Direction (Qs.1 to 10): Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
If India has increased its population of tigers to an estimated 2,967 individuals in 2018-19, putting behind fiascos such as the Sariska wipeout 15 years ago, it adds to its global standing as a conservation marvel: a populous country that has preserved a lot of its natural heritage even amid fast-paced economic growth. (A) Since the (1) majority of the world’s wild tigers live in India, there is global (2) exercise on the counting (3) attention and the gaps the assessment (4) exposes. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has …(B)… in its report, ‘Status of Tigers in India 2018’, that 83% of the big cats censuses were individually photographed using camera traps, 87% were confirmed through a camera trap based capture-recapture technique, and other estimation methods were used to establish the total number. Previous estimates for periods between 2006 and 2010 and then up to 2014 indicated a steady increase in tiger abundance. (C) Such numbers, however, are the subject of debate among sections of the scientific community, mainly on methodological grounds, since independent studies of even well-protected reserves showed a lower increase. It is important to put all the latest data, which are no doubt encouraging, through (D) rigorous peer review. Conservation achievements — and some failures — can then be the subject of scientific scrutiny and find a place in scientific literature to aid efforts to save tigers. There are several aspects to the latest counting operation — a (E) staggering exercise spread over 3,81,400 sq km and 26,838 camera trap locations — that are of international interest, because some tiger range countries are beginning their own census of the cats. Moreover, even developed countries are trying to revive populations of (F) charismatic wild creatures such as wolves and bears through a more accurate outcome measurement. For India’s tigers, not every landscape is welcoming, as the official report makes clear. The less accessible Western Ghats has witnessed a steady increase in numbers from 2006, notably in Karnataka, and Central India has an abundance, but there is a marked drop in Chhattisgarh and Odisha; in Buxa, Dampa and Palamau, which are tiger reserves, no trace of the animal was found. It is imperative for the NTCA to analyse why some landscapes have lost tigers, when the entire programme has been receiving high priority and funding for years now at Rs.10 lakh per family that is ready to move out of critical habitat. Ultimately, saving tigers depends most on the health of source populations of the species that are …(G)… to occupy a mere 10% of the habitat. The conflict in opening up reserves to road-building has to end, and identified movement corridors should be cleared of commercial pressures. …(H)… and pig, needs to stop as they form the base for growth of tiger and other carnivore populations. As some scientists caution, faulty numbers may hide the real story. They may only represent a ‘political population’ of a favored animal, not quite reflective of reality.
Question No : 1
The sentence given in (A) has four words in bold. Amongst the given bold words which of the following must replace each other to make the sentence contextually correct and meaningful.
(1) (2)-(4)
(2) (1)-(3)
(3) (2)-(3)
(4) (1)–(4)
(5) None of these
Question No : 2
Which of the following word given in the options should come at the place marked (B) in the above article to make it grammatically correct and meaningful?
(1) Asserted
(2) Mollified
(3) Vilified
(4) Acquittal
(5) None of these
Question No : 3
In the passage given, a sentence (C) is given in bold. There may or may not be an error in one part of the sentence. Choose the part which has an error in it as your answer. If there is no error then choose option (5) as your answer.
(1) Such numbers, however, are the subject of debate
(2) among sections of the scientific community, mainly
(3) on methodological grounds, since independent studies
(4) of even well-protected reserves showed a lower increase
(5) No errorQuestion No : 4
What is the central theme of the passage?
(1) The need to preserve the national heritage
(2) Sariska wipeout and its repercussions
(3) Rampant Poaching compels to the Government to take stricter measures
(4) Peer review and scientific publication can make India’s tiger census a global model
(5) None of theseQuestion No : 5
Which of the following replace the words marked (D) to make it contextually correct and meaningful? If no replacement is required, mark option (5).
(1) Fantabulous
(2) Haphazard
(3) Pragmatic
(4) Indebted
(5) No replacement required
Question No : 6
Choose the option which is most SIMILAR to the word marked (E) in the passage.
(1) Astonishing
(2) Explanatory
(3) Ascendant
(4) Sovereign
(5) None of these
Question No : 7
Choose the option which is most OPPOSITE to the word marked (F) in the passage.
(1) Entrancing
(2) Salient
(3) Winsome
(4) Tedious
(5) None of these
Question No : 8
Which of the following is/are correct according to the passage?
(I) There has been a marked drop in the number of tigers in Chhattisgarh and Odisha; while in Buxa, Dampa and Palamau, which are tiger reserves, no trace of the animal was found.
(II) The Western Ghats has witnessed a steady increase in tiger numbers from 2006, notably in Maharashtra, and Central India has an abundance
(III) India has increased its population of tigers to about 2,967 individuals in 2018-19, putting behind fiascos such as the Sariska wipeout 15 years ago
(1) Only (II)
(2) (II) and (III)
(3) (I) and (III)
(4) (I), (II) and (III)
(5) None of these
Question No : 9
Which of the following words given in the options should come at the place marked as (G) in the above paragraph to make it grammatically correct and meaningful. Also, the word should fill in the blanks given in the two sentences given below to make them contextually correct and meaningful.
(I) By 2030, it is _____ that fifteen billion people will be online, representing three-fourths of the population of the planet.
(II) The number of Catholics may be _____ at about 800,000 and the Protestants at about 90,000.
(1) Commemorated
(2) Estimated
(3) Calculative
(4) Thought
(5) None of these
Question No : 10
Which of the following phrases should fill the blank in (H) to make it contextually correct and meaningful?
(1) Hunting of prey animals, such as deer
(2) Wild animals are vulnerable to
(3) Poaching has become a concern for
(4) Various NGOs have been raising funds for
(5) None of these