1 Answer: C
Question type: Matching Information
Answer location: Paragraph C
Answer explanation: In the third paragraph, it is stated that “… but the academic circle has never agreed on the causes of desertification. A common misunderstanding is that a shortage of precipitation causes desertification…”. It can be pointed out from the above lines that scientists (academic circle) have disagreements (never agreed) on the causes of desertification. Hence, the answer is C.
6 Answer: C
Question type: Matching Information
Answer location: Paragraph C
Answer explanation: Through references like, “Since the population has become denser, the cultivation of crops has gone into progressively drier areas. It’s especially possible for these regions to go through periods of severe drought…The raising of most crops requires the natural vegetation cover to be removed first; when crop failures occur, extensive tracts of land are devoid of a plant cover and thus susceptible to wind and water erosion.”, it can be concluded that farming methods that require the removal of natural vegetation lead to fatal effects like desertification and droughts. Hence, the answer is C.
7 Answer: True
Question type: True/False/Not Given
Answer location: Paragraph A, line 3
Answer explanation: In the cited line, it is stated that “…while in other places, there are no clear-cut borders between desert and other landscape features.”. Based on this reference, it can be determined that in some places it is difficult to draw a clear-cut border between the desert and the surrounding landscape features. As the statement is true, the answer is True.
8 Answer: False
Question type: True/False/Not Given
Answer location: Paragraph C, line 1
Answer explanation: In the quoted line, it is stated that “There has been a tremendous deal of publicity on how severe desertification can be…”. This indicates that the media is not only interested but has also covered the effects of desertification on a large scale. As the statement is false, the answer is False.
9 Answer: False
Question type: True/False/Not Given
Answer location: Paragraph C, line 2-line 3
Answer explanation: The given line specifies that “A common misunderstanding is that a shortage of precipitation causes desertification—even the land in some barren areas will soon recover after the rain falls. In fact, more often than not, human activities are responsible for desertification.”. It is indicated that the most common reason for desertification is human activities and not the lack of rainfall, as mentioned in the statement. As the statement is false, the answer is False.
10 Answer: True
Question type: True/False/Not Given
Answer location: Paragraph D, line 1
Answer explanation: In Paragraph D, it is mentioned that “Livestock farming in semi-arid areas accelerates the erosion of soil and becomes one of the reasons for advancing desertification.”. It proves that farming animals (livestock farming) in semi-arid does increase (accelerates) soil erosion, which in turn speeds up the rate of desertification. As the statement is true, the answer is True.
11 Answer: False
Question type: True/False/Not Given
Answer location: Paragraph E, line 2
Answer explanation: From the fifth paragraph, it is noted that “In many Asian countries, firewood is the chief fuel used for cooking and heating…”. Based on the reference, it can be stated that in most Asian countries, people still use firewood as the chief fuel unlike stated in the statement. As the statement is false, the answer is False.
12 Answer: False
Question type: True/False/Not Given
Answer location: Paragraph H, line 1-line 2
Answer explanation: In the mentioned portion, it is reported that “In nowadays society, new technologies are serving as a method to resolve the problems brought by desertification. Satellites have been utilised to investigate the influence that people and livestock have on our planet Earth.”. It can be concluded that it is not true that technologies that study the relationship of people, livestock and desertification have not yet been invented as satellites are already doing that. As the statement is false, the answer is False.