Directions: Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow (Q.…
2016
Directions: Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow (Q. No. 78 to 84) by selecting the most appropriate option.
Scientists are extremely concerned about the changes taking place in our climate. The changes are said to be alarmingly rapid and the result of human activity whereas in the past it had been natural and much slower. The major problem is that the planet appears to be warming up (global warming). This is occurring at a rate unprecedented in the last 10,000 years. The implications are very serious. Rising temperatures could give rise to extremely high increase in the incidence of floods and droughts, having effect on agriculture. It is thought that this unusual warming of the Earth has been caused by greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, being emitted into the atmosphere by car engines and modern industrial processes. Such gases not only add to the pollution of the atmosphere, but trap the heat of the sun leading to the warming up of the planet. It has been suggested that industrialized countries would try to reduce the volume of greenhouse gas emissions and plant more trees to create 'sinks' to absorb greenhouse gases.
78. The changes taking place in our climate have become:
- A.
a matter of celebration for the scientists.
- B.
a matter of worry for the scientists.
- C.
something that does not have any serious implication
- D.
something to be whiled away by the scientists.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept: In a passage-based comprehension question, the correct option is the one whose wording is directly supported by what the passage explicitly says, not by outside opinion or inference beyond the text. The reliable method is to locate the sentence(s) addressing the question's subject and match the passage's own tone and content.
Application: The passage opens by stating that scientists are "extremely concerned" about the ongoing changes in climate, and later reinforces this with "The implications are very serious." Both statements describe an attitude of alarm toward the unprecedented rate of warming and its consequences (floods, droughts, effects on agriculture) rather than indifference or approval.
Cross-check — testing each option against the passage's own wording:
"a matter of celebration for the scientists" — nothing in the passage frames the changes positively; instead it lists risks such as floods, droughts, and harm to agriculture.
"something that does not have any serious implication" — this directly contradicts the passage's own sentence, "The implications are very serious."
"something to be whiled away by the scientists" — the passage describes active responses (reducing emissions, planting tree "sinks"), not scientists passing time on or ignoring the issue.
Result: Matching the passage's alarmed tone and its explicit statement that the implications are serious, the option describing the changes as "a matter of worry for the scientists" is the one directly supported by the text.