Comprehension Questions and Answers

Direction for [ Question No: 41 To 42 ] :

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions :

The popular view of towns and cities in developing countries and of urbanization process is that despite the benefits and comforts it brings, the emergence of such cities connotes environmental degradation, generation of slums and squatters, urban poverty, unemployment, crimes, lawlessness, traffic chaos etc. But what is the reality ? Given the unprecedented increase in urban population over the last 50 years from 300 million in 1950 to 2 billion in 2000 in developing countries, the wonder really is how well the world has coped, and not how badly. In general, the urban quality of life has improved in terms of availability of water and sanitation, power, health and education, communication and transport. By way of illustration, a large number of urban residents have been provided with improved water in urban areas in Asia's largest countries such as China, India, Indonesia and Philippines. Despite that, the access to improved water in terms of percentage of total urban population seems to have declined during the last decade of 20th century, though in absolute numbers, millions of additional urbanites, have been provided improved services. These countries have made significant progress in the provision of sanitation services too, together, providing for an additional population of more than 293 million citizens within a decade (1990-2000). These improvements must be viewed against the backdrop of rapidly increasing urban population, fiscal crunch and strained human resources and efficient and quality-oriented public management.

Direction for [ Question No: 43 To 48 ] :

Read the following passage and answer the questions below :

There is a true schism between Science and society. They form, so-to-say, two disparate worlds. On the one hand, there is society claiming that science is responsible for most of the evil on earth, having caused all the pollution, (like Bhopal, Seveso, and Chernobyl), a society that is nevertheless thoughtlessly using and misusing all the goodies of science and technology. On the other hand, there are many of our great scientists who still think in terms of unlimited progress on a technological level. They are convinced that progress of mankind is measured, apart from achievements in cosmic knowledge, in extension of life-span of human beings, genetically modifying human species and so on.

Is it really a meaningful goal to further improve the living standards of affluent minority and extend their individual life span ? Would it not be better to attempt to extend the life span of the entire mankind on earth ? If we do not think long term, nature will find its own ways to set limits : ‘Eat and be extent’. If we do not think for ahead, our descendants will have to experience the fatal limits without being properly prepared.

Who should, then, care about the far future ? This leads us to the question of sustainability. Sustainable development is today a well accepted conversation piece in any upper class society (a real tea-time conversation).

This space-age has taught us that we live on a fragile planet with an onion skin atmosphere, containing all that is dear to natural life. And that we humans are converting all of it into a waste including even the narrowest band of breathable air, at an alarming rate of pollution, destruction and overpopulation.

In the words of Jeroma Karle (1985, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry), if humans continue to increase the earth’s population, destroy the environment and produce children whose lives are devoid of love, self-respect, culture and respect for the dignity of others, we can expect an increasing loss of quality of life, much suffering and violence, and a return to dark ages.’

In brief, science and technology alone cannot solve the problems of new Millennium.

Our current obsession with technology is a dead end. We need additional guidelines for our actions.

Unless the new millennium renews our faith in the unknown – the miraculous mystery of man’s soul, we shall not be able to protect our fragile planet the nature’s gift to mankind, for long. And that would reflect the darkest face of human development through science, technology and technology alone.

Direction for [ Question No: 49 To 50 ] :

Read the passage below and answer the questions, that follow based on your understanding of the passage :

According to the view of the committee for Review of NPE 1986, almost half of the children in the age group of 6-14 either do not enter the school at all or drop-out at an early stage, since they find school either boring, irrelevant, or threatening. Almost another 40 to 45% of them have to stay away from school due to strong economic compulsions and the demands of home and family life.

By non-formalising the school system, the rigidities of the formal school system may be removed, even when the quality of education in the school has thus improved, segments of child population may still remain outside the school system on account of economic compulsions or their special social situations. To cater their requirements non-formal education will have to be in operation.

The Non-formal Education (NFE) Programme, as an alternative and supportive system for formal education, was developed and introduced in 1979 - 80 as a centrally assisted scheme in ten educationally backward States. Its main goal is to bring the unenrolled and drop-out children of age group 6 - 14 into the fold of primary education in order to achieve the universalisation of elementary education. Eventhough this programme is being implemented throughout India the demand remains unfulfilled.