निम्नलिखित कथनों में से कौन-सा एक, इस परिच्छेद के लेखक द्वारा दिए गए सर्वाधिक युक्तियुक्त और तर्कसंगत सन्देश को सर्वोत्तम रूप में प्रतिबिंबित करता है ?
Read this question in English
Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical and rational message conveyed by the author of the passage?
(a) Food yielding trees should replace other trees in rural and tribal areas and community owned lands. · (b) Food security cannot be ensured in India with the present practice of conventional agriculture. · (c) Wastelands and degraded areas in India should be converted into agroforestry systems to help the poor. · (d) Agroecosystems should be developed in addition to or along with conventional agriculture.
उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English
Answer: (d) परंपरागत कृषि के अतिरिक्त अथवा उसके साथ-साथ कृषि-पारितंत्र भी विकसित किए जाने चाहिए ।
The passage recommends sourcing food from forests, wetlands and pastures in addition to farmland, because such foods are resilient and fill gaps when crops fail or between seasons. So these food systems should be developed alongside conventional agriculture, not in place of it.
- ✗ (a) Replacing other trees with food-yielding trees is not proposed.
- ✗ (b) 'Cannot be ensured' is too strong; the passage offers a supplement to agriculture, not a verdict against it.
- ✗ (c) Converting wastelands is not discussed; the passage speaks of existing uncultivated systems such as forests and wetlands.
- ✓ (d) The key phrase is 'in addition to agricultural lands': uncultivated food systems act as a safety net alongside conventional farming.
Remember · Watch small phrases like 'in addition to': they rule out options that replace rather than supplement.
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). ·