Question 1

The Green Revolution of the 1960s transformed India's agricultural landscape through the introduction of high-yield variety (HYV) seeds, synthetic fertilisers, and modern irrigation techniques. Initially confined to Punjab and Haryana, this movement dramatically increased food grain production, making India self-sufficient in wheat and rice. However, the intensive farming practices depleted soil nutrients, reduced biodiversity, and created dependency on chemical inputs. While the revolution solved the immediate crisis of food scarcity, it presented new environmental challenges that persist today.

Question: What is the primary theme of the passage?

Accepted Answer

The passage discusses the Green Revolution's dual nature: its success in achieving food self-sufficiency (lines 1–3) and its negative environmental consequences (lines 4–5). The concluding sentence synthesises both aspects, indicating that the primary theme is the paradox of agricultural modernisation—solving one problem while creating new ones. Option (b) captures this balance between achievement and cost, which is the central idea the author develops throughout the passage.

Question 2

The Green Revolution of the 1960s transformed agricultural output in India, particularly in Punjab and Haryana. By introducing high-yielding variety seeds, chemical fertilisers, and mechanised irrigation, the government aimed to achieve food self-sufficiency. While the revolution succeeded in eliminating widespread famine and boosting grain production, critics argue that it simultaneously depleted groundwater reserves, degraded soil fertility over decades, and marginalised small farmers who could not afford the new inputs. The prosperity it generated was thus unevenly distributed, benefiting larger landholders disproportionately and leaving subsistence farmers increasingly vulnerable to debt and crop failure.

Question: Which of the following can be most reasonably inferred from the passage about the Green Revolution?

Accepted Answer

The passage explicitly states that 'prosperity it generated was thus unevenly distributed, benefiting larger landholders disproportionately.' It also notes that small farmers were 'marginalised' and left 'vulnerable to debt.' This supports the inference that the Green Revolution's benefits were not equally accessible to all farmers. Option A is incorrect because the passage says famine was eliminated, not that it worsened. Option C is too absolute — the passage says it 'succeeded in eliminating widespread famine.' Option D contradicts the passage, which credits mechanised irrigation as a key tool of the revolution.

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