Direction (1-5): Read the passage carefully and answer the questions given below the passage.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) is revising its guidelines to acknowledge the spread of the novel coronavirus through aerosols, and to point to inhalation of particles as a commonway the virus spreads. A draft of the proposed changesto its recommendations, which was later withdrawnpending finalisation, confirmed that airborne particlescan spread even by breathing, remain suspended in airand be inhaled and spread beyond six feet in certain enclosed settings. This comes after a body of evidenceprovided sufficient indication of aerosol (less than 5 microns) transmission, especially in closed settings withpoor ventilation and after prolonged contact with an infected person. In February, researchers from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, in a paper published in Nature, first proposed airborne transmission. The paperalso identified andcharacterised the novel coronavirusand confirmed the receptor to which the virus binds.The World Health Organization had, on July 9, acknowledged that the virus can be airborne in closed settingsafter an open letter by more than 200 scientists appealing to the medical community and national and international bodies to “recognize the potential for airbornespread of COVID­19”.

Beginning with the cruise ship, Diamond Princess,large outbreaks have been documented in churches inSouth Korea and Singapore, prisons, old­age homes, ski resorts in Austria and even choir practice in a church inMount Vernon, Washington, providing strong evidenceof aerosoltransmission in certain closed settings earlyduring the pandemic. It is therefore bewildering thatboth WHO and the CDC refused to adopt the precautionary principle and caution people even while collecting data to confirm or refute that possibility. However, even in the absence of guidelines from the globalbodies, many countries had on their own denied permission for certain enclosed settings to operate, thusaverting innumerable outbreaks and cases. With aerosol transmission now being confirmed and its spread todistances beyond six feet also known, the only way toprevent infection till such time and probably evenwhen vaccines become available is through universalmasking. Timely cautioning by global bodies of an aerosol transmission possibility might have encouraged universal mask wearing early on, thus preventing thousands of cases. Universal masking can avert infections,and if infected, the amount of viral load one is exposedto will be less, thus leading to only asymptomatic infections or mild disease. Unlike Diamond Princess, universal masking in another ship led to 81% of infections being asymptomatic. There have been similar results inother cases where universal masking was practised.With aerosol transmission now being established as acommon way of spread in certain settings, the best wayto avoid getting infected is by staying clear of crowded,closed settings that have poor ventilation.

1) What is the main idea of the passage?

a) Spread of novel corona virus

b) Social-distancing

c) Spread of corona virus through aerosols

d) aerosols not being the cause of the Covid-19 pandemic

e) The covid-19 pandemic

2) What is the tone of the passage?

a) Laudatory

b) Introspective

c) Euphemistic

d) Dogmatic

e) None of these

3) Which of the following can not be the title of the passage?

a) In the air: on aerosol transmission

b) Air, the spreader of corona virus

c) Aerosol, a new threat: on the spread of corona virus

d) Lockdown: necessary step during corona pandemic

e) All of these

4) Which of the following is/are not true according to the passage?

A. Large outbreaks have been documented in churches in India and Singapore, prisons, old­age homes

B. In the absence of guidelines from the global bodies, no country had denied permission for certain enclosed settings to operate

C.With aerosol transmission now being confirmed and its spread to distances within2 feet also known, the only way to prevent infection till such time and probably even when vaccines become available is through universal masking

a) Both A and B

b) Both B and C

c) Both A and C

d) A, B, C

e) None of these

5) Which of the following words gives the similar meaning as “bewildering” given in bold in the passage?

a) ameliorate

b) confirm

c) bemuse

d) scintillating

e) None of these

Answers :

1) Answer: C

Each and every part of the passage deals with the topic i.e. “spread of corona virus through aerosols”, even the first and last sentences of the passage contain this topic.

Hence (c) is correct.

2) Answer: E

Laudatory- When the author continuously praises something.

Introspective- When the author analyses his own feelings and emotions.

Euphemistic- When the author shows his dislike through indirect expressions.

Dogmatic- When the author has some firm beliefs and uses the tone to convey only his view-point.

None of these is the tone of the given passage, here the author has only described the fact that the novel corona virus can spread through aerosols also.

Hence, (e) is correct.

3) Answer: D

(a), (b), (c) can be the title of the passage as all of these convey the main idea of the passage.

Only (d) cannot be the title as it does not contain the main topic.

4) Answer: D

In the last paragraph we have “Beginning with the cruise ship, Diamond Princess, large outbreaks have been documented in churches in South Korea and Singapore, prisons, old­age homes, ski resorts in Austria and even choir practice in a church in Mount Vernon, Washington, providing strong evidence of aerosol transmission in certain closed settings early during the pandemic…… even in the absence of guidelines from the global bodies, many countries had on their own denied permission for certain enclosed settings to operate, thus averting innumerable outbreaks and cases. With aerosol transmission now being confirmed and its spread to distances beyond six feet also known, the only way to prevent infection till such time and probably even when vaccines become available is through universal masking.”

Hence all A, B, C are not true.

5) Answer: C

Bewildering- cause (someone) to become perplexed and confused/ Bemuse

Ameliorate- upgrade

Scintillating- sparkling

Hence (c) is correct.