Direction: Read the paragraph given below and answer the questions based on the same that follow. There are lots of good reasons to encourage walking and cycling – active travel, as it’s called. The pandemic necessitates social distancing on public transport, which means buses and trains have to ferry fewer passengers per journey.
Cycling and walking are healthier alternatives and in the longer term, both have a part to play in cutting carbon emissions from the transport system, as well as improving urban air quality.
1) Which of the following can be inferred from the given paragraph?
A. We can get people off buses and onto bikes, which are cheaper, healthier, better for the environment
B. People are not always in a hurry and they will welcome this move by choosing cycles over cars
C. The pandemic has made people become serious about health and safety
D. The government is taking this chaos as the opportunity to induce people towards sustainable lifestyle
E. None of the above
Sol:
The first statement is the best as the other
statements are not appropriate. (b) in the
paragraph has been mentioned with respect to
cutting carbon emissions and not just viz-a-viz
health and safety. The other options are
superfluous and hence can be eliminated.
So, option (a) is the correct answer.
2) Which of the following assumptions would weaken the idea being presented in the passage?
A. The people have always wanted to shift towards a healthier lifestyle
B. Most cars are parked 90% of the times as people like to share their travels if going in the same direction
C. People prefer cars over active travel as they have more space to fit the stuff and can carry more than one passenger easily
D. It is difficult to replace cars with active travel in big cities as there is lack of time and the roads are congested.
E. Lifestyle choices weigh heavily on the environment and it is high time people embrace the idea
Sol:
If we assume option (c), it shows us the way in
which people still prefer cars and that defeats
the purpose of the author.
So, the best assumption that weakens the
author’s contention is (c).