With reference to the passage on plant diseases and climate change, the following assumptions have been made:

Question

With reference to the passage on plant diseases and climate change, the following assumptions have been made:

I. Global climate change can result in the migration of several plant diseases to new areas.

II. Scientific understanding of the wild relatives of our present crops would enable us to strengthen food security.

Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

1. A. I only
2. B. II only
3. C. Both I and II (Correct answer)
4. D. Neither I nor II

Correct Answer

Option C — Both I and II

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Both I and II.

Key Points

• Assumption I: Climate change can cause plant diseases to migrate to new regions — the passage mentions risk that changes will make infections more common "in all climatic zones," implying spread/migration. I is valid.
• Assumption II: Understanding wild relatives would strengthen food security — the passage implies loss of genetic variation (bred out) is the problem; understanding wild relatives (which retain this variation) would address this. II is valid. Answer: Both I and II.

Additional Information

• An assumption is something the passage must be taking for granted for its argument to hold — it need not be stated outright, but it cannot contradict the text or introduce a new claim.
• Assumption I is supported because the passage warns that infections will become more common across climatic zones, which presupposes that diseases move into areas they did not previously affect.
• Assumption II is supported because the passage identifies the loss of genetic variation in modern crops as the vulnerability; wild relatives retain that variation, so studying them is the implied remedy.
• In UPSC CSAT assumption questions, reject any option that is too strong (using *only*, *always*, *never*) or that supplies a cause the passage never suggests — those two tests eliminate most distractors.