Direction (Qs.1 to 7): Read the given passage carefully and select the best answer to each question out of the five given alternatives.
Modernising colonial-era laws is a long-delayed project, but the draft Indian Forest Act, 2019 is woefully short of being a transformative piece of legislation. The original law, the Indian
Forest act, 1927, is an incongruous relic, its provisions having been drafted to suit the objectives of a colonial power that had extractive uses for forests in mind. A new law enacted should make a departure and be aimed to expand India’s forests, and ensure the well-being of traditional forest-dwellers and biodiversity in these landscapes. The need is for a paradigm that encourages community-led, scientifically validated conservation. This is critical, for only 2.99% of India’s geographic area is classified as very dense forest; the rest of the green cover of a total of 21.54% is nearly equally divided into the open and moderately dense forest, according to the State of Forest Report 2017. The draft Bill reinforces the idea of bureaucratic control of forests, providing immunity for actions such as the use of firearms by personnel to prevent an offense. The hardline policing approach is reflected in the emphasis on creating an penalize entire communities through denial of access to forests for offenses by individuals. Such provisions invariably affect poor inhabitants and run counter to the empowering and egalitarian goals that produced the Forest Rights Act.
India’s forests play a key role in moderating the lives of not just the Adivasis and other traditional dwellers, but everyone in the subcontinent, through their impact on the climate and monsoons. Their health can be improved only through collaboration. Any new forest law must, therefore, aim to reduce conflicts, incentives tribals and stop diversion for non-forest uses. This can be achieved by recognising all suitable landscapes as forests and insulating them from commercial exploitation. Such an approach requires a partnership with communities on the one hand and scientists on the other. For decades now, the Forest Department has resisted independent scientific evaluation of forest health and biodiversity conservation outcomes.
Question No : 1
Which of the following can be a suitable title for the passage?
(1) The Indian Forest Act of 1927
(2) Humanist the draft Indian Forest Act
(3) Save the Adivasis or save the forests?
(4) Forest conservation and environmental awareness
(5) Forests, health and climate change.Question No : 2
Which of the following carry the SAME meaning as the word ‘reinforces’ as mentioned in the passage?
(1) Inexorable
(2) Preponderance
(3) Scurrilous
(4) Underpin
(5) Contravene
Question No : 3
Which of the following means the OPPOSITE of the word ‘incongruous’ as mentioned in the passage?
(1) Apocryphal
(2) Intimation
(3) Trenchant
(4) Harmonious
(5) Flagrant
Question No : 4
According to the author, what terms should the draft Indian Forest Act have?
(1) It should ensure the departure of laws like the Indian Forest Act of 1927
(2) It should focus on multiplying the number of forests in India, incentives tribals and maintaining the biodiversity in these landscapes
(3) It should ensure the bureaucratic control of forests and all forest products
(4) It should create an infrastructure to detain any staff member who uses any kind of firearm to prevent an offense
(5) The author does not put forth his own personal viewsQuestion No : 5
According to the passage, how can the diversion for non-forest uses be stopped?
(1) By resisting independent scientific evaluation of forest health and biodiversity conservation.
(2) By suiting the objectives of a colonial power that has extractive uses for forest in mind
(3) By mutual partnership between the traditional forest dwellers and the government
(4) By recognising all suitable landscapes as forests and excluding them from commercial exploitation.
(5) All of the aboveQuestion No : 6
Which of the following can be correctly inferred from the passage?
(I) What we currently need is a model that stimulates scientifically validated and fraternity- led preservation.
(II) The best approach is the hardline policing approach under which adivasis should be denied access to forests.
(III) Since forests have an influence on the climate and monsoons, they play a key role in moderating life.
(1) Only (I)
(2) Only (II)
(3) Both (II) and (III)
(4) Both (I) and (II)
(5) Both (I) and (III)
Question No : 7
What does the draft Indian Forest Act propose?
(I) It upholds the governmental control of forests and gives the government the power to sentence entire communities for offenses committed by individuals
(II) It ensures liability to the workforce for the use of firearms to prevent an offense and punishments as harsh as the refusal of access to forests.
(III) It introduces provisions to invariably affect the poor inhabitants of the forests and join hands with the government to run counter to the empowering and egalitarian goals that produced the Forest Rights Act.
(1) Only (I)
(2) Both (I) and (II)
(3) Both (I) and (III)
(4) Both (II) and (III)
(5) (I), (II) and (III)