निम्नलिखित में से कौन-से कथन, सर्वाधिक तर्कसंगत और विवेकपूर्ण निष्कर्षों को सर्वोत्तम रूप से दर्शाते हैं, जिन्हें इस परिच्छेद से प्रतिपादित किया जा सकता है?
- 1.खाद्यान्न की हानि और बर्बादी के लिए खाद्यान्न वितरण की चालू पद्धतियाँ पूर्ण रूप से उत्तरदायी हैं।
- 2.खाद्यान्न की हानि और बर्बादी की प्रचलित प्रवृत्ति से भूमि की उत्पादकता प्रतिकूल रूप से प्रभावित होती है।
- 3.खाद्यान्न की हानि और बर्बादी में कमी के परिणामस्वरूप कार्बन फुटप्रिंट में कमी आती है।
- 4.खाद्यान्न की हानि और बर्बादी को रोकने या कम करने के लिए कटाई-उपरांत (पोस्ट-हार्वेस्ट) प्रौद्योगिकियाँ उपलब्ध नहीं हैं।
नीचे दिए गए कूट का प्रयोग कर सही उत्तर चुनिए।
Read this question in English
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.
(a) 1, 2 and 3 · (b) 2 and 3 only · (c) 1, 3 and 4 · (d) 1, 2 and 4
उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English
Answer: (b) केवल 2 और 3
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). ·