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.
According to the passage, how often does India lose about 1.3 lakh hectares of forest area?
Answer: A. Annually — CONCEPTIn literal reading comprehension, an answer must come from the passage’s explicit wording rather than from outside assumptions. Frequency expressions…
- A.
Annually
- B.
Monthly
- C.
Bi-annually
- D.
Every ten years
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
CONCEPT
In literal reading comprehension, an answer must come from the passage’s explicit wording rather than from outside assumptions.
Frequency expressions such as every year, every month, and every ten years specify how often an event recurs.
APPLICATION
The passage states: “Every year there is a loss of about 1.3 lakh hectares of forest area in India.” The expression “every year” means once in each year, which is the meaning of “annually.”
CONTRAST
Annually means once each year.
Monthly means once each month.
Bi-annually commonly means twice each year.
Every ten years means once in a decade.
CROSS-CHECK
Replacing “every year” in the passage with “annually” preserves the original frequency without changing the meaning.
RESULT
The loss occurs annually.