Direction for the following 6 (six) items: Read the following five passages and answer the items (41-46) that follow. Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only.
The pulse variety ‘Pusa Arhar 16’ has the potential to be grown in the paddy-growing regions of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and eventually in all of India. Its yield (about 2000 kg/hectare) will be significantly greater than those of the existing varieties and because its size will be uniform, it will be amenable to mechanical harvesting, an attractive feature for farmers in northern India who currently use this technology for paddy. Most important, Arhar straw, unlike paddy straw, is green and can be ploughed back into the soil. In paddy straw, the problem is the high silica content, which does not allow for easy decomposition. In the case of Arhar, the farmer, even after combine harvesting, just needs to run a rotovator to cut the leftover straw into pieces, which can be ploughed back and will decompose very fast. All this is difficult with leftover paddy stalks that cannot be easily salvaged or ploughed back. Farmers, therefore, choose the easiest option of simply burning it.
Which of the following are the most rational inferences that can be made from the passage?
1. Farmers’ income will be higher with pulse cultivation than with paddy cultivation.
2. Pulse cultivation causes less pollution as compared to paddy cultivation.
3. Pulse straw can be used to improve soil quality.
4. In the context of northern Indian agriculture, paddy straw has no usefulness.
5. Mechanized agriculture is the main cause for stubble burning.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Correct Answer :
2 and 3 only
Solution :
The correct answer is 2 and 3 only.
Let us analyze each statement based strictly on the provided passage:
Statement 1 is incorrect: The passage mentions that the yield of 'Pusa Arhar 16' will be significantly greater than existing pulse varieties. However, it does not compare farmers' total income from pulse cultivation directly with paddy cultivation.
Statement 2 is correct: The passage explains that paddy straw cannot easily decompose due to its high silica content, leading farmers to burn it (which causes air pollution). In contrast, Arhar straw decomposes very quickly when ploughed back into the soil, thus avoiding stubble burning and causing less pollution.
Statement 3 is correct: The passage explicitly states that Arhar straw is green and can be ploughed back into the soil where it decomposes fast, which helps in improving soil quality.
Statement 4 is incorrect: The passage mentions the difficulty in decomposing paddy straw due to high silica content, leading to stubble burning, but it does not claim that paddy straw has absolutely no usefulness in any context.
Statement 5 is incorrect: Stubble burning is chosen by farmers because leftover paddy stalks are difficult to decompose or salvage, not because mechanization itself is the main cause of burning.
Therefore, statements 2 and 3 are the most rational inferences that can be drawn from the passage.
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