Subjective Comprehension-XVI

Please study carefully the comprehension given below. The passages is followed by a set of questions choose the best answer to each question.

Forecasting the weather, or trying to find out what it will be like in several days time, has always been a difficult business. Many different things affect the weather and each one has to be carefully studied before we can make even a fairly accurate forecast. The ancient Egyptians, of course, had no need of this the weather in the Nile valley hardly even changes but people living farther north had to protect themselves and their crops. During a period of drought, when no rain fell for weeks on end, streams and rivers dried up, cattle died from thirst and crops were ruined. A storm could wreck ships and houses and heavy falls of rain caused rivers to flood a whole countryside. Action in the sky stirred man into action, and in this respect farmers became just as much men of action as were sailors on the high seas. Both had to reckon with the weather- it often upset their plans, sometimes with disastrous results.
In early times, when there were no instruments such as thermometer or barometer, man looked for tell-tale signs in the sky. He made his forecasts by watching the flights of birds or the way smoke rose from a fire. He thought that the moon controlled the weather that it held a lot of water, especially when as a crescent or sickle shaped moon it lay on its back. Even today there are people who think that the sight of the moon lying on its back means that the rain is on its way. Many of the weather sayings are still heard today. I expect you know the one. A red sky at night is the shepherd's delight. A red sky in the morning is the shepherd's warning. Do you believe this? It's sometimes right but more often wrong. If this and hundreds of other sayings like it were true, there would be no need for weather science or meteorology.

Ques 1. What is drought and what arc its consequences?
Ques 2. Does the writer endorse the popular sayings about the red sky?
Ques 3. Is weather forecasting a science; If so, what is it called?
Ques 4. Why is it not easy to forecast the weather?
Ques 5. How would the moon help the people in forecasting weather?

Solution :
Ans 1. Drought is caused for lack of rains. During drought conditions streams and rivers dry up. There, is no rain for weeks ,together. As a result, crops are destroyed and cattle die from thirst and. starvation.
Ans 2. There are many sayings about the condition of weather, They are often used by farmers in the form of forecasting of weather.. There is a popular saying about the red sky. But author does not believe in them because they are more often wrong.
Ans 3. Weather forecasting is a science, instruments are needed to forecast correctly about weather. If- the popular sayings about weather are correct there will be no need of weather science that is called meteorology.
Ans 4. Weather forecasting is not an easy business. How can one forecast the nature of weather in the days to come? There are many factors that affect the. Weather. Each has to be studied collectively to forecast the weather fairly.
Ans 5. In ancient days/man forecast the weather with the help the moon. He thought that the moon controlled the weather because it was a store house of water. .When the crescent; lay on his back, rain was likely to set in.