75. Reading Skills Comprehension: GANGA

GANGA

Read the Passage Carefully and answers the Following Questions: –

1. What makes a river so restful to people is that it doesn’t have any doubt—it is sure about where it is going, and it doesn’t want to go anywhere else,” Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Hal Boule once said. This statement, however, no longer holds true as some of the world’s greatest rivers, including the Ganga, are no longer assured of reaching the sea unhindered. Human greed, expanding the population and climate change have ensured that together.

2. In the years to come to the northern plains, heavily dependent on the Ganga, are likely to face severe water scarcity. Together with the onslaught of industrial and sewage pollutants, the river’s fate stands more or less sealed. 3. “Among the categories dead, dying and threatened, I would put the Ganga in the dying category,” says WWF Programme Director Sejal Worah.

3. The mighty Indus, too, has been the victim of climate change, water extraction and infrastructure development. “In all, poor planning and inadequate protection of natural means have ensured that the world population can no longer assume that water is going to flow forever,” WWF says, adding that the world’s water suppliers-rivers in every continent are dying, threatening the world with the severe water shortage in the future. The other rivers of the world, at the mercy of over-extraction, climate change, pollution, dams and overfishing, are the Yangtze, the Mekong-Lancang, the Salween-Nu, the Danube, the La Plata, the Rio Grande, the Nile and the Murray-Darling. The bottom line, therefore, is that rivers are no longer assured of reaching the sea unhindered.

4. Water extraction is only one of the daunting challenges that a river faces as it makes its way to its terminus. “Dams and channelising destroy habitats, cut rivers off from their floodplains and alter the natural ebb and flow on which a river’s plants and animals depend. Invasive species crowd river banks, drive out native fish and choke their courses. Pollution fouls their waters, sometimes turning life-giving rivers into threats to human health. And climate change threatens to alter all the rules that rivers have lived by for thousands of years.”

5. While the imminent freshwater crisis is bigger than the 10 rivers listed, the summary mirrors the extent to which unabated development is jeopardising nature’s ability to meet growing demands.

6. The Ganga is facing a threat due to increased water withdrawal for agriculture, pollution, climate change and the 14 proposed large dams. In India, barrages control all the tributaries to the Ganga and divert about 60 per cent of the river to large-scale irrigation.

7. Over-extraction of water for agriculture from the river has caused a great reduction in surface water resources, increasing dependence on groundwater, loss of water-based livelihoods and the destruction of habitat for 109 fish species and other aquatic and amphibian fauna.

Word-Meanings

 Para 1. 1. Unhindered (adjective): without obstacles 2. Expanding (adjective): increasing 3. Assured (adjective): guaranteed

Para 2. 1. Severe (adjective): grave, serious 2. Scarcity (noun): deficiency 3. Onslaught (noun): furious attack 4. Pollutant (noun): a substance that contaminates 5. Sealed (adjective): closed and fixed 6. Sewage (noun): waste matter

 Para 4. 1. Mighty (adjective): powerful 2. Victim (noun): a suffering person 3. Extraction (noun): the act of extracting, to draw out 4. Means (noun): resources 5. Inadequate (adjective): insufficient 6. Bottom line (noun): the ultimate result 7. Threatening (adjective): causing alarm 8. at the mercy of (idiom): entirely subject to the power of something

 Para 5. 1. Daunting (adjective): frightening 2. Terminus (noun): end of route 3. Habitat (noun): natural home of animals or plants 4. Alter (verb): change 5. Ebb (noun): reflux of tidewater 6. Invasive (adjective): attacking 7. Species (noun): kind, class of organisms having common characteristics 8. Choke (verb): suffocate 9. Channelizing (verb): to direct to pass along or through a specific route 10. Floodplains (noun): a nearly flat plain along the course of a river that is naturally prone to flooding 11. Drive out (idiom): force to go away 12. Fouls (verb): to make dirty

Para 6. 1. Imminent (adjective): impending 2. Crisis (noun): emergency, a moment of great danger 3. Unabated (adjective): unmitigated, without a cut 4. Jeopardizing (verb): to imperil, put at risk

 Para 7. 1. Threat (noun): danger 2. Barrages (noun): dams 3. Tributaries (noun): rivers or streams flowing into larger rivers

Para 8. 1. Resources (noun): means 2. Aquatic (adjective): living in water, pertaining to water 3. Amphibian (noun): creature capable of living both in water and on land 4. Fauna (noun): animals of a particular region

Questions:

1. Choose the correct option:

(a) The world may face a grim situation in the near future in the form of a …………..

 (i) the rise in the water level of rivers                 (ii) rise in global warming

 (iii) shortage of potable water                      (iv) rise in theft cases

(b) In which category is the river Ganga placed?

(i) dead                        (ii) dying

(iii) threatened            (iv) none

(c) How many dams are proposed to be built over the river Ganga?

(i) 15                (ii) 22               (iii) 17               (iv) 14

(d) How many species of fish and other aquatic fauna are in danger of losing their habitats because of over-extraction of water?

(i) 105              (ii) 109              (iii) 114             (iv) 120

(e) The word ‘tributaries’ means ………….

  (i) respect                                                      (ii) qualities

 (iii) streams flowing into larger rivers          (iv) allegations

 (f) Among other problems, the over-extraction of water has caused:

(i) the loss of homes in the sea

 (ii) the extinction of certain species of flora and fauna

(iii) both (i) and (ii)

(iv) the extinction of flora only

2.Answer the following questions briefly:

 (a) What threatens the Ganga?

 (b) Explain the effect of over-extraction of water from the rivers.

(c) What fear do people have about the Ganga?

 (d) Which is the natural terminus of a river?

(e) What does this passage reflect?

(f) Explain the phrase-flora and fauna.

Answers:

1.(a) iii               (b) ii                  (c) iv           (d) ii          (e) iii            (f) ii

2.(a) Increased water extraction, pollution, climate change and dams are threats to the existence of the Ganga.

(b) Over-extraction leads to a reduction in the surface water resources and over-dependence on groundwater.

(c) It is feared that the Ganga may dry up on the way before reaching its terminus due to over-extraction, pollutions, dams and over-fishing etc.

(d) The sea is the natural terminus of a river.

(e) This passage reflects how development is endangering the rivers of the world. Poor planning and inadequate protection of the great rivers like the Ganga, the Danube, the Nile etc. is slowly causing their death.

(f) Plants and animals.

Download the above Passage in PDF Worksheet (Printable)

More Comprehension Passages:-

CLICK BELOW

Passage No.1.DEMOCRATIC POLITY (550 Words Subjective/Objective Solved)

Passage No-2. BOOKSHOP (600 Words Subjective/Objective Solved)

Passage No-3.SCIENTISTS (600 Words Subjective/Objective Solved)

This scientist essay is all about scientists facts including scientists meaning. There are many scientists from India who made scientists inventions. These are inspiring scientists for kids. Find this scientists biography and read about scientists experiments to celebrate scientists day.

Passage No-4.INDIAN OCEAN (550 Words Subjective/Objective Solved)

This passage is all about Indian Ocean facts which describe Indian Ocean trade also. Go through and gain knowledge

Passage No-5. Trees (550 Words Subjective/Objective Solved)

This trees essay is all about trees for life and trees uses. Trees topic is a widely read topic. You can inspire people through this trees speech for tree plantation. Take trees English challenge. 

Passage No-6. THERAPEUTIC VALUE (550 Words Subjective/Objective Solved)

Passage No-7. MANALI (550 Words Subjective/Objective Solved

Passage No-8.THE PROCESS OF AGEING (500 Words Subjective/Objective Solved)

Passage No-9.EDUCATION (550 Words Subjective/Objective Solved)

This education article gives education definition focusing on education for life. This education paragraph defines the education system in India. So this is the education system in India essay. Read this education essay and learn education meaning.

Passage No-10.TELEVISION (550 Words Subjective/Objective Solved)

This television essay provides a nice television definition and gives real television meaning. This television paragraph also includes a little television history focusing on television invention. Find television disadvantages in this television writing. Salute to television inventor Philo Taylor Farnsworth.

Need our help or have some question