Directions(1-5) : Read the following passage and answer the given questions.
This past decade has witnessed a surge in wildlife tourism that has doubled and tripled the tourist load in several of the more accessible national parks and reserves. But serious infrastructural shortcomings have brought us precariously close to a breakdown of the ecosystem‘s capacity to absorb this load. The result is an unsatisfactory tourist experience (and an opportunity to impart conservation values lost), overworked, pressurized and confused wildlife staff, and occasional man-animal confrontation crises such as man-killing by tigers. Not to speak of the ecosystem that is being battered by humans. A road area, which accommodated four vehicles a day, ten years ago, is now being used by 12 a day. The road area the wildlife population of that area has in any case gone up. A collision of interests is inevitable. An important function of wildlife refuges is to encourage tourism recognizing that it forms an ideal ―hands-on‖ method of orienting, educating and winning the hearts and minds of the general public over to conservation values and concepts. This can only be achieved by communication with tourists before and during their visits to a wildlife refuge. The ―interpretation‖ as it is generally referred to, is properly done by having an interpretation center, consisting of photographic, written and audio-visual exhibits supplemented by free or priced literature and a person on hand to answer the queries of visitors. Tourists should perforce be routed through this facility by the simple expedient they have some time to see it while their entry permits are being prepared. The general message should be the history of the wildlife refuge as a conservation microcosm, interesting facts of some of the species it supports, and an explanation of the mechanics of an ecosystem and its relevance to man, plus codes of conduct specific to the area and to wildlife and jungles in general. This should be backed up by a cadre of trained naturalist guides, preferably from the local population, who should accompany the tourists in the refuge. In some of our wildlife refuge, very poor facilities for this sort of thing exist. In most, none exist at all. The result is tourist traffic, which is generally quite ignorant of wildlife, ecology and conservation values, who leave the refuge no wiser than when they came in. leaving behind for good measure the detritus of their presence: plastic bags, cigarette packets, bottle, paper, a lot of which is no biodegradable and toxic. Added to this is the fact that wildlife guards and rangers are often diverted from their normal work-monitoring and managing wildlife and the ecosystem –and made to guide tourists and generally be at the back and call of people, irrelevant to the priorities of the wildlife refuge.
1. Which of the following is not true in the context of the passage?
(a) The forest staff are diverted from their normal work
(b) The priorities of the wildlife are sometime ignored by the forest staff.
(c) The tourists are generally equipped with the necessary knowledge of wildlife
(d) The tourists leave behind lots of toxic disposals
Ans. (c)
2. According to the passage, the main purpose of bringing tourists in the forest areas is
(a) to involve the general public in maintaining the ecosystem
(b) to educate the general public about wildlife and ecosystem
(c) to reduce the wildlife population
(d) to make them understand the codes of conduct of the jungles
Ans. (a)
3. “which of the following best explain this according to the passage?
(a) Unwillingness to build more road area vis-à-vis load of vehicular traffic
(b) Development of tourism vis-à-vis the conservation of the ecosystem
(c) Better tourist capability vis-à-vis lack of funds
(d) Positioning people to ecosystem and also destruction of the ecosystem.
Ans. (d)
4. What, according to the author, should be the step to improve the situation?
(a) Tourists should be briefed about the nature of wildlife and jungle
(b) Tourists should be briefed about the inter-relation between man and animals
(c) Tourists should be briefed about the information before they enter the jungle
(d) All of these.
Ans. (b)
5. What according to the author, will win the hearts and minds of the general public?
(a) Providing them better facilities.
(b) Providing them with trained guides
(c) Providing them with good food articles
(d) Providing them with better communication about the wildlife refuge
Ans. (d)
