In the following question, a statement followed by three courses of action…
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In the following question, a statement followed by three courses of action numbered I, II and III are given. You have to assume everything in the statement to be true and on the basis of the information given in the statement, decide which of the suggested courses of action logically follow(s) for pursuing.
Statement: Many people living in the slums of western part of the town are diagnosed to be suffering from malaria.
Courses of action:
I. The municipal corporation should immediately make necessary arrangements to spray mosquito repellent in the affected area.
II. The municipal authority should immediately make necessary arrangements to provide quick medical help to the affected people.
III. The municipal authority should take steps to shift all the people staying in the slums of western part of the town to other areas.
- A.
Only I follows
- B.
Only II follows
- C.
Only I and II follow
- D.
All I, II and III follow
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Concept: In a 'statement and courses of action' item, a suggested action follows only when it is a direct, practical, and proportionate step for tackling the exact problem described — it should neither ignore an immediate, obvious need nor go beyond what the statement actually warrants when a milder, effective step already covers the situation.
Application: The statement describes an ongoing malaria outbreak among slum residents — a problem that is both preventable (by removing the mosquito vector) and treatable (by medical care for those already infected).
Spraying mosquito repellent (I) removes the vector responsible for fresh infections in the affected slum — a direct, immediate preventive step, so it follows.
Providing quick medical help (II) treats the people who are already diagnosed — a direct, immediate curative step, so it follows.
Shifting every slum resident to another area (III) is a much larger, more disruptive administrative undertaking than a treatable, preventable disease like malaria calls for, when the outbreak can already be addressed at its source and through treatment — so this step goes beyond what the statement warrants, and it does not follow.
Cross-check: Spraying and medical help together address both the cause (the vector) and the effect (the diagnosed patients) of the outbreak, which is exactly the proportionate response the statement calls for; adding relocation would only make sense if the area itself were permanently uninhabitable, which the statement never states. So only actions I and II logically follow.