Question

The author points out that intellectual property rights and their administration mechanism

• A. is throttling the interest of global bio-diversity
• B. is working to help sustain global bio-diversity
• C. is being sustained by global bio-diversity
• D. is what the global bio-diversity needs
• A. A high number of countries have signed both C D and TRIPs, two conflicting treaties.
• B. A narrow genetic base, if stuck to for ling, is fraught with danger
• C. Although a nondiscriminatory approach has been followed in the applicability of TRIPs, there has been a confessional attitude in prescribing a time frame for Transition, as per needs of the respective countries.
• D. The author is supportive of international conventions and treaties such as TRIPs, CBD etc.
• A. 76.5
• B. 74.5
• C. 78.5
• D. 80.2
• A. diseases among the consumers.
• B. diseases among the plants.
• C. monopoly of developed countries.
• D. monopoly of developing countries.
• A. definitely true
• B. probably true
• C. probably false
• D. definitely false

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understand the context of the passage
The passage contrasts two major international agreements — the TRIPs agreement under the WTO and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) after the Rio Earth Summit. While CBD emphasizes the preservation of biodiversity and sustainable use of resources, TRIPs pushes for uniform intellectual property rights (IPRs) across countries, irrespective of their ecological, cultural, or developmental differences. The key point raised is that TRIPs enforces conformity through IPRs, which directly undermines the diversity principle that CBD tries to uphold.

Step 2: Focus on intellectual property rights (IPRs)
According to the passage, the TRIPs agreement requires all countries to amend their national patent laws to a single standardized format covering pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, food, alloys, and other sectors. This global imposition ignores local history, ecology, and economic development levels. The CBD, however, specifically asserts in Article 16.5 that intellectual property rights must not conflict with conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity — a principle completely neglected by TRIPs. Thus, the administration of IPRs in the TRIPs framework is not aligned with the goal of protecting biodiversity.

Step 3: Evidence from agriculture
The passage illustrates how patented products with higher yields encourage farmers to adopt a narrow production pattern. This leads to a shrinking genetic base in agriculture, making economies and societies more vulnerable to plant diseases and epidemics. Although monoculture and uniformity trends began during the Green Revolution, the TRIPs framework has deepened and accelerated this pattern. Therefore, the way IPRs are being enforced under TRIPs is throttling biodiversity, instead of supporting it.

Step 4: Link to the author’s argument
The author stresses that no serious attempt has been made to reconcile the opposing approaches of CBD (diversity) and TRIPs (conformity). This contradiction reveals how intellectual property rights, as administered under TRIPs, are undermining the larger global concern of maintaining ecological and genetic diversity. Hence, the author directly points out that IPRs are throttling biodiversity and creating risks for sustainability.

Final Answer: The correct option is (A) is throttling the interest of global bio-diversity because the TRIPs agreement ignores biodiversity concerns and enforces conformity that reduces genetic and ecological diversity worldwide.

Answer 2

Step 1: Revisit the passage for the author’s stance
The passage clearly discusses two international frameworks — the TRIPs agreement under WTO and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) after the Rio Earth Summit. The author highlights their contrasting approaches: CBD promotes the principle of diversity as essential for sustaining life, whereas TRIPs enforces uniformity through standardized global intellectual property rules. Importantly, the author does not dismiss either of them outright; instead, he critically examines the conflict between them.

Step 2: Look at how the author evaluates TRIPs
The author is not fully supportive of TRIPs because he explains that it forces conformity across all member countries, disregarding their ecological, historical, and developmental contexts. He also points out that TRIPs has ignored the biodiversity protection principle mentioned in Article 16.5 of CBD. Furthermore, he shows how patent-driven agricultural practices reduce genetic diversity and make societies more vulnerable to epidemics.

Step 3: Look at how the author evaluates CBD
On the other hand, the author positively views CBD’s emphasis on diversity, describing it as fundamental for sustaining life and development. He stresses that ignoring diversity for the sake of uniformity is dangerous. Thus, he appreciates CBD’s perspective on biodiversity while criticizing TRIPs for disregarding it. However, he still acknowledges that both agreements are important international efforts that must be reconciled rather than rejected.

Step 4: Interpret the author’s broader message
The passage does not indicate that the author rejects international treaties altogether. Instead, the author sees value in these conventions and points out the urgent need to reconcile their opposing viewpoints. By mentioning that 170 countries signed CBD and 50 signed TRIPs (with 130 common members), the author shows awareness that global cooperation is essential, but he questions how such agreements can coexist without harming biodiversity. This demonstrates a critical but supportive attitude toward international treaties — he wants them improved, not discarded.

Final Answer: The correct option is (D) The author is supportive of international conventions and treaties such as TRIPs, CBD etc. because the author acknowledges their importance and urges reconciliation between their conflicting approaches rather than rejecting them outright.

Answer 3

Step 1: Extract the numerical information from the passage
The passage mentions that:
• 170 countries signed the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
• 50 countries signed the TRIPs agreement in 1994.
• There were 130 common names (countries) in both agreements.

Step 2: Identify what is asked
We are asked to find the percentage of countries that signed CBD which also signed TRIPs. This means we want:
( Number of common signatories ÷ Number of CBD signatories ) × 100.

Step 3: Perform the calculation
Number of common signatories = 130.
Number of CBD signatories = 170.

So, Percentage = (130 ÷ 170) × 100.
= 0.7647 × 100.
= 76.47%.

Step 4: Round off appropriately
The percentage comes to approximately 76.5%.

Step 5: Link to the author’s context
The author used these numbers to highlight the contradiction — while countries recognized the importance of biodiversity by signing CBD, they also supported uniformity under TRIPs, creating a conflict of commitments. The overlap of 130 countries shows how widespread this dilemma is. Hence, the percentage 76.5% is significant, because it indicates that more than three-fourths of CBD signatories also committed to TRIPs, despite their opposing principles.

Final Answer: The correct option is (A) 76.5%.

Answer 4

Step 1: Recall the relevant section of the passage
The passage explains how the TRIPs agreement and its system of patents affect agriculture. It states that when farmers adopt patented products with higher yields, they often abandon more varied production patterns. This narrowing of cultivation reduces the genetic diversity of crops in the field.

Step 2: Understand the risk of reduced genetic base
A smaller genetic base means that crops become more uniform. While uniformity may give high yields in the short run, it increases vulnerability because when one plant type is affected by a pest or disease, the entire crop is at risk. By contrast, genetic diversity creates natural resistance, as not all plants are equally susceptible.

Step 3: Author’s warning
The author explicitly states that the narrowing of the genetic base makes the economy and society more vulnerable to plant diseases and epidemics. Hence, although higher-yielding varieties seem beneficial at first glance, they also bring hidden risks that threaten sustainability.

Step 4: Broader context
This trend was already present during the Green Revolution when large-scale adoption of uniform varieties was encouraged. However, the TRIPs-driven patent system has intensified and expanded this pattern, making the danger even more serious. Therefore, the author emphasizes that higher yield alone should not be the deciding factor — biodiversity is equally critical.

Final Answer: The correct option is (B) diseases among the plants, since monoculture with higher-yield seed varieties makes crops far more susceptible to widespread plant diseases and epidemics.

Answer 5

Step 1: Go back to what the passage states about differentiation
The passage clearly describes how TRIPs agreement set different timelines for compliance depending on the level of development of a country:
• Developed countries were asked to change their laws within 5 years.
• Less developed countries were given an additional 5 years.
• The least developed countries were asked to make those changes by 2005 AD.

Step 2: Interpret this provision
This shows that TRIPs does, in fact, recognize differences between developed, less developed, and least developed nations by giving them staggered deadlines for bringing their laws into conformity with the global format. This means there is a clear differentiation between a highly developed country like the USA and an undeveloped country like Sudan in terms of implementation timeline.

Step 3: Evaluate the claim in the question
The statement says: “As per the TRIPs agreement not much differentiation is made between a developed country such as the USA and an undeveloped country such as Sudan.” Based on the evidence from the passage, this is not true because the TRIPs agreement explicitly provides different time frames. Therefore, the statement is definitely false.

Step 4: Link back to the author’s discussion
Although the author criticizes TRIPs for enforcing conformity in its overall design, he also acknowledges that the agreement gave different adjustment periods depending on levels of development. Thus, saying there is “not much differentiation” misrepresents the actual provision.

Final Answer: The correct option is (D) definitely false because the TRIPs agreement does differentiate between developed, less developed, and least developed countries by allowing different time frames for compliance.