Passage

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.

QUESTION

CSAT

Easy

Comprehension

Prelims 2025

Which one of the following statements best reflects the central idea conveyed by the passage?

Select an option to attempt

Explanation

Statement A is incorrect: The passage does mention risks from climate change, but the main focus is not on general crop productivity—it is on vulnerability due to lack of genetic diversity.

Statement B is correct: The passage emphasizes that because modern crops are genetically refined and lack variation, they may be unable to cope with new or changing diseases, leading to possible food insecurity.

Statement C is incorrect: The passage does not argue that food security depends on factors beyond agricultural productivity; it focuses specifically on genetic vulnerability.

Statement D is incorrect: The passage does not recommend replacing current crops with wild varieties; it only warns of the risks due to reduced genetic diversity.