Directions: Read the following excerpt and answer questions asked at the end. The answers to the questions should be based on the excerpt. Today birds inhabit every continent. There are nearly 9000 species classified into 27 orders. Some orders have only one species. The order Passeriformes (perching birds) contains the largest number of species. The most evolved birds are found in the Passeriformes order - sparrows, finches, crows, jays etc. It has generally been found that the survival rate of the primitive orders is much poorer compared to the highly evolved ones. The ability to fly - like many other biological properties of living beings - came about as an adaptation to particular conditions. The variety of habitats and the varied responses to them has led to an incredible diversity of flight techniques. Sparrows cannot glide; the larger vultures are champion gliders but cannot take-off without a run into the wind. Penguins and ostriches cannot fly; geese fly over the Himalayas. It would appear as if no two species fly exactly the same manner.
Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above excerpt?
Ability to fly is a result of adaptation to particular conditions.
Analyzing the Excerpt on Bird Flight and Adaptation
The provided excerpt discusses various aspects of birds, their classification into orders, and importantly, their ability to fly. It highlights the incredible diversity in flight techniques among different species and links this ability to adaptation.
Understanding Bird Flight from the Excerpt
Let's break down the key points the excerpt makes regarding bird flight:
- Birds inhabit every continent and have many species classified into orders.
- The ability to fly is discussed as a biological property of living beings.
- The excerpt explicitly states how the ability to fly came about.
- Different bird species have different flight capabilities (sparrows, vultures, penguins, ostriches, geese).
- This diversity in flight is linked to varied responses to different habitats and conditions.
Evaluating the Inferences
We need to determine which of the given options can be directly inferred or concluded based on the information presented in the excerpt.
Let's look at each option:
- Option 1: Ability to fly depends on the order. The excerpt mentions that different orders exist (like Passeriformes) and gives examples of birds with varying flight abilities, some of which belong to certain orders (e.g., Passeriformes includes sparrows, which cannot glide). However, it doesn't state that the ability to fly *depends* solely or primarily on the order. The primary factor linked to the *origin* of the ability is adaptation.
- Option 2: Ability to fly depends on the continent. The excerpt mentions that birds inhabit every continent but does not discuss any relationship between the continent and the ability of a bird species to fly. This inference is not supported by the text.
- Option 3: Ability to fly is a result of adaptation to particular conditions. The excerpt contains the direct statement: "The ability to fly - like many other biological properties of living beings - came about as an adaptation to particular conditions." This sentence explicitly supports this inference.
- Option 4: Ability to fly depends on the ability to run. The excerpt mentions that large vultures need a run to take off, but this is presented as a characteristic of a specific type of bird's flight technique. It also mentions penguins and ostriches, which can run but cannot fly. This suggests the ability to fly does *not* generally depend on the ability to run for all birds.
Conclusion
Based on the direct statement in the excerpt, the most accurate inference is that the ability to fly is a result of adaptation to particular conditions. The text clearly links the origin and diversity of flight abilities to adaptation and varied responses to habitats.
Therefore, the inference that can be drawn from the excerpt is that the ability to fly is a result of adaptation to particular conditions.
Important Questions from Passage Based Questions
Read the following passage and answer the questions based on it.
As climate change affects seasonal patterns, water management and distribution become important. Rainwater harvesting has become particularly important in urban areas these days. This process involves collecting and storing rainwater for later use. It recovers groundwater levels, prevents water wastage during the monsoon, reduces soil erosion and helps in the availability of drinking water. Above all, it promotes the method of water conservation.
This paragraph supports which of the following statements the most?
A. Climate change has adversely affected humanity.
B. Forests help maintain groundwater levels.
C. Rainwater harvesting is the need of the hour.
D. There are not enough water reserves for urban areas.
In this question, a passage is given followed by a statement. Read the passage carefully and judge the statement based on the given passage.
China evolved a national working strategy to fight pollution. Under this, they placed a number of restrictions on the use of coal. Thermal power stations were shut down and people were not allowed to burn coal even for household consumption. Also, apart from creating norms for vehicular emissions, a number of precautionary measures that could keep air pollution in check were put in place. For the record, 1,37,000 people in China lost their lives because of PM 2.5 vehicular emissions just this year.
While it is true that Beijing’s air quality has improved, the government is far from achieving its targets. The Chinese government has acknowledged that pollution has not reduced to the extent that it was targeting in as many as 231 out of 338 Chinese cities. To overcome this, another three-year working strategy has been prepared.
Statement:
Thermal Power stations were shut down in China to fight pollution.
A - If the statement is definitely true.
B -If the statement is probably true.
C -If the statement cannot be determined.
D -If the statement is definitely false.
In this question, a passage is given followed by a statement. Read the passage carefully and judge the statement based on the given passage.
Farmers in Kerala have been facing great economic loss due to loss in life and reduction in milk yield due to Foot and mouth Disease every year. Besides this the State incurred large economic losses as a result of the inability to produce and ship processed animal products. It was estimated that the country is losing over Rs 4000 Crore annually due to FMD.Under these circumstances Government of Kerala took the stern decision to implement control of this dreaded disease in the State.
Since the State does not have the economic resources to implement such a large scale project on its own, it was decided to approach an external agency such as National Dairy Development Board to provide infrastructural and monetary support.Consequent to a series of discussions at Government level, NDDB agreed in principle to launch a joint venture programme to control Foot and Mouth Disease in the state.
Statement:
The state decide to approach an external agency to implement a large scale project of controlling FMD because the state wanted to give a chance to the external agencies.
Choose the appropriate one from the following options
A - If the statement is definitely true.
B -If the statement is probably true.
C -If the statement cannot be determined.
D -If the statement is definitely false.
In this question, a passage is given followed by a statement. Read the passage carefully and judge the statement based on the given passage.
For Binny Bansal, the end of his long run as co-founder of India’s most successful startup came Saturday when he began calling colleagues to say he was done. The 37-year-old was stunned that officials from Walmart Inc., his startup’s new owner, were probing details of an affair years earlier. An investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing. Nevertheless, a decade after he created e-commerce leader Flipkart, he was calling to say goodbye.
His ouster, announced Tuesday from Walmart’s hometown of Bentonville, Ark., left workers at Flipkart, half a world away in Bangalore, stunned and struggling to make sense of the cryptic explanation. They worried about Walmart’s motivations and wondered if other Flipkart leaders would exit.
Statement:
Flipkart is one of India's most successful startups.
Choose
A - If the statement is definitely true.
B -If the statement is probably true.
C -If the statement cannot be determined
D -If the statement is definitely false.
Which of the following statement is FALSE?
