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Updated on: 31 May 2026, 05:04
Originally posted by Gmat860sanskar on 31 May 2026, 04:58.
Last edited by Gmat860sanskar on 31 May 2026, 05:04, edited 1 time in total.
Last edited by Gmat860sanskar on 31 May 2026, 05:04, edited 1 time in total.
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Cause: Governments failing to enact new water-management policies
Consequence: Depletion of groundwater supplies in some regions
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
45%
(medium)
Question Stats:
57% (01:53) correct
43%
(04:43)
wrong
based on 21
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Many countries have traditionally used surface-irrigation systems, which use gravity to distribute water over the soil surface. But these systems contribute significantly to groundwater depletion. Many of these countries’ governments are not regulating such groundwater extraction properly, resulting in water table depletion in many regions. Therefore governments need to introduce new water-management policies that will curtail such practices, control allocations of water to agriculture and industry, and enable the governments to reduce those allocations when supplies become scarce or demand from other sectors increases.
Select for Cause and Consequence the options such that the information provided most strongly suggests that if the cause occurs, the consequence is likely to occur. Make only two selections, one in each column.
Select for Cause and Consequence the options such that the information provided most strongly suggests that if the cause occurs, the consequence is likely to occur. Make only two selections, one in each column.
| Cause | Consequence | |
| Governments enacting new water-management policies | ||
| Governments failing to enact new water-management policies | ||
| Depletion of groundwater supplies in some regions | ||
| Greater allocation of groundwater for agricultural use than for industrial use | ||
| Agriculture and industry voluntarily curtailing groundwater use |
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Official Answer
Cause: Governments failing to enact new water-management policies
Consequence: Depletion of groundwater supplies in some regions
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31 May 2026, 05:00
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Answer Explanation (Official):
Evaluate
We’re told that many countries’ governments are not regulating groundwater extraction properly, and that this has resulted in water table depletion in many regions. This strongly suggests that if the governments don’t change their water-management policies, the same trend will continue. That is, if these governments fail to enact new water-management policies, the likely consequence will be continued depletion of groundwater supplies in some regions.
Cause:
The correct answer is Governments failing to enact new water-management policies.
Consequence:
The correct answer is Depletion of groundwater supplies in some regions.
Evaluate
We’re told that many countries’ governments are not regulating groundwater extraction properly, and that this has resulted in water table depletion in many regions. This strongly suggests that if the governments don’t change their water-management policies, the same trend will continue. That is, if these governments fail to enact new water-management policies, the likely consequence will be continued depletion of groundwater supplies in some regions.
Cause:
The correct answer is Governments failing to enact new water-management policies.
Consequence:
The correct answer is Depletion of groundwater supplies in some regions.
31 May 2026, 07:01
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Good explanations. Let me add how I'd approach this one systematically. Two-Part Analysis questions test whether you can break a complex situation into two independent parts and evaluate the evidence for each.
Here's my process:
First, identify what the argument structure is. The prompt talks about a problem (groundwater depletion from surface irrigation) and governments' response. So I'm looking for: what caused the problem? What's the consequence if action isn't taken?
Next, read the options carefully. For the "Cause" column, you're testing whether the option actually explains why surface irrigation causes groundwater depletion. Governments failing to regulate extraction doesn't directly cause surface irrigation systems to exist (they already do). It explains why the depletion continues unchecked. That's the right cause.
For the "Consequence" column, ask yourself: if the cause occurs (governments don't enact policies), what logically follows? Continued depletion is the direct consequence. Other options might talk about farmer behavior or system efficiency, but those don't follow logically from "governments fail to regulate."
The key trap here is picking options that sound related to irrigation but don't actually fit the cause-and-effect structure. Read each column independently, then verify they work together as a pair.
This framework beats trying to guess. It's worth drilling.
Here's my process:
First, identify what the argument structure is. The prompt talks about a problem (groundwater depletion from surface irrigation) and governments' response. So I'm looking for: what caused the problem? What's the consequence if action isn't taken?
Next, read the options carefully. For the "Cause" column, you're testing whether the option actually explains why surface irrigation causes groundwater depletion. Governments failing to regulate extraction doesn't directly cause surface irrigation systems to exist (they already do). It explains why the depletion continues unchecked. That's the right cause.
For the "Consequence" column, ask yourself: if the cause occurs (governments don't enact policies), what logically follows? Continued depletion is the direct consequence. Other options might talk about farmer behavior or system efficiency, but those don't follow logically from "governments fail to regulate."
The key trap here is picking options that sound related to irrigation but don't actually fit the cause-and-effect structure. Read each column independently, then verify they work together as a pair.
This framework beats trying to guess. It's worth drilling.
