Question

Passage I
Read the following passage carefully and answer the
questions that follow:
(12 marks)
1. Global warming is the warming up of the earth due to the trapping of
gases like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane and nitrous oxide,
when the atmosphere fails to perform its function of acting as a
protective blanket. The incoming solar radiation is partly absorbed by
carbon dioxide, though a vastly higher amount of the outgoing radiation
is trapped in the atmosphere.
2. Carbon dioxide possesses immense staying properties in the
atmosphere. It is being speculated that carbon dioxide concentrations
may double in about a century.
3. This increased carbon dioxide level, according to predictions, indicates
an increase in temperature ranging from 1.5-4 degrees Celsius, or a rise
in sea levels by about 50cms by AD 2100.
4. However, Earth apparently has its own system of checks and balances.
Water vapour in the atmosphere is known to absorb radiation more than
any other atmospheric component.
5. A doubling of carbon dioxide concentration would increase the capacity
of the Earth’s surface to absorb infra-red radiation by about 4 watts per
square metre, though over all, the levels of absorption would be small.
6. Volcanic eruptions, too, are believed to be responsible for reduction in
the carbon dioxide contents in the atmosphere. A massive volcanic
eruption in Philippines had in fact a cooling impact.
7. Cooling through volcanic eruptions is believed to release certain gases
into the atmosphere, which are responsible for increase in the carbon
dioxide content in the atmosphere.
8. Measurement of the incident of CO2 in the atmosphere made in Hawaii
indicate that during 1992-93 about two billion tonnes of the gas was
found missing from the atmosphere.
9. As far as the impact of ozone depletion is concerned, it seems to be
dictated more by political considerations, than any other factor. This

increased burning of fossil fuels for energy is largely responsible for the
increase in temperature through ozone depletion.
10. A tug-of-war has been going on among the industrialised countries
and the developing countries on the share of the blame. In fact, the US,
the erstwhile USSR, Brazil and China account for almost half of the net
global emissions of harmful gases such as CFCs. While North America
generates about 5 tonnes per head of carbon dioxide, Africa, China and
India together generate approximately 1 tonne of CO2 per head.
11. Developing countries, on the other hand, are charged with emission
of methane largely generated from paddy fields and discharge of animals.
12. However, despite the fact that 1995 was one of the hottest years of
the century, snowfalls have been recorded in some part of the world –
notably on the eastern coast of America and in Jammu and Kashmir.
13. Moreover, over the last 50 years, the Arctic climate has not been
undergoing any noticeable temperature changes. In fact, till 1975, global
temperatures had been undergoing a downward trend. Could the recent
spurt in temperatures be a natural cyclical process, or temporary offshoot
of the shifting pressure belts?
14. Given the rising temperatures, growing seasons would be prolonged.
Higher temperatures would also lead to an increased evaporation from
oceans, thereby intensifying cloudiness, leading to moderate
temperatures during the day and warmer nights.
15. Warmer temperatures during the night enhance agricultural
productivity. Increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will also result
in an increase in fertility.
16. Global warming will also have an impact on the EI Nino phenomenon
– the circulation of weather disturbances around the world as a result of
the warming of Pacific Oceans around the tropics.
17. However, a few questions remain in the ongoing debate on global
warming.
18. The process of heat transfer in the atmosphere – convection – is a
field in which a lot of research needs to be done.
19. Secondly, clouds and vapour are known to be major absorbers of
incoming radiation back into space.

20. If the cloud cover, as a result of increased evaporation due to rising
temperature, were to increase, it would result in more containment.
21. Plants, which both absorb and release carbon dioxide, too have a
crucial role to play. Their role, however, has been till now
underestimated.
A1.1 Answer the following questions briefly: (10 marks)
i) What is the function of the earth’s atmosphere?
(2 marks)
ii) What is increased amount of carbon dioxide likely to lead to?
(2 marks)
iii) How does water vapour balance the effect of carbon dioxide?
(2 marks)
iv) What is the cause of tug-of-war between industrialised and developing
countries?
(2 marks)
v) What is the ‘EL Nino Phenomenon’? (2 marks)
A1.2 Find words in the passage that mean the same as the
following:
(2 marks)
i)arrested(para1)
ii) sudden increase (para 13)

answer it soon pls

Answer 1

Answer:

what is the function of the earth's atmosphere?

Answer 2

Answer:

A1.1

(i). The atmosphere shields life on earth from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation, insulates the planet to maintain a comfortable temperature and prevents temperature extremes between day and night. The airflow that results from the sun's heating of the atmosphere's layers is what generates global air currents and weather patterns.

(ii). People are accelerating the natural greenhouse effect by releasing more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which raises the global temperature.

(iii). More than any other part of the atmosphere, water vapour is known to absorb radiation, so it balances the effect of carbon dioxide.

(iv). The industrialised countries and the developing countries have been involved in a blame-sharing battle. It's like a game of tug-of-war, to put blame on the other.

(v). A naturally occurring occurrence called El Nio is defined by an abnormal rise in sea surface temperature in the eastern and central equatorial Pacific Ocean. It can last up to 18 months and typically happens every two to seven years.

A1.2: Words that mean the same as:

(i) Arrested (in paragraph 1) = Trapped

(ii). Sudden increase (in paragraph 3) = Spurt

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