Instructions

Study the given passage and answer the questions that follow.

With a large arable land area and temperate climate, our country is endowed by nature for agricultural production. As against the world average of only 11%,our arable land area is 51% of the total land area, which can produce two crops a year, even if half of the standard rainfall is received. More than 38 million hectares of land, though cultivable, has been left uncultivated and classified as ‘cultivable wasteland. This accounts for more than the total cultivated land area of our neighbouring four countries taken together. Not only is our rainwater being wasted, but the good top soils are also being eroded and ground water is being depleted. We have not yet given due planning focus to preserve our most valuable natural assets, land and water, which are responsible for agricultural production and consequently, the incidence of poverty. Furthermore, lower increase in prices of farm outputs Compared to those of farm inputs have led to poor profits, poor capital formation and stagnation in the farm sector. It is the people of any country including, of course, those who work in agriculture production, who make or mar its future, not just the politician, industrialists and technicians. Though the latter always play an important role for a country's development, the majority of its people should not be left wallowing in poverty as nothing much can be achieved for improving their status without improving production in agricultural sector and fixing higher minimum support prices for farm outputs, at least commensurate with increases in price with farm inputs.

Question 159

Which of the following statements is true?

Solution

Let's take a look at each option individually. 

Option A: In the passage, we are given a comparison of the world's and country's average. There might be other countries in the world with more than 51% farmable land compared to their total land. 
Hence, Option A cannot be said to be true. 

Option B: The lines, "the majority of its people should not be left wallowing in poverty as nothing much can be achieved for improving their status without improving production in the agricultural sector and fixing higher minimum support prices for farm outputs" clearly state that achieving higher agricultural productivity is a necessity in reducing poverty. Hence, this statement can said to be true. 

Option C: The lines,"can produce two crops a year, even if half of the standard rainfall is received." is used to say that even with half the standard rain, the land can give at least two crops a year. This is a lower boundary of the number of crops produced, while the option presents this number as an upper boundaryHence, this options too, is not true. 

Option D: Although the author asks us to help the farmers, not rely on politicians and technicians. Nowhere in the passage is it stated or hinted at that the farmers are more important for a countrie's development as compared to the politicians and technicians. Such a comparison is never made. Hence, this, too, cannot be said to be true. 

Therefore, Option B is the correct answer. 


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