Directions: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below. Certain words are printed in capital letters to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.
For decades, farmers in many parts of India have depended on diesel pumps or an unreliable grid supply to water their fields. Diesel is expensive and its price moves with global oil markets, while grid power often arrives at night, forcing farmers to walk to their fields in the dark. Solar irrigation pumps promise a way out of both problems. Once installed, a solar pump draws water during daylight hours, when crops need it most, and the fuel it uses costs nothing.
The idea is not new, but it has gained ground only in the last few years. Earlier, the high upfront cost of panels kept small farmers away. As panel prices have fallen and governments have offered subsidies, more farmers have been able to afford them. In several villages, farmers who once rented diesel pumps by the hour now own their own equipment and sell SURPLUS water to neighbours.
Yet the technology carries a hidden risk. Because the sun is free, a farmer has little reason to switch off the pump once the field is wet. In regions where groundwater is already falling, free daytime pumping can (____) the problem rather than solve it. Some experts therefore argue that solar pumps should be connected to the grid, so that farmers can sell unused electricity instead of pumping water they do not need. When extra power earns money, saving water becomes profitable.
Pilot projects based on this model have shown ENCOURAGING results. Farmers who were paid for the electricity they fed into the grid pumped less water than those with stand-alone pumps, and many of them earned a steady second income. The main obstacles are practical: local power lines must be strong enough to accept the extra supply, and payments must reach farmers on time. A scheme that pays late, or not at all, quickly loses the trust of the very people it is meant to help.
Solar pumps, then, are neither a miracle nor a mistake. Their value depends on how they are designed and managed. If policy rewards farmers for using water wisely, the same panels that power a field could also protect the aquifer beneath it.
Q1.According to the passage, what is a problem with the grid power supply for farmers?
- It often arrives at night, so farmers must go to their fields in the dark
- It costs more than diesel in every season
- It cannot run pumps larger than a certain size
- It is not available in any village
- It damages crops when used during the day
Q2.Why did small farmers stay away from solar pumps earlier?
- The pumps did not work in sunlight
- Diesel was available free of cost
- The panels had a high upfront cost
- Governments had banned solar pumps
- The pumps needed grid power to start
Q3.Which of the following words best fills the blank (____) in the third paragraph?
- ease
- resolve
- explain
- worsen
- postpone