Which one of the following statements best implies the most rational assumption that can be made from the passage?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) We are likely to spend more money on cure than prevention.
Lifestyle changes could prevent environmental and health problems, yet people show 'collective lethargy' even where their own choices decide life and death. When prevention is neglected, the problems arrive and must be treated, so more is likely to be spent on cure than on prevention.
- ✓ (a) Inertia towards healthy lifestyle choices means prevention is neglected; the logical result is heavier spending on cure later.
- ✗ (b) The government is not mentioned; the passage is about individual choices and collective lethargy.
- ✗ (c) The opening line, 'Environmental problems cause health problems', rules out protecting health while environmental problems are ignored.
- ✗ (d) Traditional lifestyles and western values are outside the passage.
Remember · A valid assumption follows from the passage's own logic; options that bring in new actors or causes (government, western values) usually fail.
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2023, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·