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CSAT 2020 paper

UPSC CSE CSAT 2020 · Question 43 · Reading comprehension

Which of the following are the most rational inferences that can be made from the passage?

Passage—3

The pulse variety ‘Pusa Arhar 16’ has the potential to be grown in the paddy-growing regions of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and eventually in all of India. Its yield (about 2000 kg/hectare) will be significantly greater than those of the existing varieties and because its size will be uniform, it will be amenable to mechanical harvesting, an attractive feature for farmers in northern India who currently use this technology for paddy. Most important, Arhar straw, unlike paddy straw, is green and can be ploughed back into the soil. In paddy straw, the problem is the high silica content, which does not allow for easy decomposition. In the case of Arhar, the farmer, even after combine harvesting, just needs to run a rotovator to cut the leftover straw into pieces, which can be ploughed back and will decompose very fast. All this is difficult with leftover paddy stalks that cannot be easily salvaged or ploughed back. Farmers, therefore, choose the easiest option of simply burning it.

CSAT 2020 · Q43

Reading comprehension Medium

Which of the following are the most rational inferences that can be made from the passage?

  1. 1.Farmers’ income will be higher with pulse cultivation than with paddy cultivation.
  2. 2.Pulse cultivation causes less pollution as compared to paddy cultivation.
  3. 3.Pulse straw can be used to improve soil quality.
  4. 4.In the context of northern Indian agriculture, paddy straw has no usefulness.
  5. 5.Mechanized agriculture is the main cause for stubble burning.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) 2 and 3 only

Arhar straw is green, decomposes fast and can be ploughed back, while silica-rich paddy straw is hard to break down and so gets burnt. Two inferences follow: growing this pulse avoids the burning that pollutes (2), and its straw can enrich the soil (3).

  • ✗ 1. The yield is compared with 'existing varieties' of arhar, not with paddy; nothing is said about income.
  • ✓ 2. Paddy stalks are burnt because they cannot be ploughed back, while arhar straw is ploughed in — so the pulse crop avoids the smoke from stubble burning.
  • ✓ 3. Arhar straw 'can be ploughed back into the soil' and 'will decompose very fast', returning organic matter to the soil.
  • ✗ 4. The passage says paddy straw is hard to decompose or salvage, not that it has 'no usefulness' at all.
  • ✗ 5. Arhar is also combine-harvested yet its straw is not burnt; the cause is paddy straw's 'high silica content'.

Remember · Reject inferences that compare things the passage never compares (income) or use extreme words ('no usefulness', 'main cause').

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). ·

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