Reading Comprehension

 Read the passage given below carefully and answer the questions that follow:

1. That large animals require luxuriant vegetation has been a general assumption

which has passed from one work to another; but I do not hesitate to say that it

is completely false, and that it has vitiated the reasoning of geologists on some

points of great interest in the ancient history of the world. The prejudice has

probably been derived from India, and the Indian islands, where troops of

elephants, noble forests, and impenetrable jungles, are associated together in

every one's mind. If, however, we refer to any work of travels through the

southern parts of Africa, we shall find allusions in almost every page either to

the desert character of the country, or to the numbers of large animals

inhabiting it. The same thing is rendered evident by the many engravings

which have been published of various parts of the interior.

2. Dr. Andrew Smith, who has lately succeeded in passing the Tropic of

Capricorn, informs me that, taking into consideration the whole of the southern

part of Africa, there can be no doubt of its being a sterile country. On the

southern coasts there are some fine forests, but with these exceptions, the

traveler may pass for days together through open plains,

covered by a poor and scanty vegetation. Now, if we look to the animals

inhabiting these wide plains, we shall find their numbers extraordinarily great,

and their bulk immense.

3. It may be supposed that although the species

are numerous, the individuals of each kind are few. By the kindness of Dr.

Smith, I am enabled to show that the case is very different. He informs me, that

in lat. 24', in one day's march with the bullock-wagons, he saw, without

wandering to any great distance on

either side, between one hundred and one hundred and fifty rhinoceroses - the

same day he saw several herds of giraffes, amounting together to nearly a

hundred.

4. At the distance of a little more than one hour's march from their place of

encampment on the previous night, his party actually killed at one spot eight

hippopotamuses, and saw many more. In this same river there were likewise

crocodiles. Of course it was a case quite extraordinary, to see so many great

animals crowded together, but it evidently proves that they must exist in great

numbers. Dr. Smith describes the country passed through that day, as 'being

thinly covered with grass, and bushes about four feet high,

and still more thinly with mimosa-trees.'

5. Besides these large animals, anyone the least acquainted with the natural

history of the Cape has read of the herds of antelopes, which can be compared

only with the flocks of migratory birds. The numbers indeed of the lion,

panther, and hyena, and the multitude of birds of prey, plainly speak of the

abundance of the smaller quadrupeds: one evening seven lions were counted at

the same time prowling round Dr. Smith's encampment. As this able naturalist

remarked to me, the carnage each day in Southern Africa must indeed be

terrific! I confess it is truly surprising how such a number of animals can find

support in a country producing so little food.

6. The larger quadrupeds no doubt roam over wide tracts in search of it; and their

food chiefly consists of underwood, which probably contains much nutriment

in a small bulk. Dr. Smith also informs me that the vegetation has a rapid

growth; no sooner is a part consumed, than its place is supplied by a fresh

stock. There can be no doubt, however, that our ideas respecting the apparent

amount of food necessary for the support of large quadrupeds are much

exaggerated. The belief that where large quadrupeds exist, the

vegetation must necessarily be luxuriant, is the more remarkable, because the

converse is far from true.

7. Mr. Burchell observed to me that when entering Brazil, nothing struck him

more forcibly than the splendour of the South American vegetation contrasted

with that of South Africa, together with the absence of all large quadrupeds. In

his Travels, he has suggested that the comparison of the respective weights (if

there were sufficient data) of an equal number of the largest herbivorous

quadrupeds of each country would be

extremely curious. If we take on the one side, the elephants hippopotamus,

giraffe, bos caffer, elan, five species of rhinoceros; and on the American side,

two tapirs, the guanaco, three deer, the vicuna, peccari, capybara (after which

we must choose from the monkeys to complete the number), and then place

these two groups alongside each other it is not easy to conceive ranks more

disproportionate in size.

8. After the above facts, we are compelled to conclude, against anterior

probability that among the mammalia there exists no close relation between the

bulk of the species, and the quantity of the vegetation, in the countries which

they inhabit. (809 words)

Adapted from: Voyage of the Beagle, Charles Darwin (1890)

1.1 On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer the following

questions by choosing the most appropriate option:

1. The author is primarily concerned with

A. discussing the relationship between the size of mammals and the nature of

vegetation in their habitats

B. contrasting ecological conditions in India and Africa

C. proving that large animals do not require much food

D. describing the size of animals in various parts of the world

2. According to the author, „prejudice‟ (Para 1) has lead to

A. errors in the reasoning of biologists

B. false ideas about animals in Africa

C. incorrect assumptions on the part of geologists

D. doubt in the mind of the author

3. The flocks of migratory birds (Para 5) are mentioned to

A. describe an aspect of the fauna of South Africa

B. illustrate a possible source of food for large carnivores

C. contrast with the habits of the antelope

D. suggest the size of antelope herds

4. Darwin quotes Burchell‟s observations in order to

A. counter a popular misconception

B. describe a region of great splendor

C. prove a hypothesis

D. illustrate a well-known phenomenon

1.2 Answer the following questions briefly:

1. What prejudice has vitiated the reasoning of geologists?

2. Why does Dr. Smith refer to Africa as a sterile country?

3. What is the „carnage‟ referred to by Dr. Smith?

4. What does Darwin‟s remark, „if there were sufficient data‟, indicate?

5. To account for the „surprising‟ number of animals in a „country producing so little

food‟, what partial explanation does Darwin suggest?

6. What does the author conclude from Dr. Smith and Burchell‟s observations?

1.3 Pick out the words/phrases from the passage which are similar in meaning to

the following:

a) Dense (Para 1)

b) Barren ((Para 2)

answers

1 A discussing the relationship between the size of mammals and

the nature of vegetation in their habitats

2 C incorrect assumptions on the part of geologists

3 D suggest the size of antelope herds

4 A counter a popular misconception

II Answer the following questions briefly: (1x6=6)

5. large animals require luxuriant vegetation.

6. The traveler may pass for days together through open plains,

covered by a poor and scanty vegetation.

7. number of prey animals killed by predators

8. comparison of the weights of herbivores is largely speculative

9. food requirements have been overestimated/large area for

animals to forage in/rapid regrowth of plant material/food

which is a concentrated source of nutrients (any 1)

10. There exists no close relation between the bulk of the species,

and the quantity of the vegetation, in the countries which they

inhabit.

III Pick out the words/phrases from the passage which are similar

in meaning to the following:

(1 x2 = 2)

a) impenetrable

b. sterile