Ten jawans and a civilian driver, who were returning in a van following an…
2023
Ten jawans and a civilian driver, who were returning in a van following an anti-Maoist operation, were killed in a blast caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada on April 26. The IED was planted beneath a metalled road. The impact was so forceful that it created a huge crater on the road.
Though this attack, which according to the State Police had been carried out by the proscribed Communist Party of India (Maoist), is under investigation, the larger issues of the use of IEDs and of tackling such devices must be seriously addressed at different levels—the government, industries, the Maoists, and the security forces—despite the government’s claim that the base of the Maoists has shrunk and violence has decreased.
IEDs are among the most potent tools deployed by the Maoists. Even a small formation of Maoists can cause huge damage to the security forces by using an IED. Therefore, the recent theft of about 7,000 detonators by suspected Maoists from West Singhbhum, Jharkhand, is alarming.
The technical equipment used by the security forces to detect IEDs has its limitations. If the quantity of metal in an IED is low or the IED is planted deep under the road, mine detectors may fail to find it. Though hundreds of IEDs are detected and defused every year, the search party could always miss a few due to technical reasons. Ground-penetrating radar, which can detect recent disturbances in the soil’s subsurface, has also not proved successful.
IEDs are difficult to detect because:
A. Maoists are very powerful.
B. Mine detectors are often unable to detect them.
C. Search parties are not thorough.
D. There is a lack of proper technology.
E. Ground-penetrating radar has not been successful in detecting them.
Choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below.
Answer: D. B, D and E only — ConceptIn a multiple-statement reading-comprehension item, each statement must be tested only against what the passage explicitly says or necessarily implies.…
- A.
A, C and D only
- B.
B, C and D only
- C.
D and E only
- D.
B, D and E only
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Concept
In a multiple-statement reading-comprehension item, each statement must be tested only against what the passage explicitly says or necessarily implies.
A statement is not accepted merely because it sounds plausible; the final combination must contain every supported statement and exclude every unsupported one.
Application
The passage says mine detectors may fail when an IED contains little metal or is planted deep, so the mine-detector statement is supported.
It attributes missed IEDs to technical reasons, not to Maoist power or a lack of thoroughness in search parties.
It says detection equipment has limitations, which supports the statement about inadequate technology.
It says ground-penetrating radar has not proved successful, so that statement is supported.
Contrast
Maoist power concerns destructive capability, not why devices are hard to detect.
The passage does not blame search-party carelessness; it says even a search party may miss devices because of technical limits.
Cross-check
The supported claims map to the passage’s two detection limitations: mine detectors can fail under certain physical conditions, and ground-penetrating radar has not worked reliably. Neither Maoist power nor search-party carelessness is given as a detection cause.
Result
Thus, the supported statements are B, D and E, so the answer is B, D and E only.