Which of the following statements best reflect the most logical and rational inferences that can be made from the passage?
- 1.The current methods of food distribution are solely responsible for the loss and wastage of food.
- 2.Land productivity is adversely affected by the prevailing trend of food loss and wastage.
- 3.Reduction in the loss and wastage of food results in lesser carbon footprint.
- 4.Post-harvest technologies to prevent or reduce the loss and wastage of food are not available.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only
The passage ties food waste to land degradation and to the carbon dioxide released by the energy spent on wasted food, so statements 2 and 3 follow directly. Statement 1 is too extreme because of ‘solely’, and statement 4 is about technology the passage never mentions.
- ✗ 1. ‘Solely’ is too strong. The passage says food is lost ‘throughout the supply chain, from initial agricultural production to final household consumption’, so distribution is only one of several stages.
- ✓ 2. The passage says wastage ‘results in land degradation by about 45%’. Degraded land is less productive, so this is a direct inference.
- ✓ 3. The energy spent over wasted food produces about 3·5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, and decay releases other harmful gases. Less waste therefore means a smaller carbon footprint.
- ✗ 4. Post-harvest technology is not mentioned at all, let alone said to be unavailable. This goes outside the passage.
Remember · Strike out statements with ‘solely’, ‘only’ or ‘never’ unless the passage says so; every inference must rest on a line in the text.
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2024, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·