Read the following passage carefully and select the correct answer to the…
2021
Read the following passage carefully and select the correct answer to the questions given at the end of the passage.
Ecosystems provide people with a variety of goods and services, such as food, clean water, clean air, flood control, soil stabilization, pollination, climate regulation, spiritual fulfillment and aesthetic enjoyment, to name just a few. Most of these benefits are either irreplaceable or the technology necessary to replace them is prohibitively expensive. For example potable fresh water can be extracted by desalinating sea water, but only at great cost.
The rapidly expanding human population has greatly modified the earth’s ecosystem to meet their increased requirements of some goods and services, particularly food, fresh water, timber, fibre and fuel. These modifications have contributed substantially to human well being and economic development. The benefits have not been equally distributed.
Some people have actually been harmed by these changes. Moreover, short-term increases in some ecosystems’ goods and services have come at the cost of long term degradation of others. For example, efforts to increase the production of food and fibre have decreased the ability of some ecosystems to provide clean water, regulate flooding and support biodiversity.
The word ‘degradation’ used in the passage means
Answer: C. Degeneration — ConceptA word’s contextual meaning is determined by how it functions in the surrounding sentence, especially the change or relationship the sentence…
- A.
Admiration
- B.
Elevation
- C.
Degeneration
- D.
Promotion
Attempted by 4 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Concept
A word’s contextual meaning is determined by how it functions in the surrounding sentence, especially the change or relationship the sentence describes.
A suitable synonym must preserve that direction and sense without altering the author’s claim.
Application
The passage contrasts short-term increases in some ecosystem services with their long-term degradation. It immediately illustrates this by saying that efforts to increase food and fibre have decreased ecosystems’ ability to provide clean water, regulate flooding, and support biodiversity. The context therefore describes a decline in quality and function over time.
Contrast
Admiration denotes respectful approval, which does not describe a decline in ecosystem services.
Elevation denotes a rise in level or status, the opposite direction from the loss described in the passage.
Promotion denotes advancement or active support, which also suggests favorable movement rather than deterioration.
Cross-check
Substituting “degeneration” preserves the sentence’s logic: short-term gains have come at the cost of long-term degeneration of other ecosystem services.
Result
Degeneration is the best contextual synonym for “degradation”.