Directions: Read the passage carefully and answer the questions given beside.
The oceans are so vast and deep that until fairly recently, it was widely assumed that no matter how much trash and chemicals humans dumped into them, the effects would be negligible. Proponents of dumping in the oceans even had a catchphrase: "The solution to pollution is dilution."
Today, we need look no further than the New Jersey-size dead zone that forms each summer in the Mississippi River Delta, or the thousand-mile-wide swath of decomposing plastic in the northern Pacific Ocean to see that this "dilution" policy has helped place a once flourishing ocean ecosystem on the brink of collapse.
There is evidence that the oceans have suffered at the hands of mankind for millennia, as far back as Roman times. But recent studies show that degradation, particularly of shoreline areas, has accelerated dramatically in the past three centuries as industrial discharge and runoff from farms and coastal cities has increased.
Pollution is the introduction of harmful contaminants that are outside the norm for a given ecosystem. Common man-made pollutants that reach the ocean include pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, detergents, oil, sewage, plastics, and other solids. Many of these pollutants collect at the ocean's depths, where they are consumed by small marine organisms and introduced into the global food chain. Scientists are even discovering that pharmaceuticals ingested by humans but not fully processed by our bodies are eventually ending up in the fish we eat.
Many ocean pollutants are released into the environment far upstream from coastlines. Nitrogen-rich fertilizers applied by farmers inland, for example, end up in local streams, rivers, and groundwater and are eventually deposited in estuaries, bays, and deltas. These excess nutrients can spawn massive blooms of algae that rob the water of oxygen, leaving areas where little or no marine life can exist. Scientists have counted some 400 such dead zones around the world.
Solid wastes like bags, foam, and other items dumped into the oceans from land or by ships at sea are frequently consumed, with often fatal effects, by marine mammals, fish, and birds that mistake it for food. Discarded fishing nets drift for years, ensnaring fish and mammals. In certain regions, ocean currents corral trillions of decomposing plastic items and other trash into gigantic, swirling garbage patches.
Pollution is not always physical. In large bodies of water, sound waves can carry undiminished for miles. The increased presence of loud or persistent sounds from ships, sonar devices, oil rigs, and even from natural sources like earthquakes can disrupt the migration, communication, hunting, and reproduction patterns of many marine animals, particularly aquatic mammals like whales and dolphins.
Question for Reading Comprehension Passage: 82
Try yourself:Which of the following is the reason for degradation of shore lines of oceans as per the passage?
I. Industrial waste
II. Migration from coastal cities
III. Hunting of Aquatic animals
Explanation
Refer to
There is evidence that the oceans have suffered at the hands of mankind for millennia, as far back as Roman times. But recent studies show that degradation, particularly of shoreline areas, has accelerated dramatically in the past three centuries as industrial discharge and runoff from farms and coastal cities has increased.
Statement I and II can clearly inferred from the highlighted text.
Statement III is not mentioned anywhere in the passage and is is incorrect.
Hence option B is correct.
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Question for Reading Comprehension Passage: 82
Try yourself:Which of the following statement/s is/are not true in the context of passage?
I. Marine pollution is the resultant of physical pollution only.
II. Plastic bags, foams etc. are rarely consumed by aquatic animals.
III. The earthquakes can disturb lifestyle and behavior pattern of aquatic mammals.
Explanation
Refer to:
Pollution is not always physical. In large bodies of water, sound waves can carry undiminished for miles.
The highlighted text shows that sound waves can also cause pollution. So statement I is not true.
Refer to:
Solid wastes like bags, foam, and other items dumped into the oceans from land or by ships at sea are frequently consumed, with often fatal effects, by marine mammals, fish, and birds that mistake it for food.
This shows that such solid wastes are frequently consumed by marine animals. Thus, statement II is not true.
Refer to
earthquakes can disrupt the migration, communication, hunting, and reproduction patterns of many marine animals, particularly aquatic mammals.
This shows that statement III is true.
Hence, statements I and II are untrue.
Option D is correct.
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Question for Reading Comprehension Passage: 82
Try yourself:Which of the following is/are a source of solid waste?
Explanation
Refer to:
Common man-made pollutants that reach the ocean include pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, detergents, oil, sewage, plastics, and other solids.
This shows that only pesticides and plastics are the sources of pollution in ocean and organic fertilizers are not one of the reasons, it will not be considered as a solid waste.
Hence option D is correct.
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Question for Reading Comprehension Passage: 82
Try yourself:As per the passage, how do nitrogen-rich fertilizers contribute to marine pollution?
Explanation
Refer to
Nitrogen-rich fertilizers applied by farmers inland, for example, end up in local streams, rivers, and groundwater and are eventually deposited in estuaries, bays, and deltas. These excess nutrients can spawn massive blooms of algae that rob the water of oxygen, leaving areas where little or no marine life can exist.
As per the highlighted text, only option B is true.
Hence option B is correct.
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Question for Reading Comprehension Passage: 82
Try yourself:Which of the following is/are true as per the passage?
I. Dilution is the key to control pollution.
II. Pollution can make changes in the hunting, migration and communication pattern of dolphins.
III. Solid wastes have fatal effects on marine animals.
Explanation
Refer to
“The oceans are so vast and deep that until fairly recently, it was widely assumed that no matter how much trash and chemicals humans dumped into them, the effects would be negligible. Proponents of dumping in the oceans even had a catchphrase: "The solution to pollution is dilution."
This line was said by people who thought dumping waste in the oceans would have no negative impact on the environment. This is shown to be an incorrect way of thinking and is wrong.
Hence, I is not true.
Refer to
The increased presence of loud or persistent sounds from ships, sonar devices, oil rigs, and even from natural sources like earthquakes can disrupt the migration, communication, hunting, and reproduction patterns of many marine animals, particularly aquatic mammals like whales and dolphins.
Thus statement II is also true, as sound pollution is also a form of pollution.
Refer to
Solid wastes like bags, foam, and other items dumped into the oceans from land or by ships at sea are frequently consumed, with often fatal effects, by marine mammals, fish, and birds that mistake it for food.
This proves that such wastes adversaly affect marine animals.
Thus, Only statements II and III are true.
Option C is correct.
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