Comprehension : Comprehension

Q 446 / 466

UPSC CSE Prelims 2011

In spring, polar bear mothers emerge from dens with three month old cubs. The mother bear has fasted for as long as eight months but that does not stop the young from demanding full access to her remaining reserves. If there are triplets, the most persistent stands to gain an extra meal and it may have the meal at the expense of others; The smallest 'of the litter forfeits many meals to stronger siblings. Females are protective of their cubs but tend to ignore family rivalry over food. In 21 years of photographing polar bears, I've only once seen the smallest of triplets survive till autumn.

With reference to the passage, the following assumptions have been made:

  1. Polar bears fast as long as eight months due to non-availability of prey.
  2. Polar bears always give birth to triplets.

Which of the assumptions given above is/are valid?

EXPLANATION

Correct Option (D)

Neither assumption 1 nor assumption 2 is valid based on the information provided in the passage.

  • Assumption 1 states that polar bears fast as long as eight months due to non-availability of prey. The passage mentions the mother bear "has fasted for as long as eight months" but does not specify the reason for this fasting. The text does not provide any information to confirm that the fasting is a direct consequence of prey scarcity.
  • Assumption 2 posits that polar bears always give birth to triplets. The passage uses the conditional phrase "If there are triplets," which indicates a specific scenario or possibility rather than a universal or constant occurrence. This phrasing implies that triplets are one potential litter size, not that polar bears exclusively or always produce three cubs.

Incorrect Options:

  • Option (A) "1 only" is incorrect because Assumption 1 cannot be validly inferred from the passage, as the reason for the mother bear's fasting is not stated.
  • Option (B) "2 only" is incorrect because Assumption 2 is not supported by the passage. The text indicates triplets as a possibility, not a certainty or an exclusive outcome.
  • Option (C) "Both 1 and 2" is incorrect as neither Assumption 1 nor Assumption 2 can be substantiated by the details provided in the passage.