UPSC Prelims 2021— Question 38

The cooking temperature in a pressure cooker depends primarily on the pressure maintained inside the vessel, which is controlled by the load/weight on the valve and the heating conditions. The area of the lid hole is mainly related to pressure regulation and safety rather than being the principal variable in the question. The accepted combination is statements 1 and 3 in the official key, reflecting the role of the pressure-release arrangement and lid weight. The final answer-key position for Set C identifies option C as the correct option. Option A — 1 and 2 only — is not correct because it does not satisfy the specific condition tested in the question; it represents an alternative that is contradicted, incomplete, or less precise than the accepted answer. Option B — 2 and 3 only — is not correct because it does not satisfy the specific condition tested in the question; it represents an alternative that is contradicted, incomplete, or less precise than the accepted answer. Option C — 1 and 3 only — is correct because it is the alternative that matches the constitutional, historical, geographical, scientific or economic principle established above. Option D — 1, 2 and 3 — is not correct because it does not satisfy the specific condition tested in the question; it represents an alternative that is contradicted, incomplete, or less precise than the accepted answer. For PYQ interpretation, the distinction between the correct alternative and merely related facts is important. UPSC often places plausible distractors beside the precise statement that matches the underlying rule, chronology, definition or empirical relationship. The answer should therefore be read against the exact wording of the question rather than against a broadly related fact.