English Quiz for Upcoming Bank Exams 2017 – Set 11

Directions (Q. 1-15):
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it.
Certain words are given in bold to help
you locate them while answering some of the questions.

‘Water scarcity looms large in the state.’ This
headline is enough to disturb people who have yet to forget the days when taps
flowed for an hour every second day and long queues in front of public hydrants
needed police presence to maintain order. But then, it was a fact that in
Rajasthan, drinking water had to be transported by train last year. And hasn’t
someone predicted that the next war will be fought not over oil but for water?

What comes like a heavenly
blessing in this sombre setting is
the hope ignited by watershed management effort in Madhya Pradesh. And the
charm of it is that no aid or know-how had to be imported. It was just robust
commonsense along with unstinted
public participation that made the difference. The Deendayal Research
Institute, in collaboration with the District Rural Development Agency,
Majhgawan (Satna), took up an area of 12,536 hectares and formed 17
microwatershed schemes to tackle low productivity, lack of irrigation, a receding water table, shortage of
drinking water, high soil erosion, etc. The ‘watershed area’ — the area over
which rainwater collects — was taken as a unit. Contour trenching and bunding
check the flow of water. Trenches are excavated
and bunds erected (with the soil taken out) to check the free flow of the water.
This prevents soil erosion while plenty of percolated water raises its sub-soil
level

The vision of water management
programmes is as simple as they can be. Instead of tanks or dams, water is kept
where nature keeps it — underground. Thus, there is no loss due to evaporation.
The old philosophy of ‘water should not be allowed to run, it should walk’ has
been replaced by the new one which states that ‘water should creep and,
ultimately, come to a halt’. The whole point is to ensure that not a single
drop is allowed to flow more than 10 metres above the surface. The paradoxical
scenario will be of dry streams and unfilled tanks in the rainy season.
Instead, the water that seeps in, reappears in wells, tube-wells, pond and
stop-dams later when and where wanted. This strategy is the result of a
calculated comparison of costs. An assessment was made of the amount of water
saved and the expense incurred in each of the approaches available in the
village of Dantha in Khandwa district. The cost of water secured through
contour trenches, earthen checks, etc worked out to just 4 paise per litre. The
system is so watertight that even if it rains up to 10 centimetres a day —
double the average daily downpour at Cherapunji, one of the heaviest rain
receivers in the world — not a drop of water will flow down the drain. The
result is a water surplus even in
conditions of low rainfall — which was the case during the last three years.

1. Why does the
headline ‘Water scarcity looms large in the state’ disturb the people of
Rajasthan?

1) because people of Rajasthan are not familiar with water crisis
on a big scale

2) because water is a very precious commodity for the people
of Rajasthan

3) because the people of Rajasthan have faced the nightmarish
experience of water crisis

4) because Rajasthan has to buy water from other states to
overcome water crisis

5) None of these

2. What does the
passage imply when it says that the next war will be fought not over oil but
for water?

1) There is more stock of oil than water in the world.

2) Oil will lose its importance in near future.

3) Water is more precious for mankind than oil and man can
go to any extent to get it.

4) Water is such a dynamic commodity that it can be used in
place of oil but the same does not apply with oil.

5) None of these

3. What happens when
water is stored in tanks or dams instead of keeping it underground?

1) Owing to overuse, it does not last long.

2) It takes higher maintenance cost as compared to underground
water.

3) The naturalness of water gradually wanes.

4) It generates war-like situation among the people over its
use.

5) None of these

4. The philosophy
‘Water should creep and, ultimately, come to a halt’ is meant for

1) water harvesting and its storage.

2) the mismanagement of water.

3) the looming water crisis.

4) the abundant use of water.

5) the evergreen scarcity of water.

5. How is the flow of
water checked in a watershed area?

1) by collecting the rain water

2) Trenches are dug and borders raised so that the water does
not go outside.

3) Irrigation from the watershed area makes free flow of water
impossible as there is no surplus water.

4) In watershed area water is allowed to creep and not run,
so there is no free flow of water.

5) None of these

6. How does watershed
scheme check soil erosion?

1) by hardening the soil

2) by raising the level of the soil

3) by saving the trees and bushes from getting uprooted

4) by checking the free flow of water which contains soil
with it

5) None of these

7. Following
watershed management will lead to a scene of dry streams and unfilled tanks in
the rainy season. This means that

1) large quantity of water has sunk beneath the surface of
the earth.

2) large quantity of water has evaporated.

3) large quantity of water has flown outside.

4) there will be a water crisis in the near future.

5) water has become a scarce commodity.

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8. Which of the
following seems to be false in the context of the passage?

1) Bunding along with digging helps in checking the flow of
water.

2) There have been successful efforts of watershed management
in Rajasthan.

3) Public participation is necessary in watershed management.

4) Watershed management is a cost-effective scheme.

5) None of these

9. What message does
the author want to convey through this passage?

1) There is no dearth of water in our country.

2) Rajasthan can borrow the surplus water from Madhya Pradesh.

3) Water scarcity is a man-made phenomenon.

4) With the help of appropriate strategy and people’s participation
water scarcity can be overcome.

5) None of these

Directions (Q. 10-12):
Choose the word which is the same in meaning as the word given in bold as used
in the passage.

10. LOOMS

1) appears 2) depends 3) assumes

4) remains 5) surrounds

11. SOMBRE

1) diverse 2) tight 3) gloomy

4) reverse 5) hard

12. EXCAVATED

1) built 2) drawn 3) furnished

4) surrounded 5) dug

Directions (Q. 13-15):
Choose the word which is opposite in meaning of the word given in bold as used
in the passage.

13. UNSTINTED

1) certain 2) conditional 3) mandatory

4) limited 5) blind

14. RECEDING

1) increasing 2) flying 3) floating

4) driving 5) proportionate

15. SURPLUS

1) flow 2) worsening 3) deterioration

4) scarcity 5) depletion