TOPIC: Reading comprehension
Directions (1-7): Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
The virtual meet of the Foreign Ministers of India, the U.S., Israel and the UAE is a strong manifestation of the changes in West Asian geopolitics. If Israel and the UAE did not even have formal diplomatic relations a year ago, their growing economic and strategic cooperation is opening up opportunities for other powers, including India. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, now in Israel, joined the quadrilateral conference after meeting his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid, where they had agreed to launch talks for a free trade agreement. The four-nation meeting also points to India’s strategic desire to adopt a regional foreign policy strategy towards West Asia, transcending its bilateralism.
Over the years, India has built vibrant bilateral ties with all the countries in the grouping. It is a member of the Quad with the U.S., Australia and Japan, which have common concerns and shared interests on East Asia. Israel is one of India’s top defence suppliers. The UAE is vital for India’s energy security. The Gulf country, which hosts millions of Indian workers, has also shown interest to mediate between India and Pakistan.
In the past, there were three pillars to India’s West Asia policy — the Sunni Gulf monarchies, Israel and Iran. Now that the gulf between the Sunni kingdoms and Israel is being narrowed, especially after the Abraham Accords, the normalisation agreements signed between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain under the tutelage of the Trump administration, India faces fewer challenges to a regionalist approach. Mr. Jaishankar has hinted that there would be more meetings among the four countries. While it is too early to speak of the strategic significance of such a grouping, there are areas where it can deepen its engagement — trade, energy ties, fighting climate change and enhancing maritime security. But India should also be mindful of the challenges in the region. The U.S. is clearly seeking to lessen its footprint here as part of its pivot to East Asia to tackle China’s rise, which is redrawing West Asia’s traditional equations.
India should be careful not to get sucked into the many conflicts of West Asia that could intensify amid growing regional rivalries. While the Abraham Accords made it easier for India to find common ground with the Israelis and the Emiratis, the contradiction between this emerging bloc and Iran remains as intense as ever. India, which sees itself aligned with the U.S. in the Indo-Pacific, faces deepening insecurities in continental Asia after the American withdrawal from Afghanistan. And it will have to work closely with countries such as Iran to deal with the challenges emanating from a post-American Afghanistan. So the challenge before New Delhi is to retain a healthy relationship with Iran even as it seeks to build a stronger regional partnership with the U.S.-Israel-UAE bloc.
Q1. What the ‘four-nation’ meeting indicates towards?
(a) bring about a massive change in West Asia’s geopolitics
(b) Speculations about the formation of a new Quad like grouping
(c) Talking West Asia into free trade agreement
(d) India’s inclination to transcend its bilateralism by embracing foreign policy towards west Asia.
(e) All of the above
Q2. Which of the following is the proof of the vibrant bilateral ties of India with the other nations?
(i) Israel is its top defence supplier
(ii) UAE is a prominent partner in India’s energy securitisation.
(iii) UAE employs millions of Indian workers
(iv)The Quad countries have decided to effort towards improving India and Pakistan relationships
(a) Only i
(b) Both ii and iii
(c) i, ii, and iii
(d) All of the these
(e) ii, iii, and iv
Q3. According to the passage, which of the following(s) is/are true with respect to the Abraham Accord?
(a) Agreements to normalize the relationships among the Quad countries
(b) Under the administration of Trump government, Israel, UAE and Bahrain signed a normalisation agreement.
(c) Agreements to bridge the rift between Sunni Kingdoms and Israel
(d)Only (b) and (c)
(e) None of these
Q4. Which of the following area(s) has/have been mentioned in the passage that can help in strengthening the relationship between India-US-Israel-UAE?
(i) Trade and energy related sectors
(ii) Battling climate change
(iii) boosting bilateral ties among the mentioned nations
(iv)reinforcing maritime security
(a) Both i and ii
(b) i, ii, and iv
(c) i, ii, and iii
(d) ii, iii, and iv
(e) All of these
Q5. Which of the following(s) is/are the opinion of author about the shrouded challenges that India could face in its west Asia policy?
(i) The US is diverging its interference to East Asia in order to intercept China’s growing dominance in that region.
(ii) The Us-China dynamic is rewriting the equations of West Asia
(iii) The US is aiming to focus on its East Asia strategy
(a) All i , ii, and iii
(b) Both i and iii
(c) Only ii
(d) Both ii and iii
(e) Both i and ii .
Q6. Which of the following can be inferred from the given passage?
(i) India should avoid getting into the West Asia’s conflict
(ii) The conflict between the Israelis and Emiratis will not be solved
(iii) India is facing deep insecurities since America has withdrawn from Afghanistan
(a) Both i and ii
(b) Both i and iii
(c) Both ii and iii
(d) Only ii
(e) All of these
Q7. What is the main challenge before New Delhi?
(a) To deal with challenges originated from a post American-Afghanistan conflict
(b) To build a strong partnership with US-Israel-UAE bloc
(c) To retain healthy relationships with Iran and Israel
(d) To remove the conflict between Iran and Israel.
(e) None of these
Directions (8-15): Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
The Amazon rainforest is a moist, broadleaf tropical rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin in South America. Its territory belongs to nine nations, but most of the forest (around 60 percent) is within Brazil, the largest country in South America. Specialists warn that the Amazon rainforest hosts a peculiar equilibrium, in which its moistness feeds back the rains that preserve the forest from seasonal burnings. With deforestation, this balance is disturbed, and seasonal fires become more extensive and frequent. Amazon’s deforestation has been a human decision until now. However, scientists predict that deforestation (and the subsequent process in which the forest is transformed into a savannah) is likely to become unavoidable and irreversible within the short run.
The quality of the soil of the Amazon is surprisingly poor. In the untouched forest, the soil is continuously fed by the degradation of leaves, frequent rains and a myriad of insects, fungus, animals and organic remains. Under deforestation, only a thin layer of humus is left, which cannot nourish agriculture or cattle farming for more than a couple of years. In a process called “mining nutrients”, the land is used while keeping the fruitful remains of the forest. Once the nutrients are gone, the land becomes a disposable good that is often abandoned or poorly explored for future value. In the process, cattle ranchers are incentivized to continuously deforest the area, extending their encroachments into the Amazon, leaving the devastated poor land behind. However, the average cattle-raising productivity is feeble.
Deforestation has been an issue since the beginning of the 1970s in Brazil, but it has gained notoriety since 2019, with a remarkable relaxation in environmental oversight. Under the government of Jair Bolsonaro, the right-wing president of Brazil, comprehensive and stable rules that controlled deforestation until recently are becoming a “dead letter”. Under Bolsonaro’s government, the agencies that traditionally managed the sustainable use of local natural resources have seen their budgets cut and their officials’ independence constrained. Of course, the problem is not limited to the Amazon forest but affects all of the environments in Brazil. The problem is not limited to deforestation either, as land contamination, dam collapses, sea pollution, attacks against indigenous rights and termination of public funds for preservation, recovery and sustainable development have been part of the institutional destruction under Bolsonaro.
The Government of Brazil has always played a key role in the occupation of the Amazon’s territory. The federal government and the indigenous people are the official owners of most of the Amazon’s lands. Until the ‘80s, the federal government promoted the occupation of the Amazon by building roads that could aid the exploration of woods and giving land certificates to ranchers who occupied the land in a “productive” way. The rise of environmental concerns and the construction of the international legal apparatus that applies to forests and gas emissions rebuilt the government’s posture at the beginning of the 2000s.
Recently, a peculiar group of Bolsonaro political supporters—cattle ranchers, independent miners and wood extractors—reopened the frontiers of deforestation and, with the promise of poor regulation, swiftly grabbed land certificates. This analysis is included in a book written by Richard Lapper, Beef, Bible and Bullets: Brazil in the Age of Bolsonaro. President Joe Biden of the United States and other international leaders have pushed Bolsonaro to cease deforestation. France and Norway stopped sending funds for conservation efforts. Although Bolsonaro formally committed to do so, deforestation has not eased. In fact, it has increased by 17 percent in the last six months. In addition to that, it is unlikely that Bolsonaro will risk disappointing some of his essential supporters, who are in the frontline of the Amazon degradation.
Q8. What the author infers to when he says. ‘The Amazon rainforest hosts a peculiar equilibrium’?
(i) The rainforest prevents extensive and frequent seasonal fires
(ii) Rains are fed through the moistness from Amazon rainforest
(iii) moistures harvested rain of Amazon rain forest protects the forest from seasonal burning.
(a) Both i and ii
(b) Both ii and iii
(c) Both i and iii
(d) Only i
(e) All of the above
Q9. How the soil is fed in the untouched forest?
A. Degradation of leaves
B. Frequent rains
C. Variety of insects, animals and fungus
D. Organic remains
E. All of the above
Q10. What happens in the process of mining nutrients?
(i) The land is abandoned and poorly explored for future gains after exhausting the nutrients from it.
(ii) The land is exploited to the extent that all the nutrients are dissipated from it.
(iii) The land is utilized while keeping the fruitful remains intact
(a) Both i and iii
(b) Both ii and iii
(c) Only ii
(d) Only iii
(e)All of these
Q11. How cattle ranchers are affecting Amazon rainforest through the process of ‘mining nutrients’?
i. They continuously deforest the area by stretching their territory to Amazon rainforest
ii. Through the mining process cattle ranchers aided the land with nutrients that otherwise hard to provide.
iii. They leave the vandalized land after exploiting it for their purpose.
(a) Both i and ii
(b) Both ii and iii
(c) Both i and iii
(d)Only i
(e)All of the above
Q12. Which of the following statements support the fact that deforestation became notorious since 2019?
i. Relaxation in environment supervision
ii. Rules meant to be controlling deforestation became ineffectual and defunct in practice
iii. Reduction in the budgets of the agencies responsible for managing natural local resources
iv. The officials have been restraint of their independence
(a) i, ii, iv
(b) ii, iii, iv
(c) i, ii, iii
(d) iii, i, iv
(e) All are correct
Q13. Apart from deforestation, which of the following causes can be held responsible for institutional destruction under Bolsonaro government?
i. Land contamination and sea pollution
ii. Dam collapses and attacks against indigenous rights
ii. Halting public funds for preservation
iv. Not providing funds for sustainable development and recovery
(a) i, ii, iv
(b) ii, iii, iv
(c) i, ii, iii
(d)iii, i, iv
(e)All are correct
Q14. Which of the following words can replace “contamination” highlighted in the given passage?
(a)Adulteration
(b)pollution
(c)defilement
(d)All of these
(e)None of these
Q15. What was the result of opening the deforestation frontiers with bad regulation and easily accessible land certificates?
i. President Joe Biden along with other international leaders impelled Bolsonaro to stop deforestation
ii. France and Norway halted their funding for conservation efforts.
iii. It is likely that Bolsonaro will avoid messing up with its essential supporters, who are also the flagbearer of Amazon degradation.
(a) Both i and ii
(b) Both ii and iii
(c) Both i and iii
(d) Only i
(e) All of the above
Solutions:
S1. Ans. (d)
Sol. Refer to the first paragraph, the hint can be drawn from the lines, “The four-nation meeting also points to India’s strategic desire to adopt a regional foreign policy strategy towards West Asia, transcending its bilateralism.”
Hence, option (d) is the right answer choice.
S2. Ans. (c)
Sol. Refer to the 2nd paragraph, the hint can be drawn from the below quoted lines, Over the years, India has built vibrant bilateral ties with all the countries in the grouping. It is a member of the Quad with the U.S., Australia and Japan, which have common concerns and shared interests on East Asia. Israel is one of India’s top defence suppliers. The UAE is vital for India’s energy security. The Gulf country, which hosts millions of Indian workers, has also shown interest to mediate between India and Pakistan.
Hence, option (c) is the right answer choice.
S3. Ans. (d)
Sol. Refer to the third paragraph, the hint can be drawn from the lines, Now that the gulf between the Sunni kingdoms and Israel is being narrowed, especially after the Abraham Accords, the normalisation agreements signed between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain under the tutelage of the Trump administration, India faces fewer challenges to a regionalist approach.
Hence, option (d) is the right answer choice
S4. Ans. (b)
Sol. Refer to the third paragraph, the hint can be drawn from the lines, Mr. Jaishankar has hinted that there would be more meetings among the four countries. While it is too early to speak of the strategic significance of such a grouping, there are areas where it can deepen its engagement — trade, energy ties, fighting climate change and enhancing maritime security.
Hence, option (b) is the right answer choice.
S5. Ans. (a)
Sol. Refer to the third paragraph, the hint can be drawn from the lines,
But India should also be mindful of the challenges in the region. The U.S. is clearly seeking to lessen its footprint here as part of its pivot to East Asia to tackle China’s rise, which is redrawing West Asia’s traditional equations.
Hence, option (a) is the right answer choice
S6. Ans. (b)
Sol. Refer to the last paragraph, the hint can be drawn from the lines,
India should be careful not to get sucked into the many conflicts of West Asia that could intensify amid growing regional rivalries. While the Abraham Accords made it easier for India to find common ground with the Israelis and the Emiratis, the contradiction between this emerging bloc and Iran remains as intense as ever. India, which sees itself aligned with the U.S. in the Indo-Pacific, faces deepening insecurities in continental Asia after the American withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Hence, option (b) is the right answer choice.
S7. Ans. (e)
Sol. Refer to the last sentence of the last paragraph of the given passage, the hint can be drawn from the lines, So the challenge before New Delhi is to retain a healthy relationship with Iran even as it seeks to build a stronger regional partnership with the U.S.-Israel-UAE bloc.
Hence, option (e) is the right answer choice.
S8. Ans. (e)
Sol. Refer to the following line/s from the first paragraph of the passage, “Specialists warn that the Amazon rainforest hosts a peculiar equilibrium, in which its moistness feeds back the rains that preserve the forest from seasonal burnings.”
Hence, statements ii and iii are true.
Refer to the following line/s from the first paragraph of the passage, “With deforestation, this balance is disturbed, and seasonal fires become more extensive and frequent.’ So, statement i is incorrect.
S9. Ans. (e)
Sol. Refer to the following line/s from the second paragraph of the passage, “In the untouched forest, the soil is continuously fed by the degradation of leaves, frequent rains and a myriad of insects, fungus, animals and organic remains.”
Hence, option (e) is the right answer choice.
S10. Ans. (e)
Sol. Refer to the following line/s from the second paragraph of the passage, “In a process called “mining nutrients”, the land is used while keeping the fruitful remains of the forest. Once the nutrients are gone, the land becomes a disposable good that is often abandoned or poorly explored for future value.”
Hence, option (e) is the right answer choice where statements i , ii and iii are correct.
S11. Ans. (c)
Sol. Refer to the following line/s from the second paragraph of the passage, “In the process, cattle ranchers are incentivized to continuously deforest the area, extending their encroachments into the Amazon, leaving the devastated poor land behind.”
Hence, option (c) is the right answer choice.
S12. Ans. (e)
Sol: Refer to the following line/s from the third paragraph of the passage,
Deforestation has been an issue since the beginning of the 1970s in Brazil, but it has gained notoriety since 2019, with a remarkable relaxation in environmental oversight. Under the government of Jair Bolsonaro, the right-wing president of Brazil, comprehensive and stable rules that controlled deforestation until recently are becoming a “dead letter”. Under Bolsonaro’s government, the agencies that traditionally managed the sustainable use of local natural resources have seen their budgets cut and their officials’ independence constrained.
Hence, option E is the right answer choice.
S13. Ans. (e)
Sol. Refer to the following line/s from the third paragraph of the passage,
“The problem is not limited to deforestation either, as land contamination, dam collapses, sea pollution, attacks against indigenous rights and termination of public funds for preservation, recovery and sustainable development have been part of the institutional destruction under Bolsonaro.”
Hence, option (e) is the right answer choice.
S14. Ans. (d)
Sol: “Contamination” is the process of making something dirty or poisonous or the state of being dirty and poisonous. Thus, all the given words can replace it as all of these are synonym of the given word.
S15. Ans. (e)
Sol: Refer to the following line/s from the fifth paragraph of the passage,
President Joe Biden of the United States and other international leaders have pushed Bolsonaro to cease deforestation. France and Norway stopped sending funds for conservation efforts. Although Bolsonaro formally committed to do so, deforestation has not eased. In fact, it has increased by 17 percent in the last six months. In addition to that, it is unlikely that Bolsonaro will risk disappointing some of his essential supporters, who are in the frontline of the Amazon degradation.
Hence, option (e) is the right answer choice.
English Quiz For NIACL AO Mains 2024 Exa...
