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Difficulty: HardCause and Effect Reasoning

Read the following two statements carefully and determine the logical relation between them:

Statement I: The municipal administration enforced a 40% curtailment in the daily piped water supply to all residential and commercial zones across the metropolitan area.

Statement II: Two major thermal power generating plants situated along the regional river basin operated at less than half of their total power generation capacity.

Which of the following statements correctly describes the relationship between Statement I and Statement II?

  1. A
    Statement I is the cause and Statement II is its effect.
  2. B
    Statement II is the cause and Statement I is its effect.
  3. C
    Both Statement I and Statement II are independent causes.
  4. D
    Both Statement I and Statement II are effects of independent causes.
  5. Both Statement I and Statement II are effects of a common cause.Answer

Answer

Both Statement I and Statement II are effects of a common cause.
The correct answer identifies that both statements represent parallel effects of a common root cause—namely, acute regional water deficit due to drought. Depleted water bodies force municipal bodies to ration drinking water and simultaneously compel thermal power stations to throttle electricity generation due to lack of cooling water.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze Statement I
Statement I outlines municipal water rationing across residential and commercial sectors, which is a precautionary or reactive measure taken due to acute water scarcity.
Municipalities restrict water supply when primary storage reservoirs fall below threshold levels.
2
Analyze Statement II
Statement II describes a significant drop in power output from thermal power plants located along the river basin.
Thermal power plants require large volumes of water for condenser cooling, and reduced river flow forces plants to curtail generation.
3
Evaluate the Causal Connection
Statement I does not cause Statement II, nor does Statement II cause Statement I. Both simultaneous developments are consequences of a shared underlying condition: a severe drought leading to depleted river and reservoir levels across the region.
A common environmental factor (water basin depletion) independently impacts municipal supply capabilities and thermal power cooling capacity.

Key Concept

Common Cause Relationship in Logical Reasoning
Estimated Time:2m 0s
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Topics

Cause and Effect Reasoning

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