Reading Comprehension — Practice

Question 1

Passage: 'The Green Revolution raised wheat yields dramatically in Punjab and Haryana, but its water-intensive methods depleted aquifers. By the 1990s, tube-well depths in central Punjab had doubled. Scientists now advocate crop diversification toward pulses and millets, which need a fraction of the water.'

According to the passage, tube-well depths in central Punjab doubled by:
(a) the 1960s  (b) the 1980s  (c) the 1990s  (d) the 2000s

Accepted Answer

Relocate: 'By the 1990s, tube-well depths in central Punjab had doubled.'

Answer: (c) the 1990s. Pure relocation — never from memory.

Question 2

From the same passage, it can be inferred that crop diversification is advocated primarily because:
(a) pulses and millets sell at higher prices
(b) it would reduce pressure on groundwater
(c) wheat farming is no longer profitable
(d) the Green Revolution has completely failed

Accepted Answer

The passage links diversification to crops that 'need a fraction of the water', immediately after describing aquifer depletion — one step: the motive is water.

(a) prices — out of scope; (c) profitability — out of scope; (d) 'completely failed' — extreme AND contradicted ('raised yields dramatically').

Answer: (b).

Question 3

The best title for the same passage would be:
(a) The Failure of the Green Revolution
(b) Punjab's Farming History
(c) The Green Revolution's Water Cost — and the Way Out
(d) Millets: India's Superfood

Accepted Answer

The map: achievement → water cost → proposed fix. The title must span all three.

(a) extreme/contradicted; (b) too broad; (d) one detail blown up.

Answer: (c).

Question 4

'Scientists now advocate crop diversification…' — as used here, 'advocate' most nearly means:
(a) plead in court  (b) recommend  (c) oppose  (d) legalise

Accepted Answer

Substitute: 'Scientists now RECOMMEND crop diversification' — meaning preserved.

(a) is the dictionary-first/legal trap.

Answer: (b) recommend.

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT stated in the passage?
(a) The Green Revolution raised wheat yields
(b) Tube-well depths doubled in central Punjab
(c) Millets need less water than wheat
(d) The government has announced subsidies for pulses

Accepted Answer

Verify each: (a) stated ✓, (b) stated ✓, (c) stated ('a fraction of the water') ✓, (d) subsidies — nowhere in the passage.

Answer: (d). The NOT protocol: find three, the fourth is your answer.

Question 6

The author's tone in the passage is best described as:
(a) eulogistic  (b) analytical  (c) sarcastic  (d) indifferent

Accepted Answer

The passage weighs achievement against cost and reports a proposed solution — classic analytical posture. No mockery (sarcastic), no pure praise (eulogistic), clearly engaged (not indifferent).

Answer: (b) analytical.

Question 7

Passage: 'Remote work expanded during the pandemic and persists in knowledge industries. Yet its gains are unevenly shared: employees with dedicated home offices report higher productivity, while those in cramped housing struggle. Firms that mandate full returns risk losing talent; those that stay fully remote risk weakening mentorship.'

Which statement best reflects the passage?
(a) Remote work benefits all employees equally
(b) Remote work persists, and firms face trade-offs in how to respond
(c) Remote work persists, so firms should mandate full returns to office
(d) Mentorship is impossible in remote settings

Accepted Answer

(a) contradicted ('unevenly shared'); (c) half-right — the first clause matches, the 'should mandate' conclusion is the author's stated RISK, not recommendation; (d) extreme ('impossible' vs 'risk weakening').

Answer: (b) — restates the passage without addition.

Question 8

From the remote-work passage, it can be inferred that:
(a) housing conditions influence remote-work productivity
(b) all firms will adopt hybrid models
(c) the pandemic permanently ended office work
(d) knowledge industries pay higher salaries

Accepted Answer

(a) is one step from 'dedicated home offices → higher productivity; cramped housing → struggle'.

(b) 'all firms' — extreme prediction; (c) contradicted by 'mandate full returns'; (d) out of scope.

Answer: (a) — the boring, close-to-text claim wins.

Practice — Reading Comprehension

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