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Miscellaneous·2020·Easy

The pulse variety ‘Pusa Arhar 16’ has the potential to be grown in the paddy-growing 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 arid 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. AU 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? Farmers' income will be higher with pulse cultivation than with paddy cultivation. Pulse cultivation causes less pollution as compared to paddy cultivation. Pulse straw can be used to improve soil quality. In the context of northern Indian agriculture, paddy straw has no usefulness. Mechanized agriculture is the main cause for stubble burning.

The pulse variety ‘Pusa Arhar 16’ has the potential to be grown in the paddy-growing 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 arid 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. AU 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? Farmers' income will be higher with pulse cultivation than with paddy cultivation. Pulse cultivation causes less pollution as compared to paddy cultivation. Pulse straw can be used to improve soil quality. In the context of northern Indian agriculture, paddy straw has no usefulness. Mechanized agriculture is the main cause for stubble burning.

Options

  1. a.

    2, 3 and 5

  2. b.

    1, 4 and 5

  3. c.

    2 and 3 only

    Correct answer
  4. d.

    1 and 4 only

Explanation

The theme is "Paddy versus Pulses in North Indian Farms." Statement 5 is incorrect as it suggests that mechanized agriculture is the reason for burning paddy stalks. However, the passage mentions that paddy stalks are tough to collect or plough back into the ground, leading farmers to choose burning as an alternative. Therefore, options (a) and (b) can be ruled out. Statement 1 is also not correct as it is not explicitly mentioned whether a direct comparison between pulse cultivation and paddy cultivation is feasible. Thus, options (a) and (d) are ruled out. Therefore, the only remaining option is (c), which includes statements 2 and 3 only.

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