Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions. Some words may be highlighted for your attention. In response to the increasing environmental damage wrought by poachers, authorities placed a ban on ivory in the 1980s. Although the ban resulted in an initial decrease in the sale and trade of illegal ivory and a concurrent increase in the elephant population, more pressing needs caused most Western nations to withdraw funding for poaching prevention programs. Without significant financial support, poorer countries were unable to effectively combat poachers. The resulting explosion in the ivory trade has seen prices increase to nearly 10 times the $45 per pound price at the beginning of the decade. Unfortunately, the countries with the worst poaching problems have also tended to be the ones least able to combat the problem due to unstable political systems, corruption, lack of comprehensive enforcement programs, or some combination of all these factors. One primary hindrance to better enforcement of the ivory ban came from an inability to definitively identify the country of origin of illegal ivory. Countries used this uncertainty to avoid responsibility for curbing illegal poaching in their territories by attempting to blame other countries for the oversights in enforcement. Now, though, zoologists have perfected a new DNA identification system. First, scientists gathered genetic data from the population of African elephants, an arduous effort that ultimately resulted in a detailed DNA-based map of the distribution of African elephants. Then, the researchers developed a method to extract DNA evidence from ivory, allowing them to match the ivory with elephant populations on the map. Zoologists hope this new method will pinpoint the exact origin of poached ivory and force countries to accept their responsibility in enforcing the ban.
Which of the following is most similar in meaning to the word 'CONCURRENT'?
Coexisting
Understanding the Meaning of 'CONCURRENT' in the Passage
The question asks us to find the word that is most similar in meaning to 'CONCURRENT' as used in the provided passage.
Let's look at the sentence where 'CONCURRENT' appears:
"Although the ban resulted in an initial decrease in the sale and trade of illegal ivory and a concurrent increase in the elephant population, more pressing needs caused most Western nations to withdraw funding..."
In this sentence, 'concurrent' describes the relationship between two events: the decrease in illegal ivory trade and the increase in the elephant population. These two events happened at the same time or alongside each other.
Defining 'CONCURRENT'
The word 'concurrent' means happening or existing at the same time; simultaneous.
Analyzing the Options
Let's evaluate the given options:
- Current: This means belonging to the present time. While the events happened at a specific time (following the ban), 'current' doesn't specifically mean happening simultaneously with something else.
- Coexisting: This means existing at the same time or in the same place. This definition perfectly matches the idea of the decrease in ivory trade and the increase in elephant population happening together, at the same time, in response to the ban.
- Divergent: This means tending to be different or develop in different directions. This is the opposite of happening at the same time or together.
- Repulsion: This refers to a force that pushes something away. It has no relation to time or events happening together.
- Disagreeing: This means having a different opinion. This is not related to events happening at the same time.
Based on the context and the definitions, 'Coexisting' is the word that is most similar in meaning to 'CONCURRENT' in this passage.
Conclusion
The word 'concurrent' describes events or things happening or existing simultaneously. In the passage, the decrease in ivory trade and the increase in the elephant population happened concurrently. The option 'Coexisting' means existing at the same time, which accurately reflects this relationship.
Important Questions from Reading Comprehension
Why, according to the writer can't people be motivated to use a resource prudently?
1. They feel that others may overuse the resource
2. It is possible to substitute the resource
3. Abundance of the resource availability
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
When do people use resources exhaustively?
The self-interest of people affects the use of renewable resources
People rooted in a locality
Which among the following is closest in meaning with the word 'deplete'?
