Read the following passage carefully and select the correct answer to the…
2021
Read the following passage carefully and select the correct answer to the questions given at the end of the passage.
Ecosystems provide people with a variety of goods and services, such as food, clean water, clean air, flood control, soil stabilization, pollination, climate regulation, spiritual fulfillment and aesthetic enjoyment, to name just a few. Most of these benefits are either irreplaceable or the technology necessary to replace them is prohibitively expensive. For example potable fresh water can be extracted by desalinating sea water, but only at great cost.
The rapidly expanding human population has greatly modified the earth’s ecosystem to meet their increased requirements of some goods and services, particularly food, fresh water, timber, fibre and fuel. These modifications have contributed substantially to human well being and economic development. The benefits have not been equally distributed.
Some people have actually been harmed by these changes. Moreover, short-term increases in some ecosystems’ goods and services have come at the cost of long term degradation of others. For example, efforts to increase the production of food and fibre have decreased the ability of some ecosystems to provide clean water, regulate flooding and support biodiversity.
The phrase ‘rapidly expanding human population’ used in the passage means
Answer: A. The human population is growing fast — ConceptA phrase must be interpreted by combining the ordinary meanings of its words with the grammatical role each word plays. An adverb such as “rapidly”…
- A.
The human population is growing fast
- B.
The human population is growing slowly
- C.
The human population is contracting
- D.
None of the above
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Concept
A phrase must be interpreted by combining the ordinary meanings of its words with the grammatical role each word plays.
An adverb such as “rapidly” describes the rate of an action or change, while “expanding” describes an increase in size or number.
Application
In the passage, “rapidly” modifies “expanding,” and “expanding” describes the human population. The phrase therefore describes a population whose number is increasing at a fast rate.
Contrast
“Growing slowly” reverses the rate conveyed by “rapidly.”
“Contracting” reverses the direction conveyed by “expanding.”
“None of the above” is unnecessary because one listed paraphrase expresses both the increase and its rate.
Result
The phrase means that the human population is growing fast.