GATE CS 2010 Q63 — General Aptitude

To find the statement that best sums up the meaning of the passage, let us analyze the text sentence by sentence:

1. "Modern warfare has changed from large scale clashes of armies to suppression of civilian populations."
   This sets the context by describing the shift in the nature of modern warfare.
2. "Chemical agents that do their work silently appear to be suited to such warfare..."
   This explains why chemical agents are relevant to this new form of warfare (suppression of civilians).
3. "...and regretfully, there exist people in military establishments who think that chemical agents are useful tools for their cause."
   This is the core conclusion of the passage. It highlights the critical concern: that individuals within military organizations view chemical weapons as practical tools and are inclined to use them.

Now let us evaluate the given options:

• Option A: "Modern warfare has resulted in civil strife."
  Incorrect. The passage states that modern warfare involves the suppression of civilians, which is different from causing internal civil strife.
• Option B: "Chemical agents are useful in modern warfare."
  Incorrect. This is an observation/premise mentioned in the text, but it does not capture the complete meaning or the author's main point regarding the military's attitude.
• Option C: "Use of chemical agents in warfare would be undesirable."
  Incorrect. Although the author uses the word "regretfully," the passage is primarily informative about the current state of military thinking rather than just expressing a moral opinion.
• Option D: "People in military establishments like to use chemical agents in war."
  Correct. This directly summarizes the main assertion of the passage: that because chemical agents are suited for modern civilian-suppression warfare, there are people in military establishments who favor (or "think they are useful tools" for) using them.