Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made: 1. Large-scale soil erosion is a major reason for widespread food insecurity in the world. 2. Soil erosion is mainly anthropogenic. 3. Sustainable management of soils helps in combating climate change. Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

Passage

Soil, in which nearly all our food grows, is a living resource that takes years to form. Yet it can vanish in minutes. Each year 75 billion tonnes of fertile soil is lost to erosion. That is alarming — and not just for food producers. Soil can trap huge quantities of carbon dioxide in the form of organic carbon and prevent it from escaping into the atmosphere.

QUESTION

CSAT

Medium

Comprehension

Prelims 2019

Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:

Large-scale soil erosion is a major reason for widespread food insecurity in the world.
Soil erosion is mainly anthropogenic.
Sustainable management of soils helps in combating climate change.

Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

Select an option to attempt

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect. The passage mentions that soil is where "nearly all our food grows" and that 75 billion tonnes of fertile soil is lost each year to erosion. However, while this implies a potential link to food production, the passage does not explicitly state or confirm that soil erosion is a major reason for food insecurity. Therefore, this assumption cannot be directly validated from the passage.

Statement 2 is incorrect. The passage does not discuss the causes of soil erosion, whether natural or anthropogenic (human-induced). It only states that erosion leads to the loss of fertile soil. Hence, this assumption cannot be validated from the passage.

Statement 3 is correct. The passage highlights that soil can trap carbon dioxide in the form of organic carbon and prevent it from escaping into the atmosphere. This implies that managing soil sustainably to preserve its carbon-trapping ability would help combat climate change. Therefore, this assumption can be validated from the passage.

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