With reference to the passage, the following assumptions have been made: The growing divergence between the fortunes of the agricultural and non-agricultural economy in India could have been reduced/contained by: I. adapting large-scale cultivation of commercial crops and viable corporate farming. II. providing free insurance for all crops and heavily subsidizing seeds, fertilizers, electricity and farm machinery at par with developed countries. Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
- A. I only
- B. II only
- C. Both I and II
- D. Neither I nor II
Answer: D
Explanation
The passage describes the problem of the agricultural sector’s stagnation and its divergence from the non-agricultural economy but does not offer any solutions or specific causes for this divergence. Therefore, any assumptions about how this divergence could have been reduced, such as through large-scale commercial farming (Statement I) or extensive subsidies (Statement II), go beyond the scope of the information provided in the passage. The passage does not provide a basis to validate either of these as assumptions made by the author. This question tests the strict interpretation of assumptions based *only* on the passage, discouraging the use of external knowledge, which is a common pitfall in UPSC CSAT RC questions.