Comprehension : Comprehension

Q 422 / 466

UPSC CSE Prelims 2012

Read the following passage and answer the items that follow. Your answers to these items should be based on the passage only.

The poor especially in market economies need the strength that collectivises offer for creating more economic, social and political space for themselves, for enhancing, their socioeconomic well-being and voice, and as a protection against free- market individualism. It has been argued that a group approach to farming, especially in the form of bottom up agricultural production collectivises, offers substantial scope for poverty as well as enhancing agricultural productivity. To realize this potential, however, the groups would need to be voluntary in nature, small in size, participative in decision making and equitable in work sharing and benefit distribution. There are many notable examples of such collectivises to be found in varied contexts, such as in the transition economies. All of them bear witness to the possibility of successful cooperation under given conditions. And although the gender impact of the family cooperatives in the transition economies are uncertain, the Indian examples of women-only groups farming offer considerable potential for benefiting women.
What does the author imply by ‘gender impact’?

EXPLANATION

Correct Option (3)

The passage explicitly states that while the "gender impact of the family cooperatives in the transition economies are uncertain," the "Indian examples of women-only groups farming offer considerable potential for benefiting women." This directly links the concept of 'gender impact' to the potential for women to derive benefits from group farming initiatives.

Incorrect Options:

  • Option (1) "Women are doubtful participants in cooperatives": The passage does not imply any doubt regarding women's participation in cooperatives. It discusses the impact of such cooperatives on women, not their willingness or ability to participate.
  • Option (2) "Family cooperatives may not include women": The passage refers to "family cooperatives" and then discusses their "gender impact." This does not suggest that women are excluded from these cooperatives. The uncertainty lies in the nature of the impact on women within these structures, not their presence.
  • Option (4) "Women’s role in transition economies is highly restrictive": The passage mentions that the "gender impact... are uncertain." This statement indicates a lack of clarity regarding the effects on women, not a definitive assertion that their role is "highly restrictive." The passage does not generalize women's overall role in transition economies.