Read the following passage and answer the question: Protection and…
2023
Read the following passage and answer the question:
Protection and conservation of forests and wildlife are essential to maintain the earth's health and environment. Forests play a key role in the maintenance of climate, rain-patterns, water and soil conservation. India has 16 percent of the world's population with only 2.4 percent of its land area. There is much pressure on our natural resources including forests. Due to increasing consumerism and nature-hostile activities, the forest cover is finishing very fast. Thousands of snails, frogs, rats, earthworms, cockroaches and other animals are killed for dissection in schools, colleges and laboratories for experiments. This disturbs the ecological balance. There is mindless destruction of forests for timber, firewood and fuel. Every year there is a loss of about 1.3 lakh hectares of forest area in India because of indiscriminate clearing of forests for cultivation, quarrying and large dams and irrigation projects. Over-grazing has also taken its toll. The result is serious ecological imbalance and environmental degradation. Conservation of forests and wildlife is also important as they make life beautiful and colourful. Their proper protection and conservation also means a continuous and adequate supply of food, fodder, medicines, timber, etc.
Mindless destruction of forests
A. Causes ecological imbalance
B. Leads to maintenance of water and soil conservation
C. Causes environmental degradation
D. Leads to increased productivity for villagers.
Choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:
Answer: B. A and C only — CONCEPTIn literal reading comprehension, test each statement only against what the passage explicitly says or directly implies. Do not replace the passage’s…
- A.
B, C and D only
- B.
A and C only
- C.
B and D only
- D.
A, B and C only
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
CONCEPT
In literal reading comprehension, test each statement only against what the passage explicitly says or directly implies. Do not replace the passage’s cause-and-effect relation with outside assumptions.
APPLICATION
The phrase ‘mindless destruction of forests’ must be matched with the consequences attributed to it in the passage.
A states ecological imbalance. The passage says indiscriminate forest loss results in serious ecological imbalance, so A is supported.
B states maintenance of water and soil conservation. The passage assigns that benefit to forests and their conservation, not to forest destruction, so B is not supported.
C states environmental degradation. The passage explicitly gives environmental degradation as a result of forest loss, so C is supported.
D states increased productivity for villagers. The passage does not attribute this consequence to forest destruction, so D is not supported.
CROSS-CHECK
The supported set is {A, C}; the unsupported set is {B, D}. Therefore the matching option value is ‘A and C only’.