Study the given statement then decide which of the suggested course of action follows logically : Statement : The meteorological department has issued a notification forecasting less rainfall during next year’s monsoon. Course of Action: I. The government should make arguments to provide water to the affected areas. II. The farmers should be advised to be ready for the eventuality.

RPSC deleted this question in its final answer key, so no option is marked correct.

The stem gives a statement and two courses of action. The statement: the meteorological department has issued a notification forecasting less rainfall during next year’s monsoon.

A forecast is advance notice of a likely outcome, not a report that the outcome has happened. A course of action that responds to it is a preparatory step, judged on whether it is practical and aimed at the likely effects.

Course I, as printed in English, reads: "The government should make arguments to provide water to the affected areas." The Hindi text of the same course reads "सरकार को प्रभावित क्षेत्रों में जल उपलब्ध कराने के लिये प्रबंध करना चाहिये", where प्रबंध means arrangements.

Course II reads: "The farmers should be advised to be ready for the eventuality." It is addressed to farmers, whose rain-fed crops depend on rainfall.

The four options are the four ways of combining a verdict on each course: neither, both, only II, or only I. Each course is judged on its own first; the option then records the two verdicts together.

Why the others are wrong

• (1)
  Neither I nor II follows. — Option (1) rejects both courses. RPSC's final key marks no option, so this card does not judge it.

  A "neither" verdict fits a pair in which each course fails on its own: it is impractical, out of proportion to the situation, or aimed at something the statement does not raise.

• (2)
  Both I and II follow. — Option (2) accepts both courses. The final key marks no option, so this card does not judge it.

  A "both" verdict needs each course, taken separately, to be a practical step aimed at the likely effect of a forecast of less rainfall. One course passing the test does not carry the other.

• (3)
  Only II follows. — Option (3) accepts course II, advising farmers to be ready, and rejects course I. The final key marks no option, so this card does not judge it.

  An "only II" verdict needs course II to pass the test and course I, the government's step to provide water, to fail it.

• (4)
  Only I follows. — Option (4) accepts course I, the government's step to provide water, and rejects course II. The final key marks no option, so this card does not judge it.

  An "only I" verdict needs course I to pass the test and course II, the advice to farmers, to fail it.

In statement-and-courses-of-action reasoning, the statement is taken as true, and each course proposes a step in response. Each course is judged separately.

A course follows when it is practical, within the reach of whoever is asked to act, and likely to reduce the problem or prepare for it.

A course does not follow when it is drastic out of proportion, aimed at something the statement does not raise, or likely to create a bigger problem than it solves.

When the statement reports a forecast rather than an event, the test is the same: a step can respond to a likely outcome before it happens.

Key facts

• A course of action follows if it is practical and deals with the stated problem, or prepares for a stated risk, without creating a larger problem.
• Each course is judged on its own; the answer choice then combines the two verdicts.
• A forecast states a likely outcome; it is not a report that the outcome has happened.
• The English text of course I prints "make arguments"; the Hindi text of the same course prints "प्रबंध करना" (to make arrangements).
• RPSC's final answer key for RAS Prelims 2023 marks this question as deleted.

Common traps

• Reading a forecast as an event. The statement reports a forecast of less rainfall, not a shortage that has already happened, so each course is weighed as preparation.
• Judging the pair before each course. Decide on course I and course II separately; the chosen option only records the two verdicts.
• Rejecting a course because it does not solve everything. A course need not be the only possible step; it has to be practical and aimed at the stated situation.

UnlockIAS will link similar questions from RAS Pre 2018 and 2013 here once those papers are published on this site.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Statement : A survey has found that many government schools in a district have no drinking-water facility. Courses of Action : I. These schools should be closed until drinking water is available. II. The district administration should arrange drinking water in these schools.

  • (a)Neither I nor II follows.
  • (b)Both I and II follow.
  • (c)Only II follows.
  • (d)Only I follows.
  Answer(3) — II is a practical step aimed directly at the reported shortage, so it follows. I shuts the schools and stops teaching, a larger problem than the one reported, so it does not. Option (1) rejects the practical step, option (2) accepts the closure, and option (4) keeps only the closure.
• practice — not a real PYQ

  Statement : The weather office has forecast a severe cold wave in the region for the coming week. Courses of Action : I. The administration should arrange night shelters for homeless people. II. All schools in the State should be closed for the rest of the academic year.

  • (a)Neither I nor II follows.
  • (b)Both I and II follow.
  • (c)Only II follows.
  • (d)Only I follows.
  Answer(4) — I is a practical preparation for the forecast cold, aimed at people without shelter, so it follows. II closes schools for the rest of the year against a one-week forecast, out of proportion to the risk, so it does not.

  Option (1) rejects the shelters, option (2) accepts the year-long closure, and option (3) keeps only the closure.