SBI PO English Sectional Mock Test 06

1. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given after it. On a summer afternoon, the temperature in the centre of a large city can be several degrees higher than in the fields just outside it. Concrete and asphalt absorb heat during the day and release it slowly at night, air-conditioners pump warm air into the streets, and the trees that once offered shade have given way to buildings. Scientists call this the urban heat island effect, and it is becoming one of the quieter dangers of rapid urbanisation. The burden does not fall evenly. A family in a well-ventilated flat with a cooler can rest through the hottest hours; a construction worker or a street vendor cannot. People who live in crowded settlements with tin roofs often find that their homes are hotter at night than the air outside. For them, heat is not a discomfort but a health risk, and it reduces the hours they can work and therefore what they earn. Several cities have begun to prepare heat action plans. These set out warning systems, change working hours for outdoor labour during heat waves, keep drinking water available in public places and train health workers to recognise heat stroke. Such plans save lives, but they deal mainly with emergencies. The longer task is to design cities that stay cooler in the first place. Reflective coatings on roofs, more trees along streets, protected water bodies and buildings that allow air to flow can all lower temperatures. None of these is dramatic on its own. Together, and planned over years rather than announced in a heat wave, they can change how a city feels in May.

   Q1.Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a cause of the urban heat island effect?

   • A.Higher rainfall in the city than in the fields
   • B.Slow release of heat at night
   • C.Concrete and asphalt that store heat
   • D.Warm air released by air-conditioners
   • E.The loss of trees to buildings

2. Q2.Why does the author say that 'the burden does not fall evenly'?

   • A.Only rural people suffer from heat.
   • B.Some cities are hotter than others.
   • C.Rich families are harmed more than poor ones.
   • D.Poorer and outdoor workers face greater health risks and income loss from heat than others.
   • E.Heat affects only those who use air-conditioners.

3. Q3.According to the passage, heat action plans:

   • A.prevent cities from becoming hot in the first place
   • B.have been adopted by every city
   • C.replace the need for trees in cities
   • D.are opposed by health workers
   • E.save lives but mainly address emergencies

Start the test to answer these. Correct answers and explanations are shown after you submit.