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UPSC Prelims 2025 CSAT, question 44

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.

Q44

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

I. Automobile factories are examples of the circular economy.

II. Economic growth is compatible with circular use of mineral resources.

Which of the above assumptions is/are valid ?

  1. (a) I only
  2. (b) II onlyCorrect answer
  3. (c) Both I and II
  4. (d) Neither I nor II

Solution.

Answer: (b) II only

  1. Statement I is incorrect: the passage states that less than 9% of materials are currently reused and argues that end-of-life batteries 'should' go back to factories for recovery, not that automobile factories are already examples of the circular economy.
  2. Statement II is correct: advocating material recovery and reuse to sustain battery manufacturing assumes that circular resource use is compatible with continued industrial production and growth.