Reading Comprehension Exercises with Answers for UPSC 2024 in English | PASSAGE – 9

Inference/Conclusion based questions

These questions ask the aspirant to infer from the information given in the passage or draw a conclusion. The conclusion could be directly given in the passage or it could be that the aspirant needs to draw the inferences themselves. Inferences can usually be drawn from anywhere within the passage while conclusions will focus on the last few lines. The words to look out for are “concluding remarks”, “infer”, “inference”.

Example Passage

Our cities are extremely vulnerable to climate change because of large concentrations of populations and poor infrastructure. Moreover, population densities are increasing in them but we have not yet developed the systems to address climate change impacts. Our cities contribute to 65 percent of the GDP, but there are not enough facilities to address the issues of air quality, transport, etc., that are vital to identifying sustainable solutions. We need to involve citizens in city planning and create an ecosystem that meets the needs of the people.

Which of the following is the most logical and rational inference that can be made from the passage given above?

a. Our cities need to have well-defined administrative set-up with sufficient autonomy.

b. Ever increasing population densities is a hindrance in our efforts to achieve sustainable development.

c. To maintain and develop our cities we need to adopt sustainability related interventions.

d. Public-private Partnership mode of development is the viable long-term solution for the infrastructure and sustainability problems in India.

Answer and Explanation

This passage is about cities that are being affected due to climate change. Since inference based questions require critical thinking by you, you need to read the passage very carefully to determine the most logical inference. After reading the passage, think about what the passage is indicating since the answer is not directly there in the passage. Here while options a), b) and d) are all true statements, option c) is the most appropriate option.