Question

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow :
The world's population was 1.6 billion in 1900 and the UN projects that it will reach 9.3 billion by 2050. Achieving agreement on the 'right number of people may be impossible, put it's hard to deny that most of the great challenges faced by the planet-global warming, high unemployment, environmental degradation, dwindling energy, food and water supplies, brain drain migration and commercial development encroaching on natural habitat-can be traced, to some degree, to the enormous growth in populations over the past century. Even cross border skirmishes and wars can be tied, directly or indirectly, to rampant population growth in a particular region or country. There was a time, such as in agrarian societies and the beginning of the industrial age, when large families made good economic sense. Today, research shows that large families are often becoming handicap particularly when they inhibit children's educational opportunities. Additional siblings dilute parental resources and hamper their ability to attend to the emotional and character building needs of many children. In our ultra-competitive information age, increasing the intellectual capital of our children is usually what separates the economically successful, well-adjusted offspring from those what are the financial or social strain on society. Estimates show that more than two in five pregnancies worldwide are unintended and half or more of these pregnancies result in births that bolster faster population growth. It has been calculated that if all women had the capacity to decide for themselves when to become pregnant, average global childbearing would fall below the replacement rate of slightly more than two children per woman. Under these circumstances, population growth could peak and reverse before 2050. It is both proper and increasingly necessary that women make their own decision about childbearing without coercion or pressure from partners, family or society. Despite the above arguments for discouraging large families (or at least not encouraging them), many societies continue their long held policy of providing incentives to parents with large families. Rewards include tax credits for additional children, child care tax deductions and generous family leave policies. These are policies that no longer make any sense ! It is time for an honest, open discussion where old beliefs and ineffective policies are relinquished and focus to be given on the best way to achieve an equitable, sustainable prosperity. If that can be done, it seems reasonable to expect that quality rather than quantity will be seen as the superior choice and population policies and personal behavior will align accordingly.
Answer the following questions briefly :
(a) What are the great challenges faced by our planet these days ?
(b) What is the reason behind the diluting of the parents' resources and hampering their ability to fulfil the needs of their children ?
(c) What would happen if the women were free to make their own decision about childbearing without any pressure from the family ?
(d) How can we bring sustainable prosperity in our society ?
Answer the following questions briefly :
(a) Which word is the antonym of the word 'miniature' in Para 1 ?
(b) Which word in Para 1 means the same as 'encounter' ?
(c) Which word in Para 5 means the same as 'surrender' ?
(d) Find a word in Para 3 which means the same as 'compulsion'.

Answer 1

1 (a) Global Warming, unemployment, environmental degradation, food and water supplies are the great challenges faced by our planet these days.
(b) Large families, additional siblings are the reasons which don't let their parents provide education to their children.
(c) Then, average global child bearing would fall below the replacement rate of slightly more than two children per woman.
(d) Old beliefs and ineffective policies should be discarded; as quality is better than quantity, so we should control population growth.
2 (a) Enormous
(b) Skirmish
(c) Relinquished
(d) Coercion

Answer 2

answer:

1(a) that most of the great challenges faced by the planet-global warming, high unemployment, environmental degradation, dwindling energy, food and water supplies, brain drain migration and commercial development encroaching on natural habitat

(b) large families, Additional siblings dilute parental resources and hamper their ability to attend to the emotional and character building needs of many children.

(c) average global childbearing would fall below the replacement rate of slightly more than two children per woman.

(d) , open discussion where old beliefs and ineffective policies are relinquished and focus to be given on the best way to achieve an equitable, sustainable prosperity.

2 a) Enormous

b) skirmish

c) relinquished

d) coercion