Read the following passage and answer the item that follows. Your answer should be based on the passage only…
Read the following passage and answer the item that follows. Your answer should be based on the passage only.
Unless the forces and tendencies which are responsible for destroying the country's environment are checked in the near future and afforestation of denuded areas is taken up on a massive scale, the harshness of the climatic conditions and soil erosion by wind and water will increase to such an extent that agriculture, which is the mainstay of our people, will gradually become impossible. The desert countries of the world and our own desert areas in Rajasthan are a grim reminder of the consequences of large-scale deforestation. Pockets of desert-like landscape are now appearing in other parts of the country including the Sutlej-Ganga Plains and Deccan Plateau. Where only a few decades back there used to be lush green forests with perennial streams and springs, there is only brown earth, bare of vegetation, without any water in the streams and springs except in the rainy season.
According to the passage given above, deforestation and denudation will ultimately lead to which of the following?
1. Depletion of soil resource
2. Shortage of land for the common man
3. Lack of water for cultivation
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
1 and 2 only
2 and 3 only
1 and 3 only
1, 2 and 3
Solution
Statement 1 is correct: the passage mentions soil erosion and the appearance of desert-like landscape. Statement 2 is incorrect: the passage nowhere mentions shortage of land for the common man. Statement 3 is correct: the passage refers to streams and springs running dry, harming cultivation. Hence 1 and 3 only.