (a) The Ramsar Convention is outside the passage; the author criticises how policy views water, not the lack of a treaty listing.
- ✗ (b) This is the very approach the author criticises — engineering to augment supply rather than strengthening ecological systems.
- ✓ (c) Policy fails to 'grasp that it is a part of the natural ecosystem'; recognising wetlands as ecosystems rather than just sources of water answers that failure.
- ✗ (d) Pricing, misuse and overuse of water are not discussed at all.
Remember · Name the author's complaint in one line; the right inference is its remedy, not an outside fact or a policy the passage never discusses.
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2020, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·