Direction (Qs.1 to 7): Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
It is an age old maxim that nature is our mother and if it is to be commanded, it must be obeyed. Nature binds truth, virtue and happiness together as by insoluble chain but man’s ignorance of this immortal nature is the only source of his unhappiness. Ever since his appearance, man is using the priceless gifts of nature without restraint. He has rather taken them for granted. Seldom did he pay attention to the fact that the supplies of air, water and food and the industrial raw materials that he extracted from the bowels of the earth might disappear one day. Nature has been suffering because of thoughtless human intervention and its recycling process for hundreds of years. The relationship between man and nature reflects profound changes in the wake of modern scientific and technological advancement. And here lies the concern for the entire human race. They say it truly that we have not inherited this earth from our ancestors but have borrowed it from our children. We are obliged to preserve nature for the benefits of future generation, which according to Charles Darwin ‘endless forms of the most beautiful and most wonderful’. But introspect, what is man doing to this Mother Nature today? The forests are being slaughtered mercilessly to satisfy the needs of the teeming millions. With deforestation, the surroundings are also becoming concrete jungles. Moreover the protective ozone layer is being depleted which is going to affect more than half of the world population. So desperate are we to enjoy our today that tomorrow does not seem all that important. What is worse is that we have criminalized society. The violence we unleashed on nature has left its brutal scars on us as well. No doubt we are polluting our nature on an unprecedented scale and wrecking it in a way that makes regeneration impossible. As a result, the marvelous creatures and plants dependant on the rich nature are limping towards extinction amidst man’s cruelty. The progress of civilization is to be measured in proportion to man’s success in meeting the challenges of nature. But the developments in the fields of industry and technology – the hallmarks of his material progress and prosperity are certainly a mixed blessing. Their side effects are gradually affecting the environment which in turn endangers the very existence. So we are at a stage not of mutual existence but of mutual annihilation. It is now that man has realized that he has to work with nature and that he will never tolerate the rape of mother earth. He is bringing about industrial progress with the aim of making the world a better, beautiful and more comfortable place to live in. Man has understood that nature and its resources are vast but finite. If the present trends continue going on unchecked, the future of life on earth will be endangered. Nature’s gifts are to be conserved. Let us all make a joint venture to make the nature as pure as before and try to maintain the immortal relationship of mother and son between nature and man. Let the rivers not burn. Let the fish not rot on the shores. Let the trees not be our ghosts! Let the cities not be choked with polluted and foul smelling air! Let us all join hands and let all take a pledge to arise, awake and stop not till the goal of saving Mother Nature is achieved.Question No : 1
According to the author, why is the environment endangered?
(1) Due to industrial and technological developments
(2) Due to deforestation
(3) Due to excessive pollution
(4) Due to the exploitation of Mother Nature by human race
(5) None of the aboveQuestion No : 2
How is man becoming his own as well as the nature's enemy?
(1) He is depleting the resources for the future generations
(2) He is polluting the nature thus making it difficult for him to live in
(3) He is destroying the plants and animals on which his own existence is dependent
(4) He is destroying the ozone layer
(5) None of theseQuestion No : 3
Which of the following statements is/are true?
A. We have not inherited this earth from our ancestors
B. Nature is our mother and it can be commanded
C. Man thinks that resources given to him by nature are infinite.
(1) Only A and B
(2) Only A and C
(3) Only C and B
(4) All A, B and C
(5) None of these
Question No : 4
According to the author, man is neglectful of which of the following things?
(1) Importance of trees
(2) Imbalance caused by him to nature
(3) Finite supplies of natural resources like air, food etc.
(4) Man and nature are at a stage of extinction
(5) None of theseQuestion No : 5
Which of the following statements is related to present situation?
(1) The forests are being cut
(2) The ozone layer is depleting
(3) Man is using the natural resources without restraint
(4) Man has realized the importance of nature
(5) None of theseQuestion No : 6
The author compares the immortal relationship between nature and humans as that of the relationship between:
(1) Between the mother and the son
(2) Between the mother and the man
(3) Of the earth and of the man
(4) Between the man and the plants, animals etc.
(5) None of theseQuestion No : 7
What will be the ultimate effect of man’s actions, if left unchecked?
(1) No life on earth would be left
(2) Fish will rot on the shores
(3) Natural resources will be depleted
(4) Cities will be choked with polluted and foul smelling air
(5) All of these