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UPSC Prelims 2025 CSAT, question 43

Topic: Reading comprehension

Directions · Q41 to Q44

Directions for the following 4 (four) items :
Read the following two passages and answer the items that follow the passages. Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only.

Passage · Q43 to Q44

In only 50 years, the world's consumption of raw materials has nearly quadrupled, to more than 100 billion tons. Less than 9% of this is reused. Batteries of old vehicles contain materials such as lithium, cobalt, manganese and nickel that are pricey and can be hard to obtain. Supply chains are long and complicated. Buyers' risks are being aggravated by their suppliers' poor environmental and labour standards. Reusing materials makes sense. Once batteries reach the ends of their lives, they should go back to a factory where their ingredients can be recovered and put into new batteries.

Q43

Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical, rational and pragmatic message conveyed by the passage ?

  1. (a) Green economy is not possible without reusing critical minerals.
  2. (b) Every sector of economy should adapt the reuse of material resources immediately.
  3. (c) Circular economy can be beneficial for sustainable growth.Correct answer
  4. (d) Circular use of material resources is the only option for some industries for their survival.

Solution.

Answer: (c) Circular economy can be beneficial for sustainable growth.

  1. The passage highlights soaring raw material consumption, low reuse (< 9%), supply-chain risks, and the value of recovering lithium, cobalt, manganese, and nickel from end-of-life vehicle batteries to make new batteries.
  2. This directly illustrates how a circular economy (reusing and recovering materials) supports sustainable economic growth.