उपर्युक्त परिच्छेद से, निम्नलिखित में से कौन-सा सर्वाधिक निर्णायक और तार्किक निष्कर्ष (इंफेरेंस) निकाला जा सकता है?
Read this question in English
Which of the following is the most crucial and logical inference that can be made from the above passage?
(a) Rural people are giving up the use of polluting solid fuels due to their increasing awareness of health hazards. · (b) Subsidizing the use of clean cooking fuels will solve the problem of India’s indoor air pollution. · (c) India should increase its import of natural gas and produce more electricity. · (d) Access to cooking gas can reduce premature deaths in poor households.
उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English
Answer: (d) निर्धन घरों में खाना बनाने की गैस तक उनकी पहुँच बनाकर असामयिक मृत्यु को कम किया जा सकता है।
Polluting cooking fuels cause more than 10 lakh premature deaths a year from household air pollution, with the poor at greatest risk. If households get clean fuels such as LPG, these deaths can come down — option (d).
- ✗ (a) The number using solid fuels 'has remained static for nearly 30 years at about 70 crore', and rural awareness is never mentioned.
- ✗ (b) Subsidies are not discussed, and 'will solve the problem' is far stronger than the passage allows.
- ✗ (c) Gas imports and power generation are policy choices the passage does not consider.
- ✓ (d) The deaths come from 'household air pollution due to polluting cooking fuels', and poor women and children face the greatest risk; clean cooking gas removes that cause, so access to it can reduce deaths.
Remember · Prefer the modest inference that links the passage's cause and effect ('can reduce') over sweeping solutions ('will solve').
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·