UPSC Prelims 2021— Question 47

Sugarcane is highly water-intensive compared with crops such as pearl millet and red gram. Its long growing duration and substantial evapotranspiration make its water requirement high. Sunflower is also relatively water-demanding, but the question asks for the least water-efficient among the listed crops, for which sugarcane is the clear answer. The final answer-key position for Set C identifies option A as the correct option. Option A — Sugarcane — is correct because it is the alternative that matches the constitutional, historical, geographical, scientific or economic principle established above. Option B — Sunflower — is not correct because it does not satisfy the specific condition tested in the question; it represents an alternative that is contradicted, incomplete, or less precise than the accepted answer. Option C — Pearl millet — is not correct because it does not satisfy the specific condition tested in the question; it represents an alternative that is contradicted, incomplete, or less precise than the accepted answer. Option D — Red gram — is not correct because it does not satisfy the specific condition tested in the question; it represents an alternative that is contradicted, incomplete, or less precise than the accepted answer. For PYQ interpretation, the distinction between the correct alternative and merely related facts is important. UPSC often places plausible distractors beside the precise statement that matches the underlying rule, chronology, definition or empirical relationship. The answer should therefore be read against the exact wording of the question rather than against a broadly related fact.