Comprehension
Two recent developments have brought India's reliance on fossil fuel into sharp focus. The Russia-Ukraine conflict and the consequent surge in crude oil prices roiled the economy. Separately, the most recent IPCC report on climate highlighted the energy sector's large contribution to global warming. Both these developments need to be located in the context of India's pledge to get to net zero carbon emissions by 2070. Meeting this pledge requires an overhaul of both the logistics and electricity sectors to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Transitioning to renewables in energy is an important part of the solution. Within renewables, solar energy has been lavished with policy support. However, it won't be enough to meet the targets. Anil Kakodkar, former chairman of Atomic Energy Commission, had written that India can't meet its net-zero commitment without nuclear power. He's right. It's an area where India was off to an early start, developed relatively high indigenous capabilities in relation to other sectors, but subsequently let the ball drop. Today, nuclear power contributes a mere 3% of the total electricity generated, and has a capacity of 6780 MW. After the early euphoria of the India-United States civil nuclear deal, progress has been disappointing. The deal did open the pathway to a stable supply of uranium ore from Kazakhstan and Canada. However, the design of the subsequent bill on civil liability for nuclear damage killed the prospect of participation of Western firms. India's main partner today is Russia. which side stepped the bill through inter-government agreements.
Question: 1
What is the central idea in the passage as conveyed by the author?
What is the central idea in the passage as conveyed by the author?
Updated On: Jul 14, 2026
- India needs to increase use of nuclear power.
- India needs to increase production of fossil fuels.
- India needs to enter into multilateral agreements addressing use of nuclear power.
- Nuclear energy is a renewable source of power.
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The Correct Option is A
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The correct option is (A): India needs to increase use of nuclear power.
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The question asks for the central idea the author is building across the passage, which moves from the fossil-fuel problem to a specific proposed solution.
- India needs to increase use of nuclear power: The passage explicitly endorses Anil Kakodkar's claim that India can't meet its net-zero commitment without nuclear power, with the author agreeing outright. The rest of the passage then details India's underused nuclear capacity, its early lead, and the setbacks since, all building the case that nuclear power needs to be scaled up. This is the throughline of the entire passage.
- India needs to increase production of fossil fuels: This runs directly opposite to the passage, which opens by describing India's reliance on fossil fuels as a problem exposed by the Russia-Ukraine crisis and the IPCC report, not something to be expanded.
- India needs to enter into multilateral agreements addressing use of nuclear power: The passage does discuss the India-US civil nuclear deal and current reliance on Russia, but this is offered as background on why nuclear progress has stalled, not as the passage's central recommendation.
- Nuclear energy is a renewable source of power: The passage discusses nuclear energy separately from renewables, noting that solar has been lavished with policy support within renewables while nuclear is treated as a distinct, additional piece of the solution, so this claim about nuclear being a renewable source doesn't reflect how the passage frames it.
The passage's argument builds consistently toward one point, that scaling up nuclear power is necessary for India to meet its net-zero pledge.
Therefore, the correct answer is India needs to increase use of nuclear power.
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Question: 2
According to the author, which of the following measures will not help India achieve its pledge of net zero carbon emissions by 2070?
According to the author, which of the following measures will not help India achieve its pledge of net zero carbon emissions by 2070?
Updated On: Jul 14, 2026
- Logistical changes
- Changes in electricity sector
- Reduction in use of solar power
- Increase in use of nuclear power
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The Correct Option is C
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The correct option is (C): Reduction in use of solar power.
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This question asks which of the listed measures would NOT help India meet its net-zero pledge, according to the passage's reasoning.
- Logistical changes: The passage states that meeting the net-zero pledge requires an overhaul of both the logistics and electricity sectors, so logistical changes are explicitly named as part of the solution, not something that fails to help.
- Changes in the electricity sector: This is named alongside logistics as one of the two sectors that need an overhaul to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, so it is also explicitly part of the solution.
- Reduction in use of solar power: Solar is described as a renewable source that has been lavished with policy support precisely because it helps move India away from fossil fuels, even though the passage notes it alone won't be enough. Cutting back on solar power would work against, not support, the transition the passage argues for.
- Increase in use of nuclear power: The passage argues explicitly that India cannot meet its net-zero commitment without expanding nuclear power, making this a measure that directly helps achieve the pledge.
Since logistics, electricity-sector reform, and expanding nuclear power are all named as necessary parts of the solution, while cutting back on solar power would undercut the renewable transition the passage supports, reducing solar use is the one measure that would not help.
Therefore, the correct answer is Reduction in use of solar power.
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Question: 3
According to the author, which of the following is not the effect of India's reliance on fossil fuels?
According to the author, which of the following is not the effect of India's reliance on fossil fuels?
Updated On: Jul 14, 2026
- Global warming
- Increase in crude oil prices
- Relations with Middle East
- Less reliance on renewable sources of power
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The Correct Option is C
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The correct option is (C): Relations with Middle East.
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This question asks which option is NOT identified in the passage as an effect of India's reliance on fossil fuels.
- Global warming: The passage cites the IPCC report highlighting the energy sector's large contribution to global warming, directly linking fossil fuel reliance to this effect.
- Increase in crude oil prices: The passage opens with the Russia-Ukraine conflict causing a surge in crude oil prices that roiled the economy, which the passage frames as a consequence exposed by India's dependence on fossil fuels for its energy needs.
- Relations with Middle East: The passage never mentions the Middle East or India's diplomatic or trade relations with the region at any point, it discusses the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the IPCC report, and India's own nuclear and renewable energy choices, none of which touch on Middle East relations.
- Less reliance on renewable sources of power: The passage's overall argument is that fossil fuel dependence has come at the cost of underdeveloped renewable and nuclear capacity, solar has needed extra policy support and nuclear has been left underused, both signs that reliance on fossil fuels has kept renewable sources comparatively underdeveloped.
Since global warming, the oil price surge, and underdeveloped renewable capacity are all effects the passage links to fossil fuel reliance, while Middle East relations are never discussed at all, that is the option that is not an effect mentioned in the passage.
Therefore, the correct answer is Relations with Middle East.
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Question: 4
According to the author, which of the following is the effect of the India-United States civil nuclear deal?
According to the author, which of the following is the effect of the India-United States civil nuclear deal?
Updated On: Jul 14, 2026
- Export-Import target with United States
- Removal of bottlenecks for self-reliance in power generation
- Nuclear Defence Pact with Kazakhstan
- Self-reliance in Solar Power
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The Correct Option is B
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The correct option is (B): Removal of bottlenecks for self-reliance in power generation.
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The question asks about the effect of the India-United States civil nuclear deal as described by the author. Let's assess each option on its own merits:
- Export-Import target with United States: The civil nuclear deal was not framed around setting a trade or export-import target between the two countries. Its core purpose was to end India's nuclear isolation and open the door to nuclear commerce, not to fix a bilateral trade quota. This option does not describe an actual outcome of the deal.
- Removal of bottlenecks for self-reliance in power generation: After India's 1974 nuclear test, it was cut off from international nuclear trade for decades, which starved its civil nuclear power programme of fuel, equipment and technology. The India-US deal, formalised through the 123 Agreement and the Nuclear Suppliers Group waiver, lifted this embargo and allowed India to import uranium and reactor technology, directly removing the barriers that had been holding back its power generation capacity. This matches the effect described.
- Nuclear Defence Pact with Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan is a major uranium supplier and India did later sign civil nuclear cooperation agreements with it, but this has nothing to do with a defence pact and is unrelated to the India-US deal, which is a bilateral civil nuclear arrangement, not a multilateral defence treaty.
- Self-reliance in Solar Power: The India-US civil nuclear deal is specifically about nuclear energy cooperation. Solar power falls outside its scope entirely, so this option misidentifies the subject matter of the deal.
Only the removal of bottlenecks for self-reliance in power generation accurately captures what the India-US civil nuclear deal achieved, by ending decades of nuclear trade isolation.
Therefore, the correct answer is Removal of bottlenecks for self-reliance in power generation.
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Question: 5
According to the author, Western firms lost the opportunity of doing business in the nuclear production in India because:
According to the author, Western firms lost the opportunity of doing business in the nuclear production in India because:
Updated On: Jul 14, 2026
- They had to pay hefty penalties for delay in supply
- They do not find nuclear power profitable
- They do not agree with India's place of nuclear plants
- They failed to circumvent internal laws by other bilateral instruments
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The Correct Option is D
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The correct option is (D): They failed to circumvent internal laws by other bilateral instruments.
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The question asks why Western firms lost the opportunity to do business in India's nuclear production sector, according to the author. Let's examine each option:
- They had to pay hefty penalties for delay in supply: Supply-delay penalties are a standard commercial risk in any contract and are not specific to why Western nuclear suppliers stayed away from India. This does not capture the actual reason.
- They do not find nuclear power profitable: Global nuclear equipment makers were actively pursuing the Indian market after the civil nuclear deal opened it up; profitability was not their concern, legal exposure was.
- They do not agree with India's place of nuclear plants: Siting decisions for nuclear plants are made by the Indian government and its regulators; the location of a plant is not something foreign suppliers negotiate or block a deal over.
- They failed to circumvent internal laws by other bilateral instruments: India's Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010 placed liability on equipment suppliers in a way that departs from the international norm of channelling liability solely to the plant operator. Western firms tried to get around this exposure through side agreements and bilateral understandings, but these could not override India's own domestic legislation, leaving their liability risk intact and driving them away from Indian contracts.
The reason Western firms walked away was not cost, profitability, or plant location, but their inability to use bilateral arrangements to sidestep India's strict domestic liability law.
Therefore, the correct answer is They failed to circumvent internal laws by other bilateral instruments.
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Top CLAT Questions
- In the realm of contemporary literature, the interplay between character and setting is a nuanced dance that shapes the narrative’s essence. The setting, often described with painstaking detail, becomes more than a backdrop; it becomes a character, influencing the plot and character development.
Consider, for instance, the barren expanse of the desert in Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake. The arid landscape mirrors the sense of isolation felt by the protagonist, Gogol, as he navigates his identity crisis in a foreign land. The relentless sun and vast sands are not mere descriptions; they are the silent witnesses to his inner turmoil.
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Yes, there were some apricot trees close to the house. There were clumps of iris that had finished blooming. There was the kitchen with a wing of smoke lifting out of its chimney and a stack of wood outside its door. But these were incidental, almost unimportant.
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The 19th century ushered in a new era of literary giants. Jane Austen’s novels, such as Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, provide incisive social commentary through the lens of wit and romance. Austen’s heroines, like Elizabeth Bennet and Elinor Dashwood, remain beloved literary figures known for their intelligence and resilience. The Romantic era brought forth poets like William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who celebrated * 8 UG the beauty of nature and the emotional intensity of the individual. Wordsworth’s ‘‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’’ and Coleridge’s ‘‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’’ are testament to the power of the written words to evoke profound emotions and imagery. Moving towards 20th century, English literature continued to evolve. Virginia Woolf’s ground-breaking novel Mrs. Dalloway explored the inner thoughts and lives of its characters with a modernist narrative style. Dystopian visions, as seen in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four provided stark warnings about the dangers of totalitarianism and the erosion of individual freedom.
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Centuries hence you will find Indian children brought up to this spot, just as they visit now the Cawnpore Well, and you can imagine the feelings of these Indians for generations over this terrible business.
[Col. Wedgwood, MP, speaking in the British Parliament, 22 December 1919]
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