UPSC CSE 2025 · PYQ · Reading Comprehension / Central Idea · medium
Which one of the following statements best reflects the central idea conveyed by the passage? [Passage 1: It is hard to predict how changes in the climate and the atmosphere's chemistry will affect the prevalence and virulence of agricultural diseases. But there is a risk that such changes will make some plant infections more common in all climatic zones, perhaps catastrophically so. Part of the problem is that centuries of selective breeding have refined the genomes of most high-value crops. They are spectacular at growing in today's conditions but genetic variations that are not immediately useful to them have been bred out. This is good for yields but bad for coping with changes. A minor disease or even an unknown one could suddenly rampage through a genetically honed crop.]
A.Global climate change adversely affects the productivity of crops.
B.Our total dependence on genetically honed crops entails possible food insecurity.✓ Correct
C.Our food security should not depend on agricultural productivity alone.
D.Genetically honed crops should be replaced with their wild varieties in our present cultivation practices.
Explanation
The central idea of the passage is the vulnerability of modern crops to disease due to genetic uniformity. The passage emphasizes that centuries of selective breeding have stripped crops of genetic variation, making them excellent for current conditions but poorly equipped to handle disease and climate-induced changes. The author warns that a single disease could 'rampage through a genetically honed crop,' implying our dependence on these crops creates food insecurity risk. Option (b) captures this dependence-and-risk message most precisely. Option (a) focuses only on productivity, not the genetic vulnerability angle. Option (c) is a derivative suggestion not central to the passage. Option (d) is an extreme prescription the passage does not advocate.
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