Inferring the consequences of biodiversity loss
Question
Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical, rational and practical message conveyed by the passage?
Options
Farmers can use caterpillars to feed on weeds in their crop fields/plantations.
This finding can help in the development of clinically useful antimicrobial compounds.
This finding can help in the development of organic, ecologically sustainable pesticides.
Caterpillars can be genetically modified to be predators of the other plant pests.
Explanation
The passage details how caterpillar frass suppresses a plant's defenses[cite: 1981, 1982]. Understanding this chemical pathway helps scientists decode "plant response to pathogens". The most practical agricultural application of manipulating plant-pest defenses is designing smarter, ecologically sustainable crop protection tools like biological pesticides. Option (a) contradicts the text because these specific caterpillars feed on corn, not weeds, while option (b) focuses incorrectly on human clinical medicine.
Answer: (c).
Question details
Year
2024
Paper
CSAT
Question
Q53
Section
Reading Comprehension
Sub-topic
Environment / Ecology passage
Type
Factual single
Difficulty
Medium
Source hint
Passage-based comprehension
Same sub-topic — other years
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