UPSC Prelims 2018 · Question 65 of 99
UPSC Prelims 2018 question on Carbon Fertilization
- ExamUPSC CSE
- Year2018
- PaperGeneral Studies Paper I
- SubjectEnvironment and Ecology
- TopicClimate Change
- DifficultyMedium
- TypeDirect
Which of the following statements best describes 'carbon fertilization'?
Show answer
Answer: A. Increased plant growth due to increased concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
Analysis
Option (a) best describes carbon fertilisation, so the answer is (a).
The carbon fertilisation effect is straightforward in principle: the larger amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere resulting from rising anthropogenic emissions should help the growth of plants, which use carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, and the effect ought to increase crop yields.
Options (b) and (c) describe the greenhouse effect and ocean acidification respectively. Both are genuine consequences of rising carbon dioxide, which is exactly why they are attractive, but neither is what the word fertilisation denotes. Option (d) describes adaptation, a far broader idea. Option (b) would have been right only if the term were carbon forcing or greenhouse warming.
Source
Environmental Research Web article on the carbon fertilization effect, and The Hindu report on tropical forests absorbing more carbon dioxide than thought.
How to crack it
Take the metaphor in the term seriously. Fertilisation is about making plants grow, so among four true statements about carbon dioxide, pick the one about plant growth. UPSC frequently builds an option set where every option is factually true and only one matches the term being defined, so match the term to its meaning rather than checking options for truth.
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