READING COMPREHENSION PASSAGE BASED ON CLASS XII SAMPLE PAPER (2022-2023)

Read the passage given below. 

1. Ghost nets aren’t supernatural, but they are legitimately scary. A ghost net is a fishing net that’s been lost or abandoned in the ocean. They are one particularly appalling part of the global ghost fishing problem, which includes fishing gear abandoned in the water. Any net or line left in the ocean can pose a threat to marine life. Just because a net is no longer used by fishers doesn’t mean it stops working. These nets continue to trap everything in their path, presenting a major problem for the health of our oceans and marine life.

2. Ghost nets entangle sea turtles, dolphins and porpoises, birds, sharks, seals and more, apart from catching fish. The nets keep animals from moving freely, cause injuries and keep mammals and birds from rising to the surface for air. Since hundreds of animals can be caught in a single net, this threat is monumental. The ghost nets harm coral reefs too—breaking corals, exposing them to disease and even blocking the reefs from needed sunlight.

3. Ghost nets are also a major contributor to the ocean plastics’ crisis. Most modern nets are made of nylon or other plastic compounds that can last for centuries. According to a 2018 study in Scientific Reports, ghost nets make up at least 46 percent of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Those abandoned fishing lines and nets that do breakdown never go away; they just become smaller pieces of plastic. Marine animals mistake this microplastic for food and eat it, which can harm internal organs, keep them from eating and expose them to toxic chemicals.

4. Exorcising ghost nets from our oceans will require commitment, cooperation and innovation. Many groups are working to remove ghost nets from the sea and are collaborating with local fishers and governments around the world to identify target areas and remove as many nets as possible. In 2015, a single World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF)-led mission in the Baltic Sea hauled up 268 tons of nets, ropes and other material.

5. To stop these nets from becoming ghosts in the first place, conservation organisations advocate for fishing gear that can be traced to its owner so anyone dumping nets can be fined and refundable deposits on nets to encourage returning or recycling rather than littering. Tools like sonar reflectors that can make ghost nets easier to find and working with small-scale fisheries to develop more sustainable fishing gear and practices are other suggestions. It is only by attacking this problem from all sides, together with conservation partners, fishers and supporters, can we banish ghost nets and protect our oceans.

i. Complete the sentence by choosing an appropriate option.

Ghost nets have been named so because they ------------------
a. cause much harm to the marine life.
b. are functional though not in use by fishers.
c. are not owned by anyone.
d. act as a snare for all animals in oceans.
ii. Comment on the writer’s reference to the ghost nets in paragraph one, as a health problem for the oceans.
These nets continue to trap everything in their path, presenting a major problem for the health of our oceans and marine life.
iii. List the two ways being entangled in a ghost net is likely to impact a walrus. (Clue: Think about the type of animal a walrus is)
The nets keep animals from moving freely, cause injuries and keep mammals and birds from rising to the surface for air. A walrus is also a mammal.
iii. Select the option that conveys the opposite of ‘negligible’, from words used in paragraph two.
A. unimpressive B. monumental C. exposing. D. threat
iv. The writer would agree with the given statements based on paragraph three, EXCEPT:

A. Most ghost nets take a few years to completely disintegrate.
B. Ghost nets contribute to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
C. Most ghost nets provide nutrition to marine animals, upon disintegration.
D. Ghost nets can curtail freedom of marine animals.

v.  Some records share that fishing nets used to be made of common rope using natural fibres, prior to the 1960s. Based on your understanding of paragraph three, list one major advantage that these had over the fishing nets being used in present times.

Those abandoned fishing lines and nets that do breakdown never go away; they just become smaller pieces of plastic. Marine animals mistake this microplastic  for food and eat it, which can harm internal organs, keep them from eating and expose them to toxic chemicals. But the fishing nets used before 1960's is made of natural fibre and they easily decompose and do not pose any harm to marine life.

vi. Why is it fair to say that commitment and innovation have to go hand-in-hand to rid the oceans of ghost nets?

It is only by attacking this problem from all sides, together with conservation partners, fishers and supporters, can banish ghost nets and protect our oceans. 

vii. Complete the given sentence with an appropriate inference, with respect to the following:
The writer quotes the example of the WWF-led mission in the Baltic Sea (Paragraph 4), in order to....................................
Pull up and clear the mess of ghosts nets and ropes in the ocean.

viii.  How can the solutions, suggested in paragraph five, best be described?
A. practical B. presentable. C. popular. D. prejudiced

x. Select the most suitable title for the above passage.
1. The Scary Side of Ghost Nets
2. Ghost Nets – A Result of Human Dominance
3. Ghost Nets – A Menace to Marine Life
4. Ways to Tackle the Problem of Ghost Nets