Read the following passage and answer the item that follows. Your answer to this item should be based on the passage only.
Today, if we consider cities such as New York, London and Paris as some of the most iconic cities in the world, it is because plans carrying a heavy systems approach were imposed on their precincts. The backbone of the systems theory is the process of translating social, spatial and cultural desirables into mathematical models using computing, statistics, optimization and an algorithmic way of formulating and solving problems. The early universities of the West which began to train professionals in planning, spawned some of the most ingenious planners, who were experts in these domains. This was because these very subjects were absorbed into the planning curriculum that had its roots in the social sciences, geography and architecture. Planning in India, and its education differ from the West.
Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical and rational inference that can be made from the above passage?
A.Curriculum for urban planning courses should have diverse and interdisciplinary approach.✓ Correct
B.In India, city administration is under bureaucracy which lacks formal training in urban planning and management.
C.In India, the management of urban areas is a local affair with a chronic problem of insufficient funds.
D.With high density of population and widespread poverty in our urban areas, planned development in them is very difficult.
Explanation
The passage emphasizes that successful Western planners were trained in curricula combining mathematics, computing, optimization, social sciences, geography and architecture — i.e., diverse and interdisciplinary subjects — and notes that Indian planning education differs from this. The most logical inference is therefore that urban planning curricula should adopt a diverse, interdisciplinary approach. Options (b), (c) and (d) introduce ideas (bureaucracy, funds, population density, poverty) that the passage does not discuss at all, so they cannot be inferred from the passage.
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