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Reading Comprehension || RC PRACTICE SET - 36 || CAT 2021 || 15 July

Attempt now to get your rank among 1067 students!

Question 1

Direction: Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. Certain words are printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of these.

Hiring telecommuters can be rewarding in many ways. However, you can’t access the benefits without going through some challenges. There are factors that can prevent the expected advantages from materializing or turn them into disadvantages.

One of the biggest advantages associated with telecommuting is reduced operating costs. Hiring remote workers supposedly lowers operating costs, as well as some capital expenditures. When you hire remote employees, you can eliminate the need to add more computers to the office, reduce electricity consumption for air-conditioning and other energy needs and eliminate the need for more workspace.

But one doesn’t obtain the cost-efficiency advantage when you hire telecommuters instantly. One of the biggest obstacles to overcome is determining the suitability of the teleworkers you hire. Not everyone performs as expected, especially those who are forced to telecommute but may not prefer to do so. Even those who prefer to telecommute don’t always deliver.

When remote employees fail to function efficiently, you'll be forced to terminate them or let them work in a traditional 9-to-5, in-office setup. It will cost money to replace employees. You'll have to write off the time and resources you spend to train an employee as a loss or unwanted expense, which certainly doesn't equate to cost efficiency. It's also important to ascertain whether the type of job you're offering is appropriate for a telework setup. Not every task can be effectively done remotely. If you don't consider these factors, your business could end up with higher employee turnover, which leads to more costs for training new employees.

Source - https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinessdevelopmentcouncil/2019/06/25/the-benefits-and-challenges-of-working-with-remote-employees/#44d6b3d21cb6

Why does cost efficiency of a business increase when telecommuters are hired?

I. Cost efficiency of a business increases when telecommuters are hired as extra space is not required as a provision.
II. Cost efficiency of a business increases when telecommuters are hired because infrastructure like computers, air conditioning are not required for them.
III. Cost efficiency of a business increases when telecommuters are hired as it reduces operating cost of a business.

Question 2

Direction: Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. Certain words are printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of these.

Hiring telecommuters can be rewarding in many ways. However, you can’t access the benefits without going through some challenges. There are factors that can prevent the expected advantages from materializing or turn them into disadvantages.

One of the biggest advantages associated with telecommuting is reduced operating costs. Hiring remote workers supposedly lowers operating costs, as well as some capital expenditures. When you hire remote employees, you can eliminate the need to add more computers to the office, reduce electricity consumption for air-conditioning and other energy needs and eliminate the need for more workspace.

But one doesn’t obtain the cost-efficiency advantage when you hire telecommuters instantly. One of the biggest obstacles to overcome is determining the suitability of the teleworkers you hire. Not everyone performs as expected, especially those who are forced to telecommute but may not prefer to do so. Even those who prefer to telecommute don’t always deliver.

When remote employees fail to function efficiently, you'll be forced to terminate them or let them work in a traditional 9-to-5, in-office setup. It will cost money to replace employees. You'll have to write off the time and resources you spend to train an employee as a loss or unwanted expense, which certainly doesn't equate to cost efficiency. It's also important to ascertain whether the type of job you're offering is appropriate for a telework setup. Not every task can be effectively done remotely. If you don't consider these factors, your business could end up with higher employee turnover, which leads to more costs for training new employees.

Source - https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinessdevelopmentcouncil/2019/06/25/the-benefits-and-challenges-of-working-with-remote-employees/#44d6b3d21cb6

Which of the following statement(s) is/are not true with respect to the given passage?
I. Prompt benefits are observed when a company hires telecommuters in large numbers.
II. Cost efficiency of a company is affected when new telecommuters are hired to replace older trained telecommuters.
III. Although every task can be done remotely, the degree of efficiency varies.

Question 3

Direction: Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. Certain words are printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of these.

Hiring telecommuters can be rewarding in many ways. However, you can’t access the benefits without going through some challenges. There are factors that can prevent the expected advantages from materializing or turn them into disadvantages.

One of the biggest advantages associated with telecommuting is reduced operating costs. Hiring remote workers supposedly lowers operating costs, as well as some capital expenditures. When you hire remote employees, you can eliminate the need to add more computers to the office, reduce electricity consumption for air-conditioning and other energy needs and eliminate the need for more workspace.

But one doesn’t obtain the cost-efficiency advantage when you hire telecommuters instantly. One of the biggest obstacles to overcome is determining the suitability of the teleworkers you hire. Not everyone performs as expected, especially those who are forced to telecommute but may not prefer to do so. Even those who prefer to telecommute don’t always deliver.

When remote employees fail to function efficiently, you'll be forced to terminate them or let them work in a traditional 9-to-5, in-office setup. It will cost money to replace employees. You'll have to write off the time and resources you spend to train an employee as a loss or unwanted expense, which certainly doesn't equate to cost efficiency. It's also important to ascertain whether the type of job you're offering is appropriate for a telework setup. Not every task can be effectively done remotely. If you don't consider these factors, your business could end up with higher employee turnover, which leads to more costs for training new employees.

Source - https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinessdevelopmentcouncil/2019/06/25/the-benefits-and-challenges-of-working-with-remote-employees/#44d6b3d21cb6

Which of the following statements can be considered to be a correct assumption regarding telecommuters?
I. Telecommuters can cause a business to become less cost efficient if not handled in the proper manner.
II. The success of employing telecommuters not only depend on the tasks performed by them but also on the work ethics of the telecommuter in question.
III. Hiring telecommuters is advantageous and will soon replace the traditional 9-5 jobs.

Question 4

Direction: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. Certain words are printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of these.

It was a bright spring day. The sun was high in the blue sky. A herd of sheep was grazing contentedly on the hillside. The little lambs with their soft white coats and curly tails were playing among themselves. The Shepherd, seeing that his flock was safe and happy, had fallen asleep under the spreading branches of a large old tree. Suddenly an Eagle swooped down from the sky. It pounced on a little lamb and carried it off so swiftly that none of the other lambs even had the time to bleat. The sleeping Shepherd heard nothing. A Crow was sitting on the tree under which the Shepherd lay asleep. He had seen how the Eagle had caught the lamb and carried it off to his nest. ‘What a wonderful way to get dinner!’ he thought. 'Why do crows look for old smelly food?’
The Crow decided to do exactly as the Eagle had done. It had looked easy enough. All he had to do was to decide which sheep he wanted, swoop down upon it, hold it as firmly as he could in his claws and fly off with it… Easy! If the Eagle could do it, then so could he! The Crow looked down at the flock of sheep to decide which sheep he wanted. Just below the tree, by the Shepherd, a big, old Ram was grazing. He had curling horns and a thick heavy fleece.
'Aha! He should be a good meal for me!' thought the Crow greedily. He was very hungry and the thought of a large juicy Ram for lunch made his mouth water. The Crow swooped silently and swiftly down onto the Ram, just as he had seen the Eagle do and grasped it firmly by its fleece. ‘And now to fly off with it to my nest,' said the Crow to himself. He flapped his wings with all his strength, but could not lift the Ram. The Ram was large. He was much too heavy for the Crow to carry. The Crow tried again and again, but without success. The Ram felt the Crow on its back and was annoyed. Just what do you think you are doing, you pesky bird?' he snapped, glaring at him over his shoulder. The Crow flapped harder still, trying to carry the Ram away.
‘Now stop that!' cried the Ram. ‘Go away! Shoo! Leave me in peace!’ He jumped and bucked and tried to shake the Crow off his back. ‘Oh oh!' thought the Crow, alarmed at the Ram’s fierce antics. ‘Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all! Perhaps I should look for my dinner somewhere else! I had better let the Ram be!'
The Crow tried to fly away, but he found he could not move. His claws were caught in the Ram’s thick fleece! The Crow pulled his feet this way and that. He flapped his wings as hard as he could. But no matter what he did, he only seemed to get stuck more firmly. Oh, how was he ever going to get free? The Crow squawked loudly in fear and despair. Ram started running around the tree, bellowing with rage. The Shepherd woke up with a start. Who was making that horrible noise? Were his sheep in danger? He sat up. What a sight met his eyes! Ram was running round and round the tree. On his back was the Crow, squawking and trying to rise into the air. The Shepherd began to laugh. At last, wiping his eyes, the Shepherd stood up. He stopped the Ram as he ran by and calmed him with gentle words. When Ram was still, the Shepherd took a pair of shears from his sack. Holding the Crow with one hand, he deftly snipped the fleece until the Crow was free. ‘What did you think you were doing, my fine friend'' asked the Shepherd, looking at the Crow. ‘Playing at being an Eagle, were you?' The Shepherd burst out laughing again. The Crow was too embarrassed even to croak. He wished only that the Shepherd would let him go so he could fly away to his nest and hide his foolish head.
Finally, when the Shepherd let the Crow go, the Crow flapped his wings and flew off as fast as he could. ‘And the next time you want to be an Eagle, make sure you pick an animal of your size!' called the Shepherd after him. The Crow, feeling silly and foolish, promised himself that from now on he would only do as other crows did!

Source: www.english-for-students.com
What did the crow think when he saw the eagle carry away a little lamb?

Question 5

Direction: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. Certain words are printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of these.

It was a bright spring day. The sun was high in the blue sky. A herd of sheep was grazing contentedly on the hillside. The little lambs with their soft white coats and curly tails were playing among themselves. The Shepherd, seeing that his flock was safe and happy, had fallen asleep under the spreading branches of a large old tree. Suddenly an Eagle swooped down from the sky. It pounced on a little lamb and carried it off so swiftly that none of the other lambs even had the time to bleat. The sleeping Shepherd heard nothing. A Crow was sitting on the tree under which the Shepherd lay asleep. He had seen how the Eagle had caught the lamb and carried it off to his nest. ‘What a wonderful way to get dinner!’ he thought. 'Why do crows look for old smelly food?’
The Crow decided to do exactly as the Eagle had done. It had looked easy enough. All he had to do was to decide which sheep he wanted, swoop down upon it, hold it as firmly as he could in his claws and fly off with it… Easy! If the Eagle could do it, then so could he! The Crow looked down at the flock of sheep to decide which sheep he wanted. Just below the tree, by the Shepherd, a big, old Ram was grazing. He had curling horns and a thick heavy fleece.
'Aha! He should be a good meal for me!' thought the Crow greedily. He was very hungry and the thought of a large juicy Ram for lunch made his mouth water. The Crow swooped silently and swiftly down onto the Ram, just as he had seen the Eagle do and grasped it firmly by its fleece. ‘And now to fly off with it to my nest,' said the Crow to himself. He flapped his wings with all his strength, but could not lift the Ram. The Ram was large. He was much too heavy for the Crow to carry. The Crow tried again and again, but without success. The Ram felt the Crow on its back and was annoyed. Just what do you think you are doing, you pesky bird?' he snapped, glaring at him over his shoulder. The Crow flapped harder still, trying to carry the Ram away.
‘Now stop that!' cried the Ram. ‘Go away! Shoo! Leave me in peace!’ He jumped and bucked and tried to shake the Crow off his back. ‘Oh oh!' thought the Crow, alarmed at the Ram’s fierce antics. ‘Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all! Perhaps I should look for my dinner somewhere else! I had better let the Ram be!'
The Crow tried to fly away, but he found he could not move. His claws were caught in the Ram’s thick fleece! The Crow pulled his feet this way and that. He flapped his wings as hard as he could. But no matter what he did, he only seemed to get stuck more firmly. Oh, how was he ever going to get free? The Crow squawked loudly in fear and despair. Ram started running around the tree, bellowing with rage. The Shepherd woke up with a start. Who was making that horrible noise? Were his sheep in danger? He sat up. What a sight met his eyes! Ram was running round and round the tree. On his back was the Crow, squawking and trying to rise into the air. The Shepherd began to laugh. At last, wiping his eyes, the Shepherd stood up. He stopped the Ram as he ran by and calmed him with gentle words. When Ram was still, the Shepherd took a pair of shears from his sack. Holding the Crow with one hand, he deftly snipped the fleece until the Crow was free. ‘What did you think you were doing, my fine friend'' asked the Shepherd, looking at the Crow. ‘Playing at being an Eagle, were you?' The Shepherd burst out laughing again. The Crow was too embarrassed even to croak. He wished only that the Shepherd would let him go so he could fly away to his nest and hide his foolish head.
Finally, when the Shepherd let the Crow go, the Crow flapped his wings and flew off as fast as he could. ‘And the next time you want to be an Eagle, make sure you pick an animal of your size!' called the Shepherd after him. The Crow, feeling silly and foolish, promised himself that from now on he would only do as other crows did!

Source: www.english-for-students.com
What happened when the crow tried to grasp Ram?

Question 6

Direction: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. Certain words are printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of these.

It was a bright spring day. The sun was high in the blue sky. A herd of sheep was grazing contentedly on the hillside. The little lambs with their soft white coats and curly tails were playing among themselves. The Shepherd, seeing that his flock was safe and happy, had fallen asleep under the spreading branches of a large old tree. Suddenly an Eagle swooped down from the sky. It pounced on a little lamb and carried it off so swiftly that none of the other lambs even had the time to bleat. The sleeping Shepherd heard nothing. A Crow was sitting on the tree under which the Shepherd lay asleep. He had seen how the Eagle had caught the lamb and carried it off to his nest. ‘What a wonderful way to get dinner!’ he thought. 'Why do crows look for old smelly food?’
The Crow decided to do exactly as the Eagle had done. It had looked easy enough. All he had to do was to decide which sheep he wanted, swoop down upon it, hold it as firmly as he could in his claws and fly off with it… Easy! If the Eagle could do it, then so could he! The Crow looked down at the flock of sheep to decide which sheep he wanted. Just below the tree, by the Shepherd, a big, old Ram was grazing. He had curling horns and a thick heavy fleece.
'Aha! He should be a good meal for me!' thought the Crow greedily. He was very hungry and the thought of a large juicy Ram for lunch made his mouth water. The Crow swooped silently and swiftly down onto the Ram, just as he had seen the Eagle do and grasped it firmly by its fleece. ‘And now to fly off with it to my nest,' said the Crow to himself. He flapped his wings with all his strength, but could not lift the Ram. The Ram was large. He was much too heavy for the Crow to carry. The Crow tried again and again, but without success. The Ram felt the Crow on its back and was annoyed. Just what do you think you are doing, you pesky bird?' he snapped, glaring at him over his shoulder. The Crow flapped harder still, trying to carry the Ram away.
‘Now stop that!' cried the Ram. ‘Go away! Shoo! Leave me in peace!’ He jumped and bucked and tried to shake the Crow off his back. ‘Oh oh!' thought the Crow, alarmed at the Ram’s fierce antics. ‘Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all! Perhaps I should look for my dinner somewhere else! I had better let the Ram be!'
The Crow tried to fly away, but he found he could not move. His claws were caught in the Ram’s thick fleece! The Crow pulled his feet this way and that. He flapped his wings as hard as he could. But no matter what he did, he only seemed to get stuck more firmly. Oh, how was he ever going to get free? The Crow squawked loudly in fear and despair. Ram started running around the tree, bellowing with rage. The Shepherd woke up with a start. Who was making that horrible noise? Were his sheep in danger? He sat up. What a sight met his eyes! Ram was running round and round the tree. On his back was the Crow, squawking and trying to rise into the air. The Shepherd began to laugh. At last, wiping his eyes, the Shepherd stood up. He stopped the Ram as he ran by and calmed him with gentle words. When Ram was still, the Shepherd took a pair of shears from his sack. Holding the Crow with one hand, he deftly snipped the fleece until the Crow was free. ‘What did you think you were doing, my fine friend'' asked the Shepherd, looking at the Crow. ‘Playing at being an Eagle, were you?' The Shepherd burst out laughing again. The Crow was too embarrassed even to croak. He wished only that the Shepherd would let him go so he could fly away to his nest and hide his foolish head.
Finally, when the Shepherd let the Crow go, the Crow flapped his wings and flew off as fast as he could. ‘And the next time you want to be an Eagle, make sure you pick an animal of your size!' called the Shepherd after him. The Crow, feeling silly and foolish, promised himself that from now on he would only do as other crows did!

Source: www.english-for-students.com
How did the shepherd first react when he saw the crow struggling to free himself from the Ram's fleece?

Question 7

Direction: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. Certain words are printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of these.

It was a bright spring day. The sun was high in the blue sky. A herd of sheep was grazing contentedly on the hillside. The little lambs with their soft white coats and curly tails were playing among themselves. The Shepherd, seeing that his flock was safe and happy, had fallen asleep under the spreading branches of a large old tree. Suddenly an Eagle swooped down from the sky. It pounced on a little lamb and carried it off so swiftly that none of the other lambs even had the time to bleat. The sleeping Shepherd heard nothing. A Crow was sitting on the tree under which the Shepherd lay asleep. He had seen how the Eagle had caught the lamb and carried it off to his nest. ‘What a wonderful way to get dinner!’ he thought. 'Why do crows look for old smelly food?’
The Crow decided to do exactly as the Eagle had done. It had looked easy enough. All he had to do was to decide which sheep he wanted, swoop down upon it, hold it as firmly as he could in his claws and fly off with it… Easy! If the Eagle could do it, then so could he! The Crow looked down at the flock of sheep to decide which sheep he wanted. Just below the tree, by the Shepherd, a big, old Ram was grazing. He had curling horns and a thick heavy fleece.
'Aha! He should be a good meal for me!' thought the Crow greedily. He was very hungry and the thought of a large juicy Ram for lunch made his mouth water. The Crow swooped silently and swiftly down onto the Ram, just as he had seen the Eagle do and grasped it firmly by its fleece. ‘And now to fly off with it to my nest,' said the Crow to himself. He flapped his wings with all his strength, but could not lift the Ram. The Ram was large. He was much too heavy for the Crow to carry. The Crow tried again and again, but without success. The Ram felt the Crow on its back and was annoyed. Just what do you think you are doing, you pesky bird?' he snapped, glaring at him over his shoulder. The Crow flapped harder still, trying to carry the Ram away.
‘Now stop that!' cried the Ram. ‘Go away! Shoo! Leave me in peace!’ He jumped and bucked and tried to shake the Crow off his back. ‘Oh oh!' thought the Crow, alarmed at the Ram’s fierce antics. ‘Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all! Perhaps I should look for my dinner somewhere else! I had better let the Ram be!'
The Crow tried to fly away, but he found he could not move. His claws were caught in the Ram’s thick fleece! The Crow pulled his feet this way and that. He flapped his wings as hard as he could. But no matter what he did, he only seemed to get stuck more firmly. Oh, how was he ever going to get free? The Crow squawked loudly in fear and despair. Ram started running around the tree, bellowing with rage. The Shepherd woke up with a start. Who was making that horrible noise? Were his sheep in danger? He sat up. What a sight met his eyes! Ram was running round and round the tree. On his back was the Crow, squawking and trying to rise into the air. The Shepherd began to laugh. At last, wiping his eyes, the Shepherd stood up. He stopped the Ram as he ran by and calmed him with gentle words. When Ram was still, the Shepherd took a pair of shears from his sack. Holding the Crow with one hand, he deftly snipped the fleece until the Crow was free. ‘What did you think you were doing, my fine friend'' asked the Shepherd, looking at the Crow. ‘Playing at being an Eagle, were you?' The Shepherd burst out laughing again. The Crow was too embarrassed even to croak. He wished only that the Shepherd would let him go so he could fly away to his nest and hide his foolish head.
Finally, when the Shepherd let the Crow go, the Crow flapped his wings and flew off as fast as he could. ‘And the next time you want to be an Eagle, make sure you pick an animal of your size!' called the Shepherd after him. The Crow, feeling silly and foolish, promised himself that from now on he would only do as other crows did!

Source: www.english-for-students.com
Which of the following is the MOST OPPOSITE in meaning to 'swoop'?

Question 8

Direction: Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
When Hurricane Harvey loomed off the coast of my home state of Texas, it seemed to fill the entire Gulf of Mexico. When it roared on land, it pummeled the towns of Rockport and Port Aransas, whose tawny beaches I’ve walked with my kids, pointing out the indigo sails of Portuguese man o’ war jellyfish. Harvey’s eye took direct aim at the University of Texas’ Marine Science Institute, flattening not just the facility itself, but priceless samples awaiting analysis. After Harvey left Port Aransas, it spun back into the Gulf of Mexico over record sea temperatures as great as 4 degrees Fahrenheit above normal. Thermodynamic laws require that warmer air holds more water vapor. The heat armed the storm with a mighty arsenal of water vapor. Then Harvey returned to land, dumping a catastrophic amount of rain on Houston. My Facebook feed filled with pleas for rescue from the rising waters. Friends’ houses flooded — houses that had always been on dry land before. A chemical plant blew up, twice. Toxic chemicals oozed from Superfund sites. Dozens died in the deluge, mostly by drowning. And all the while, alongside the heartbreak and horror, I kept thinking about a strange harbinger: jellyfish.
Diaphanous in form yet menacing in sting, jellyfish have a powerful capacity to capture our imagination. They undulate in a primal rhythm, blinking open and closed like eyes that can peer into the soul of the sea. And what they are seeing are changes produced by us here on land. Because we burn fossil fuels, which release greenhouse gasses, not just the atmosphere but ocean waters are warming. At the same time, our ship traffic transports animals to new places, and sometimes these exotics find home-like conditions where in the past those conditions would have been unsuitable. That’s likely what happened off the coast of Italy, where gas platforms are thought to be the home for a new invasion of jellyfish. In the twentieth century in the Adriatic Sea, moon jellies, pinkish with their characteristic four-leafed clover on top, were a rarity. Now they are ubiquitous. And as we wash pollution into our waters, we create low oxygen environments. Some jellyfish, with their low metabolic rate due to their a-cellular jelly insides, can survive more easily there than fish, with their oxygen-guzzling muscled tissues.
The fierce stings of these animals chase beach-goers out of the water. Their gooey bodies clog machinery at power plants, halting operations. Rampant coastal development provides new habitat for a jellyfish stage called a polyp that looks like a sea anemone. When it finds a hard surface like a dock or a jetty to grow on, a single polyp can proliferate into a dozen or even more medusae. And fields of polyps grow on those hard structures. And our lack of oversight of the fishing industry, which has removed more than 90% of the large fish from the seas, has depleted the predators of jellyfish as well as their competitors. Jellyfish are eaten by some fish, and jellyfish eat the same small zooplankton that fish do. The ecological vacuum left by unrestrained fishing can allow jellyfish to expand their influence in marine ecosystems. That’s what happened off the coast of Namibia, once one of the world’s most productive fisheries.
Jellyfish can survive in polluted water better than other fishes. Why?
I. They have oxygen gulping muscled tissues.
II. They have low metabolic rate.
III. They eat zooplankton for survival.

Question 9

Direction: Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
When Hurricane Harvey loomed off the coast of my home state of Texas, it seemed to fill the entire Gulf of Mexico. When it roared on land, it pummeled the towns of Rockport and Port Aransas, whose tawny beaches I’ve walked with my kids, pointing out the indigo sails of Portuguese man o’ war jellyfish. Harvey’s eye took direct aim at the University of Texas’ Marine Science Institute, flattening not just the facility itself, but priceless samples awaiting analysis. After Harvey left Port Aransas, it spun back into the Gulf of Mexico over record sea temperatures as great as 4 degrees Fahrenheit above normal. Thermodynamic laws require that warmer air holds more water vapor. The heat armed the storm with a mighty arsenal of water vapor. Then Harvey returned to land, dumping a catastrophic amount of rain on Houston. My Facebook feed filled with pleas for rescue from the rising waters. Friends’ houses flooded — houses that had always been on dry land before. A chemical plant blew up, twice. Toxic chemicals oozed from Superfund sites. Dozens died in the deluge, mostly by drowning. And all the while, alongside the heartbreak and horror, I kept thinking about a strange harbinger: jellyfish.
Diaphanous in form yet menacing in sting, jellyfish have a powerful capacity to capture our imagination. They undulate in a primal rhythm, blinking open and closed like eyes that can peer into the soul of the sea. And what they are seeing are changes produced by us here on land. Because we burn fossil fuels, which release greenhouse gasses, not just the atmosphere but ocean waters are warming. At the same time, our ship traffic transports animals to new places, and sometimes these exotics find home-like conditions where in the past those conditions would have been unsuitable. That’s likely what happened off the coast of Italy, where gas platforms are thought to be the home for a new invasion of jellyfish. In the twentieth century in the Adriatic Sea, moon jellies, pinkish with their characteristic four-leafed clover on top, were a rarity. Now they are ubiquitous. And as we wash pollution into our waters, we create low oxygen environments. Some jellyfish, with their low metabolic rate due to their a-cellular jelly insides, can survive more easily there than fish, with their oxygen-guzzling muscled tissues.
The fierce stings of these animals chase beach-goers out of the water. Their gooey bodies clog machinery at power plants, halting operations. Rampant coastal development provides new habitat for a jellyfish stage called a polyp that looks like a sea anemone. When it finds a hard surface like a dock or a jetty to grow on, a single polyp can proliferate into a dozen or even more medusae. And fields of polyps grow on those hard structures. And our lack of oversight of the fishing industry, which has removed more than 90% of the large fish from the seas, has depleted the predators of jellyfish as well as their competitors. Jellyfish are eaten by some fish, and jellyfish eat the same small zooplankton that fish do. The ecological vacuum left by unrestrained fishing can allow jellyfish to expand their influence in marine ecosystems. That’s what happened off the coast of Namibia, once one of the world’s most productive fisheries.
Pick up the fact(s) about Jellyfish that is(are) related with Namibia.

Question 10

Direction: Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
When Hurricane Harvey loomed off the coast of my home state of Texas, it seemed to fill the entire Gulf of Mexico. When it roared on land, it pummeled the towns of Rockport and Port Aransas, whose tawny beaches I’ve walked with my kids, pointing out the indigo sails of Portuguese man o’ war jellyfish. Harvey’s eye took direct aim at the University of Texas’ Marine Science Institute, flattening not just the facility itself, but priceless samples awaiting analysis. After Harvey left Port Aransas, it spun back into the Gulf of Mexico over record sea temperatures as great as 4 degrees Fahrenheit above normal. Thermodynamic laws require that warmer air holds more water vapor. The heat armed the storm with a mighty arsenal of water vapor. Then Harvey returned to land, dumping a catastrophic amount of rain on Houston. My Facebook feed filled with pleas for rescue from the rising waters. Friends’ houses flooded — houses that had always been on dry land before. A chemical plant blew up, twice. Toxic chemicals oozed from Superfund sites. Dozens died in the deluge, mostly by drowning. And all the while, alongside the heartbreak and horror, I kept thinking about a strange harbinger: jellyfish.
Diaphanous in form yet menacing in sting, jellyfish have a powerful capacity to capture our imagination. They undulate in a primal rhythm, blinking open and closed like eyes that can peer into the soul of the sea. And what they are seeing are changes produced by us here on land. Because we burn fossil fuels, which release greenhouse gasses, not just the atmosphere but ocean waters are warming. At the same time, our ship traffic transports animals to new places, and sometimes these exotics find home-like conditions where in the past those conditions would have been unsuitable. That’s likely what happened off the coast of Italy, where gas platforms are thought to be the home for a new invasion of jellyfish. In the twentieth century in the Adriatic Sea, moon jellies, pinkish with their characteristic four-leafed clover on top, were a rarity. Now they are ubiquitous. And as we wash pollution into our waters, we create low oxygen environments. Some jellyfish, with their low metabolic rate due to their a-cellular jelly insides, can survive more easily there than fish, with their oxygen-guzzling muscled tissues.
The fierce stings of these animals chase beach-goers out of the water. Their gooey bodies clog machinery at power plants, halting operations. Rampant coastal development provides new habitat for a jellyfish stage called a polyp that looks like a sea anemone. When it finds a hard surface like a dock or a jetty to grow on, a single polyp can proliferate into a dozen or even more medusae. And fields of polyps grow on those hard structures. And our lack of oversight of the fishing industry, which has removed more than 90% of the large fish from the seas, has depleted the predators of jellyfish as well as their competitors. Jellyfish are eaten by some fish, and jellyfish eat the same small zooplankton that fish do. The ecological vacuum left by unrestrained fishing can allow jellyfish to expand their influence in marine ecosystems. That’s what happened off the coast of Namibia, once one of the world’s most productive fisheries.
Which of the following statement(s) is(are) true in the context of the given passage?
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