All India Class 10 Group

1. On the last Sunday of November, among the ruins of the Phra Prang Sam Yot temple in Lopburi, Thailand, a bountiful banquet awaits the guests of honour, none of whom are humans. This feast is held in celebration of Lopburi’s thousands of macaques, thought to bring good luck to the area and its people.
2. Located 93 miles away from Bangkok, archaeological evidence confirms that Lopburi has been continuously inhabited for at least 3,000 years—this makes it one of the oldest and most historic cities in Thailand. Due to a millennia-worth of human habitation, the city boasts countless ancient sites dating from a variety of civilisations and dynasties.
3. From what began in 1989 by hotelier Yongyuth Kitwattananusont, the Monkey Buffet Festival was launched with the help of the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Over the years, the festival has expanded to include a large number of primates. In turn, it has seen an increase in the number of visitors who attend this unique event.
4. In the week leading up to the festival, locals pass out “invitations” to the monkeys with cashews attached to them as a small incentive. But, Lopburi’s residents don’t stop there when it comes to rolling out the red carpet for their furry neighbours.
5. The Monkey Buffet Festival kicks off with an opening ceremony that includes performances by dancers in monkey costumes. When the monkeys arrive, hosts remove sheets from the banquet tables, revealing decorative spreads of vibrantly hued fruits and vegetables. The macaques jump across tables and climb towering pyramids of watermelon, durian, lettuce, pineapple and more, indulging in the nearly two tons of offerings.
6. Respect for monkeys traces back at least 2,000 years to the epic tale of Rama, a divine prince, and his struggle to rescue his wife, Sita, from the clutches of a demon lord. According to the tale, the monkey king Hanuman and his army helped rescue Sita. Since that time, monkeys have been appreciated as a sign of good luck and prosperity. Lopburi’s annual buffet is one way people mark their appreciation.
On the basis of your reading of the passage given above, answer of the following questions:

1. Climate change is one of the biggest global problems and almost every country is affected by it. The main cause of climate change is the  emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. The concentration of carbon dioxide has increased mainly due to the burning of fossil fuels like oil and coal. The average temperature of the earth has risen by more than 1° Celsius as compared to the pre-industrial era, 2016 being the warmest year recorded. This has caused the shrinkage of snow cover in mountains like the Alps, Himalayas, Andes, Rockies, Alaska and Africa. NASA’s experiments have shown a massive loss of ice cover in Greenland and Antarctica. Particularly Greenland has lost approximately 286 billion tons of ice per year since 1993. In the last century, the seawater level has raised by almost 20 centimetres. As oceans absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, its pH level decreases. This phenomenon is called ocean acidification. It is affecting the coral reef ecosystem. Climate change has caused erratic precipitation patterns all over the world.
2. Reducing the emission of greenhouse gases can limit climate change. This can be achieved by reducing consumption of fossil fuels and incorporating renewable resources such as solar energy, hydropower, wind energy, etc., for power generation. Climate change will require modification of key services and infrastructure. Climate action can derive economic benefits to the tune of 26 trillion and generate more than 18 million jobs in the sustainable energy sector alone by 2030.
3. The Government of India launched the National Action Plan on Climate Change on 30th June 2008; focusing on solar power, sustainable agriculture, energy efficiency, water, etc. The Government has set a target of producing 100 GW of solar capacity by 2022. This will abate nearly 190 million tons of CO₂ over its life cycle. More such steps, such as the development of public transportation are needed to be taken up by the government.
On the basis of your reading of the passage given above, answer of the following questions: