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.
On a summer afternoon, the centre of a large Indian city can be several degrees hotter than the farmland around it. Scientists call this the urban heat island effect. Concrete, asphalt and dark rooftops absorb sunlight during the day and release it slowly at night, so the city never gets a chance to cool down. Air conditioners, vehicles and factories add their own waste heat, and dense rows of buildings block the breeze that might otherwise carry the heat away.
The consequences go well beyond discomfort. Hot nights prevent the body from recovering after a hot day, which is why heatwaves are especially dangerous for the elderly, outdoor workers and people living in poorly ventilated homes. Rising demand for cooling also strains the power grid at precisely the hours when it is already stretched, and the extra electricity is often generated by burning coal, which warms the planet further.
One of the cheapest remedies is surprisingly simple: paint the roofs white. A reflective coating can bounce back a large share of the sunlight that a dark roof would absorb, lowering the temperature inside the room below it. Trials in some Indian cities have found that such coatings make tin-roofed homes noticeably cooler, a MODEST change that can matter a great deal to a family that cannot afford an air conditioner.
Cool roofs are not a cure-all, however. A white roof loses much of its effect if it is allowed to become dirty, and in colder months the extra cooling may be unwelcome. City planners therefore treat them as one tool among many. Trees that shade streets, parks that let the ground breathe, and building rules that allow air to flow between structures all help. Trees, in particular, cool their surroundings by releasing water vapour, a process that no paint can imitate.
What makes the heat island problem DAUNTING is that the people who suffer most are usually those with the least power to change their surroundings. A wealthy neighbourhood can plant trees and install efficient cooling; a crowded settlement often cannot. Any serious plan, therefore, must begin where the heat is worst and the resources are thinnest. Otherwise, the city will keep getting hotter for the many while staying comfortable for the few.
Q1.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as a cause of the urban heat island effect?
- Concrete and asphalt absorbing sunlight during the day
- Waste heat from air conditioners, vehicles and factories
- Rows of buildings blocking the breeze
- Rivers flowing through the city losing water vapour
- Dark rooftops releasing stored heat at night
Q2.According to the passage, why are hot nights particularly dangerous during heatwaves?
- They increase the price of coal
- They make white roofs dirty
- They cause power cuts only in villages
- They stop trees from releasing water vapour
- They prevent the body from recovering after a hot day
Q3.According to the passage, how does the rising demand for cooling make the problem worse in the long run?
- Air conditioners make roofs absorb more sunlight
- It forces people to cut down trees for fuel
- It makes power cheaper and encourages waste
- The extra electricity is often produced by burning coal, which warms the planet further
- It prevents planners from painting roofs white