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English Passage Quiz: 19.08.2020

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Question 1

Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.

Inland Fisheries Ireland has warned that the number of fish kills in rivers and streams will continue in the context of climate change and worsening water quality. IFI was responding to an in-depth report on Irish water quality by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The six-year study by the EPA shows there are now just 20 “pristine” river sites around the country, down from more than 500 in the late 1980s. The number of seriously polluted river-water bodies has increased from six to nine. It comes after several years of an improving trend. The report identified an increase in nutrients, including nitrogen and phosphorus, in water bodies. Agriculture and wastewater are the main sources of these nutrients. More than a quarter of river sites monitored have rising nutrient levels and nutrient loads to the marine environment have also increased. The EPA described as “of very significant concern” a finding that the number of “pristine river sites” had fallen to 20, which it said was at an all-time low. The EPA report also gives details of fish kills which occurred during 2018, as supplied by Inland Fisheries Ireland. It attributes this, in part, to hot weather and low flow conditions in the summer of 2018 which "may have caused fish to be more vulnerable to pollution events". Of the 40 fish kills in 2018, 15 were caused by disease or natural causes, seven by agricultural practice, eight by municipal works, two by industrial operations and a further eight fish kills had unknown causes. Dr Ciaran Byrne, CEO of Inland Fisheries Ireland said: "In the context of climate change, we anticipate that the number of fish kills will continue to increase. This issue is even more critical when we consider that rivers with poor water quality do not have the resilience to deal with pollution events during periods of stress. The most polluted river sites in the country include two sections of the Avoca River in Co Wicklow, as well as the Ahavarraga stream in Co Limerick, the Kilmihil stream in Co Clare, and the Owenriff river in Co Galway. Among the factors in pollution in these rivers are run-off fertiliser from agriculture and forestry, the presence of wastewater and excess nutrients. Dr Byrne said: "The decline in water quality and in particular in river quality since 2015 shows an increase in pressures coming from human activities. "These activities such as agriculture, wastewater issues, forestry and hydromorphology (man-made changes to the physical form of the river) are all putting pressure on the aquatic environment, which in turn can have long term impacts on our fisheries resource."

 What could be the antonym for the given word ‘Pristine’?

Question 2

Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.

Inland Fisheries Ireland has warned that the number of fish kills in rivers and streams will continue in the context of climate change and worsening water quality. IFI was responding to an in-depth report on Irish water quality by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The six-year study by the EPA shows there are now just 20 “pristine” river sites around the country, down from more than 500 in the late 1980s. The number of seriously polluted river-water bodies has increased from six to nine. It comes after several years of an improving trend. The report identified an increase in nutrients, including nitrogen and phosphorus, in water bodies. Agriculture and wastewater are the main sources of these nutrients. More than a quarter of river sites monitored have rising nutrient levels and nutrient loads to the marine environment have also increased. The EPA described as “of very significant concern” a finding that the number of “pristine river sites” had fallen to 20, which it said was at an all-time low. The EPA report also gives details of fish kills which occurred during 2018, as supplied by Inland Fisheries Ireland. It attributes this, in part, to hot weather and low flow conditions in the summer of 2018 which "may have caused fish to be more vulnerable to pollution events". Of the 40 fish kills in 2018, 15 were caused by disease or natural causes, seven by agricultural practice, eight by municipal works, two by industrial operations and a further eight fish kills had unknown causes. Dr Ciaran Byrne, CEO of Inland Fisheries Ireland said: "In the context of climate change, we anticipate that the number of fish kills will continue to increase. This issue is even more critical when we consider that rivers with poor water quality do not have the resilience to deal with pollution events during periods of stress. The most polluted river sites in the country include two sections of the Avoca River in Co Wicklow, as well as the Ahavarraga stream in Co Limerick, the Kilmihil stream in Co Clare, and the Owenriff river in Co Galway. Among the factors in pollution in these rivers are run-off fertiliser from agriculture and forestry, the presence of wastewater and excess nutrients. Dr Byrne said: "The decline in water quality and in particular in river quality since 2015 shows an increase in pressures coming from human activities. "These activities such as agriculture, wastewater issues, forestry and hydromorphology (man-made changes to the physical form of the river) are all putting pressure on the aquatic environment, which in turn can have long term impacts on our fisheries resource."

What does EPA stands for in the passage?

Question 3

Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.

Inland Fisheries Ireland has warned that the number of fish kills in rivers and streams will continue in the context of climate change and worsening water quality. IFI was responding to an in-depth report on Irish water quality by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The six-year study by the EPA shows there are now just 20 “pristine” river sites around the country, down from more than 500 in the late 1980s. The number of seriously polluted river-water bodies has increased from six to nine. It comes after several years of an improving trend. The report identified an increase in nutrients, including nitrogen and phosphorus, in water bodies. Agriculture and wastewater are the main sources of these nutrients. More than a quarter of river sites monitored have rising nutrient levels and nutrient loads to the marine environment have also increased. The EPA described as “of very significant concern” a finding that the number of “pristine river sites” had fallen to 20, which it said was at an all-time low. The EPA report also gives details of fish kills which occurred during 2018, as supplied by Inland Fisheries Ireland. It attributes this, in part, to hot weather and low flow conditions in the summer of 2018 which "may have caused fish to be more vulnerable to pollution events". Of the 40 fish kills in 2018, 15 were caused by disease or natural causes, seven by agricultural practice, eight by municipal works, two by industrial operations and a further eight fish kills had unknown causes. Dr Ciaran Byrne, CEO of Inland Fisheries Ireland said: "In the context of climate change, we anticipate that the number of fish kills will continue to increase. This issue is even more critical when we consider that rivers with poor water quality do not have the resilience to deal with pollution events during periods of stress. The most polluted river sites in the country include two sections of the Avoca River in Co Wicklow, as well as the Ahavarraga stream in Co Limerick, the Kilmihil stream in Co Clare, and the Owenriff river in Co Galway. Among the factors in pollution in these rivers are run-off fertiliser from agriculture and forestry, the presence of wastewater and excess nutrients. Dr Byrne said: "The decline in water quality and in particular in river quality since 2015 shows an increase in pressures coming from human activities. "These activities such as agriculture, wastewater issues, forestry and hydromorphology (man-made changes to the physical form of the river) are all putting pressure on the aquatic environment, which in turn can have long term impacts on our fisheries resource."

Which statement holds true in the context of the given paragraph?

Question 4

Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.

Inland Fisheries Ireland has warned that the number of fish kills in rivers and streams will continue in the context of climate change and worsening water quality. IFI was responding to an in-depth report on Irish water quality by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The six-year study by the EPA shows there are now just 20 “pristine” river sites around the country, down from more than 500 in the late 1980s. The number of seriously polluted river-water bodies has increased from six to nine. It comes after several years of an improving trend. The report identified an increase in nutrients, including nitrogen and phosphorus, in water bodies. Agriculture and wastewater are the main sources of these nutrients. More than a quarter of river sites monitored have rising nutrient levels and nutrient loads to the marine environment have also increased. The EPA described as “of very significant concern” a finding that the number of “pristine river sites” had fallen to 20, which it said was at an all-time low. The EPA report also gives details of fish kills which occurred during 2018, as supplied by Inland Fisheries Ireland. It attributes this, in part, to hot weather and low flow conditions in the summer of 2018 which "may have caused fish to be more vulnerable to pollution events". Of the 40 fish kills in 2018, 15 were caused by disease or natural causes, seven by agricultural practice, eight by municipal works, two by industrial operations and a further eight fish kills had unknown causes. Dr Ciaran Byrne, CEO of Inland Fisheries Ireland said: "In the context of climate change, we anticipate that the number of fish kills will continue to increase. This issue is even more critical when we consider that rivers with poor water quality do not have the resilience to deal with pollution events during periods of stress. The most polluted river sites in the country include two sections of the Avoca River in Co Wicklow, as well as the Ahavarraga stream in Co Limerick, the Kilmihil stream in Co Clare, and the Owenriff river in Co Galway. Among the factors in pollution in these rivers are run-off fertiliser from agriculture and forestry, the presence of wastewater and excess nutrients. Dr Byrne said: "The decline in water quality and in particular in river quality since 2015 shows an increase in pressures coming from human activities. "These activities such as agriculture, wastewater issues, forestry and hydromorphology (man-made changes to the physical form of the river) are all putting pressure on the aquatic environment, which in turn can have long term impacts on our fisheries resource."

Which statement does not hold true in context to the given passage?

Question 5

Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.

Inland Fisheries Ireland has warned that the number of fish kills in rivers and streams will continue in the context of climate change and worsening water quality. IFI was responding to an in-depth report on Irish water quality by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The six-year study by the EPA shows there are now just 20 “pristine” river sites around the country, down from more than 500 in the late 1980s. The number of seriously polluted river-water bodies has increased from six to nine. It comes after several years of an improving trend. The report identified an increase in nutrients, including nitrogen and phosphorus, in water bodies. Agriculture and wastewater are the main sources of these nutrients. More than a quarter of river sites monitored have rising nutrient levels and nutrient loads to the marine environment have also increased. The EPA described as “of very significant concern” a finding that the number of “pristine river sites” had fallen to 20, which it said was at an all-time low. The EPA report also gives details of fish kills which occurred during 2018, as supplied by Inland Fisheries Ireland. It attributes this, in part, to hot weather and low flow conditions in the summer of 2018 which "may have caused fish to be more vulnerable to pollution events". Of the 40 fish kills in 2018, 15 were caused by disease or natural causes, seven by agricultural practice, eight by municipal works, two by industrial operations and a further eight fish kills had unknown causes. Dr Ciaran Byrne, CEO of Inland Fisheries Ireland said: "In the context of climate change, we anticipate that the number of fish kills will continue to increase. This issue is even more critical when we consider that rivers with poor water quality do not have the resilience to deal with pollution events during periods of stress. The most polluted river sites in the country include two sections of the Avoca River in Co Wicklow, as well as the Ahavarraga stream in Co Limerick, the Kilmihil stream in Co Clare, and the Owenriff river in Co Galway. Among the factors in pollution in these rivers are run-off fertiliser from agriculture and forestry, the presence of wastewater and excess nutrients. Dr Byrne said: "The decline in water quality and in particular in river quality since 2015 shows an increase in pressures coming from human activities. "These activities such as agriculture, wastewater issues, forestry and hydromorphology (man-made changes to the physical form of the river) are all putting pressure on the aquatic environment, which in turn can have long term impacts on our fisheries resource."

What is the main factor/factors responsible for long term impacts on the aquatic environment?

Question 6

Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.

There has been a paradigm shift in the status of teachers in post 1990s India. With the emergence of new economic order, education institutions, structures and teachers’ image have seen some major changes.

The provisions under RTE Act 2009 had stated several norms in order to universalize education making quality education accessible to all children of the age group of 6-14 years. Apart from providing adequate and basic infrastructural facilities, introduction of subject wise teachers and ensuring Pupil-Teacher Ratio (1:30 in Primary and 1:35 in Upper Primary level) are the important provisions under the RTE Act 2009.

However, after 10 years of implementation of the Act the educational scenario presents a very gloomy picture with approximately 10.1 lakh vacancies of the teachers. In addition to the vacant posts of the teachers, 13.1% teachers are working with the government schools on a contractual basis. Teachers availability for the students is part of the fundamental right to education and equally important for quality education and students’ retention. In place of demanding recruitment of teachers, few agencies and individuals advocate for low cost private schools. According to an article written by Jain and Dholakia 2009, the only remaining alternative is Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in which low cost providers of school education who pay much lower salaries cover a significant part of school education. Large number of under qualified and underpaid teachers is employed by low fee private schools that are run by small and large enterprises.

Teacher training institutes all the country continue to remain in a dismal shape.18.5% of permanent teachers and more than 30% of temporary teachers have not obtained the professional qualifications required under RTE.90% of the aspirants fail the Central Teacher Eligibility Test.

Absenteeism touching 40% in poorest states are indication of sorry state of affairs. The appointment of teachers on contractual basis with indefinite and low salary has become a countrywide phenomenon.

It is grave concern to see the lack of any substantial efforts on the part of the state to build an adequate support system for the teachers along with a child friendly learning environment. The gap in the relationship between teachers, parents and larger community is seen extensively across the country.

What is/are the provisions stated under RTE Act 2009 in order to universalize education making quality education?

Question 7

Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.

There has been a paradigm shift in the status of teachers in post 1990s India. With the emergence of new economic order, education institutions, structures and teachers’ image have seen some major changes.

The provisions under RTE Act 2009 had stated several norms in order to universalize education making quality education accessible to all children of the age group of 6-14 years. Apart from providing adequate and basic infrastructural facilities, introduction of subject wise teachers and ensuring Pupil-Teacher Ratio (1:30 in Primary and 1:35 in Upper Primary level) are the important provisions under the RTE Act 2009.

However, after 10 years of implementation of the Act the educational scenario presents a very gloomy picture with approximately 10.1 lakh vacancies of the teachers. In addition to the vacant posts of the teachers, 13.1% teachers are working with the government schools on a contractual basis. Teachers availability for the students is part of the fundamental right to education and equally important for quality education and students’ retention. In place of demanding recruitment of teachers, few agencies and individuals advocate for low cost private schools. According to an article written by Jain and Dholakia 2009, the only remaining alternative is Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in which low cost providers of school education who pay much lower salaries cover a significant part of school education. Large number of under qualified and underpaid teachers is employed by low fee private schools that are run by small and large enterprises.

Teacher training institutes all the country continue to remain in a dismal shape.18.5% of permanent teachers and more than 30% of temporary teachers have not obtained the professional qualifications required under RTE.90% of the aspirants fail the Central Teacher Eligibility Test.

Absenteeism touching 40% in poorest states are indication of sorry state of affairs. The appointment of teachers on contractual basis with indefinite and low salary has become a countrywide phenomenon.

It is grave concern to see the lack of any substantial efforts on the part of the state to build an adequate support system for the teachers along with a child friendly learning environment. The gap in the relationship between teachers, parents and larger community is seen extensively across the country.

What is the synonym of the highlighted word ‘Paradigm’ in the passage?

Question 8

Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.

There has been a paradigm shift in the status of teachers in post 1990s India. With the emergence of new economic order, education institutions, structures and teachers’ image have seen some major changes.

The provisions under RTE Act 2009 had stated several norms in order to universalize education making quality education accessible to all children of the age group of 6-14 years. Apart from providing adequate and basic infrastructural facilities, introduction of subject wise teachers and ensuring Pupil-Teacher Ratio (1:30 in Primary and 1:35 in Upper Primary level) are the important provisions under the RTE Act 2009.

However, after 10 years of implementation of the Act the educational scenario presents a very gloomy picture with approximately 10.1 lakh vacancies of the teachers. In addition to the vacant posts of the teachers, 13.1% teachers are working with the government schools on a contractual basis. Teachers availability for the students is part of the fundamental right to education and equally important for quality education and students’ retention. In place of demanding recruitment of teachers, few agencies and individuals advocate for low cost private schools. According to an article written by Jain and Dholakia 2009, the only remaining alternative is Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in which low cost providers of school education who pay much lower salaries cover a significant part of school education. Large number of under qualified and underpaid teachers is employed by low fee private schools that are run by small and large enterprises.

Teacher training institutes all the country continue to remain in a dismal shape.18.5% of permanent teachers and more than 30% of temporary teachers have not obtained the professional qualifications required under RTE.90% of the aspirants fail the Central Teacher Eligibility Test.

Absenteeism touching 40% in poorest states are indication of sorry state of affairs. The appointment of teachers on contractual basis with indefinite and low salary has become a countrywide phenomenon.

It is grave concern to see the lack of any substantial efforts on the part of the state to build an adequate support system for the teachers along with a child friendly learning environment. The gap in the relationship between teachers, parents and larger community is seen extensively across the country.

What is the word opposite in meaning to the word ‘Dismal’ given in the passage?

Question 9

Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
There has been a paradigm shift in the status of teachers in post 1990s India. With the emergence of new economic order, education institutions, structures and teachers’ image have seen some major changes.
The provisions under RTE Act 2009 had stated several norms in order to universalize education making quality education accessible to all children of the age group of 6-14 years. Apart from providing adequate and basic infrastructural facilities, introduction of subject wise teachers and ensuring Pupil-Teacher Ratio (1:30 in Primary and 1:35 in Upper Primary level) are the important provisions under the RTE Act 2009.
However, after 10 years of implementation of the Act the educational scenario presents a very gloomy picture with approximately 10.1 lakh vacancies of the teachers. In addition to the vacant posts of the teachers, 13.1% teachers are working with the government schools on a contractual basis. Teachers availability for the students is part of the fundamental right to education and equally important for quality education and students’ retention. In place of demanding recruitment of teachers, few agencies and individuals advocate for low cost private schools. According to an article written by Jain and Dholakia 2009, the only remaining alternative is Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in which low cost providers of school education who pay much lower salaries cover a significant part of school education. Large number of under qualified and underpaid teachers is employed by low fee private schools that are run by small and large enterprises.
Teacher training institutes all the country continue to remain in a dismal shape.18.5% of permanent teachers and more than 30% of temporary teachers have not obtained the professional qualifications required under RTE.90% of the aspirants fail the Central Teacher Eligibility Test.
Absenteeism touching 40% in poorest states are indication of sorry state of affairs. The appointment of teachers on contractual basis with indefinite and low salary has become a countrywide phenomenon.
It is grave concern to see the lack of any substantial efforts on the part of the state to build an adequate support system for the teachers along with a child friendly learning environment. The gap in the relationship between teachers, parents and larger community is seen extensively across the country.

Which of the following statement does not hold true in context of the passage?

Question 10

Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
There has been a paradigm shift in the status of teachers in post 1990s India. With the emergence of new economic order, education institutions, structures and teachers’ image have seen some major changes.
The provisions under RTE Act 2009 had stated several norms in order to universalize education making quality education accessible to all children of the age group of 6-14 years. Apart from providing adequate and basic infrastructural facilities, introduction of subject wise teachers and ensuring Pupil-Teacher Ratio (1:30 in Primary and 1:35 in Upper Primary level) are the important provisions under the RTE Act 2009.
However, after 10 years of implementation of the Act the educational scenario presents a very gloomy picture with approximately 10.1 lakh vacancies of the teachers. In addition to the vacant posts of the teachers, 13.1% teachers are working with the government schools on a contractual basis. Teachers availability for the students is part of the fundamental right to education and equally important for quality education and students’ retention. In place of demanding recruitment of teachers, few agencies and individuals advocate for low cost private schools. According to an article written by Jain and Dholakia 2009, the only remaining alternative is Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in which low cost providers of school education who pay much lower salaries cover a significant part of school education. Large number of under qualified and underpaid teachers is employed by low fee private schools that are run by small and large enterprises.
Teacher training institutes all the country continue to remain in a dismal shape.18.5% of permanent teachers and more than 30% of temporary teachers have not obtained the professional qualifications required under RTE.90% of the aspirants fail the Central Teacher Eligibility Test.
Absenteeism touching 40% in poorest states are indication of sorry state of affairs. The appointment of teachers on contractual basis with indefinite and low salary has become a countrywide phenomenon.
It is grave concern to see the lack of any substantial efforts on the part of the state to build an adequate support system for the teachers along with a child friendly learning environment. The gap in the relationship between teachers, parents and larger community is seen extensively across the country.

What according to you is the theme of the passage?
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