Read the following passages and answer the items that follow the passages. Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally. Food is lost or wasted throughout the supply chain, from initial agricultural production to final household consumption. The increasing wastage also results in land degradation by about 45%, mainly due to deforestation, unsustainable agricultural practices, and excessive groundwater extraction. The energy spent over wasted food results in about 3.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide production every year. Decay also leads to harmful emissions of other gases in the atmosphere. Addressing the loss and wastage of food in all forms is critical to complete the cycle of food efficiency and food sustainability.
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.
2 and 3 only
Inference 1 is incorrect: This statement is not supported by the passage. The passage mentions “Food is lost or wasted throughout the supply chain, from initial agricultural production to final household consumption … Addressing the loss and wastage of food in all forms is critical to completing the cycle of food efficiency and food sustainability”. This suggests that food loss and wastage occur throughout the supply chain, from production to household consumption, and not solely due to distribution methods.
Inference 2 is correct: Land productivity is based on the quality of land. The passage mentions that due to wastage, the quality of the land degrades. This means that wastage increases land degradation, which adversely affects land productivity. This inference can be drawn from the lines, “The increasing wastage also results in land degradation by about 45%, mainly due to deforestation, unsustainable agricultural practices, and excessive groundwater extraction” which can be exacerbated by food loss and waste.
Inference 3 is correct: This statement is supported by the passage, which mentions that the energy spent on wasted food results in significant carbon dioxide production- Consider the line, “The energy spent over wasted food results in about 3.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide production every year. Decay also leads to harmful permissions of other gases in the atmosphere.” Therefore, reduction in food loss and waste would reduce the carbon footprint. Inference 4 is incorrect: This statement is not supported by the passage. The passage does not discuss the non-availability of post-harvest technologies. It is also common knowledge, that various technologies and methods exist to reduce food loss and waste after harvest.
Important Questions from Miscellaneous Topics
Which one of the following statements best reflects the critical message conveyed by the author of the passage?
With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
I. No country needs to depend on ecosystems to boost national income.
II. Resource-rich countries need to share their resources with those of scant resources so as to prevent the degradation of ecosystems.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?Which one of the following statements best reflects the central idea of the passage?
With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
I. Path-dependent green investments will eventually most likely benefit growth as well as public finances in a country like India.
II. If other green technologies follow the same pattern as that of solar energy, there will most likely be an easy green transition.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?Three prime numbers p, q and r, each less than 20, are such that p − q = q − r. How many distinct possible values can we get for (p + q + r)?
