68. Reading Skills Comprehension: Air Pollution

AIR POLLUTION

Read the passage and answer the following questions:-

India’s growing fascination for vehicles and failure to develop roads has increased air pollution in most cities, the country’s pollution watchdog has revealed. In the past two decades, the carrying capacity of roads increased by less than 2.5 per cent, whereas the number of vehicles grew at an annual rate of over 10 per cent. In 2008, in India, 12 million vehicles were plying on the 3.5 million km road network. For people, its visible impact has increased congestion on roads, but what one didn’t see was the higher air pollution.

The high concentration of pollutants like carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons cause lung cancer and asthma, besides routine breathing problems. The sudden jump in air pollution is a recent phenomenon, with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) finding that half of the two-wheelers and cars running on Indian roads have been registered in the last five to seven years. The growth phenomenon in the case of heavy vehicles has been less impressive.

The new vehicles, however, are not the sole cause of air pollution. The CPCB said that vehicles older than 10 years caused 60 per cent of vehicular air pollution. And the reason is poor maintenance and no norms in India for the expiry of a vehicle, especially the private ones. Adulteration of fuel has been stated as another reason for high vehicular pollution.

So far, ironically because of a lower level of income thresholds, the Indian market has favoured small cars and two-wheelers. As small engines use less fuel, the average float-wise fuel consumption is expected to be low. But already, with rising income levels, there is a steady shift towards bigger cars that use more fuel. Taking their place are the bigger cars in compact, mid-size and high-end segments. Therefore, standards can make a significant difference in India.                                                                                                                            

(1) (a) What is the major cause of air pollution in India?                               

 (b) What has increased more than the carrying capacity of roads?            

(c) What causes lung cancer and asthma?                                                         

 (d) Why do Indians favour small cars and two-wheelers?                             

 (2) (a) Which word in the passage means ‘mixing with inferior material’? (Para 3)

 (i) impurity (ii) adulteration (iii) phenomenon (iv) purification                    

(b) Which word in the passage means ‘collection’? (para 2)

(!) concentration (ii) phenomenon (iii) pollution (iv) growth                        

(c) Find the word opposite in meaning to ‘success’? (para 1)

(i) obsession (ii) failure (iii) network (iv) revealed                                          

(d) Find the word opposite in meaning to ‘production’? (Para 4)

 (i) compact (ii) threshold (iii) difference (iv) consumption                          

Answers :

(1) (a) The major cause of air pollution in India is a spurt in vehicles accompanied by the failure to develop roads.

(b) The number of vehicles has increased at a higher percentage than the carrying capacity of roads.

(c) The high concentration of pollutants like carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons cause lung cancer and asthma.

(d) Indians favour small cars and two-wheelers typically due to a lower level of income thresholds.

(2) (a) (ii) adulteration              (b) (i) concentration

 (c) (ii) failure                              (d) (iv) consumption

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