Factual Passage - 6 - English Grammar Advanced - Class 10

Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.

1. All along a 450–mile stretch of west coast America is the home of the tallest trees in the world. Once, in this narrow hinterland of the Pacific Coast, from central California to southern Oregon, were two million acres of these trees, the Coast Redwood. Today there are just a few hundred acres of them in Redwood Belt’s scattering of State Parks, protected forest reserves amidst which are stands of the giants.

2. About 25 miles due south of San Jose and the heart of Silicon Valley is one of the smaller of these stands, just 40 acres in the midst of the 4650–acre Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. And there I found myself one morning not so long ago peering up to spot the tops of trees that seemed to be touching the skies. All I got was a crick in the neck. A tip for other Escapists’: Stick to looking at the thick and rough-barked trunks.

3. But even looking at a trunk when you try to grab a view of The Giant’s trunk from close can be quite a challenge. The Giant, the star of the Park, has a trunk with a circumference of over 50 feet and a diameter of 17 feet. Maybe you can, but I couldn’t take it all in. Nor could I come anywhere near taking in the whole 275 feet of the Giant’s height. Once the tallest Redwood, it lost its title when a storm several years ago knocked down 75 feet of its top to bring it to its present height. But it’ll need the mother of all storms for its record of being the oldest tree in the park – an estimated 2000–plus years old – to be knocked down.

4. You wonder at such a giant growing from a tiny seed; 100,000 seeds to a pound will give you an idea of how tiny! You wonder too about the marvel of a root system that sinks only six to twelve feet holding up such giants till the Range you are talking to explain that the roots spread laterally and intertwine with the roots of other Redwoods to create a carpet.

Attempt the following questions on the basis of the passage you have read:
(a) The Redwood forests are protected because of __________.
(i) they are very old
(ii) they deserve the status of National Parks
(iii) they are worth a visit
(iv) all of the above

Correct Option is (iv) all of the above

(b) The Giant’s height once was _________.
(i) 265 feet
(ii) 250 feet
(iii) 275 feet
(iv) 270 feet

Correct Option is (ii) 250 feet

(c) A storm had brought down the height of the tallest tree to its present height. (True/False)

True

(d) The author got a crick in the neck while looking at the tall trees. (True/False)

True

(e) The tallest trees in the world are spread over a ____________. stretch of West Coast America.

450–mile

(f) The Giant has a trunk with a circumference of over __________ and a diameter of _________.

50 feet, 17 feet

(g) One wonders at such a giant growing from a tiny

seed

(h) Find the word from the passage which means the same as “to be filled with wonder”. (para 4)

marvel