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UPSC 1995: “The final Agent Orange raid in Vietnam took place in 1970…. areas have begun to bloom again. But 19 years after the war’s end, it seems plain that Agent Orange is killing and maiming human beings, something it never intended to do. The apparent toxic fall-out from those clouds ... is a crop of human miseries including cancers, miscarriages and birth defects — that may persist for decades.” The offensive substance referred to in the above quotation is
(a)DDT used as insecticide
(b)a complex mixture of herbicides and weedicides used to increase agricultural output in the then South Vietnam under the US aid programme
(c)a complex mixture of DDT and other insecticides used as aerial sprays for protection against malaria and other tropical diseases
(d)dioxin used as defoliants
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Not attemptedCorrect Answer: (d) dioxin used as defoliants
Agent Orange was a Vietnam-war defoliant whose toxic constituent was the dioxin TCDD; its long-term fallout includes cancers, miscarriages and birth defects, exactly as described. Options (a)–(c) involve DDT or agricultural sprays, none of which fits the historical ‘Agent Orange’ episode. ([licchavilyceum.com](https://licchavilyceum.com/upsc-civil-services-prelims-1995-solved-question-paper/))
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the correct answer to this UPSC 1995 Environment & Ecology question?▼
The correct answer is option (d): dioxin used as defoliants. Watch the detailed video explanation in our Sherlocking Prelims course on UnlockIAS.
Which year was this Pollution & Waste Management question asked in UPSC Prelims?▼
This question was asked in UPSC CSE Prelims 1995, GS Paper 1, as Question 128. It falls under Environment & Ecology > Pollution & Waste Management.
What is the difficulty level of this UPSC question?▼
This question is rated "moderate". It requires sound conceptual understanding of the topic.
How many UPSC Prelims questions have been asked from Pollution & Waste Management?▼
UPSC has asked 38 questions from Pollution & Waste Management (under Environment & Ecology) across multiple years. Visit the topic page to see the full list and year-wise trends.