Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
Beneath the snow lies the subnivium (from the Latin nivis for snow, and sub for below), a small, protected area that is insulated and maintains a constant temperature. This microhabitat turns traditional thinking about snow on its head. Thanks to the emerging field of winter ecology, we now know that snowy environments have lives of their own. "Without snow, plant and animal life would be completely different," says biologist Jonathan Pauli of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Pauli and scientists such as Ben Zuckerberg, are members of a new breed of researchers called winter ecologists who study the relationships among animals, plants and their snow-covered environments.
Their studies have shown that tiny mammals like shrews don't migrate but spend their winters in the subnivium. For some of the tiniest forms of life - fungi, invertebrates, soil bacteria and plant roots- snow maintains a mild winter temperature in which they can survive, compared to the killing cold up above. Plants and soil benefit from this layer because the lack of a hard frozen surface lets plant roots function. The active fungi release important nutrients to plants. As the temperature warms, the snow slowly melts and provides water for spring flowers. On an average, snow covers almost 18 million square miles of the planet each year. However, climate change is upsetting that chilly balance. Winter ecologists are studying how the lack of snow cover directly affects the ecology of many subnivium ecosystems, exposing organisms to temperatures for which they are not adapted.
For the following questions answer them individually
Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blank.
Famous for being a long distance swimmer, Mihir Sen was the first Asian to swim
__________ the English Channel.
Given here is a paragraph. Its last sentence is missing. Select the most appropriate sentence to complete the paragraph.
Most of the year 2021was focused on the revival of businesses. Companies have continued their investments in up-skilling and re-skilling their workforce. In fact, in 2021, investments in up-skilling saw18% to 25%increase. _______
Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blanks.
Mr. Joshi ______ from his trip to Maldives. He ________ hard to finish the pending work since then.
Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blanks.
An opportunity ______ at everyone’s door but some people miss it and some people ______ them into success stories.
Select the most appropriate set of idioms to fill in the blanks.
His offhand remarks ___________ of the members of the committee. But the Chairman told the members to ______________ and stop arguing.
Sentences of a paragraph are given below. While the first and the last sentences (S1 and S6) are in the correct order, the sentences in between are jumbled up. Arrange the sentences in the correct order to form a meaningful and coherent paragraph.
S1. I was standing at the gaol gate talking to the gaoler when we noticed a man carrying a strange animal.
A. This animal had been twisted round in a most peculiar way forming a kind of knot.
B. The gaoler sent for him and I saw something between a lizard and crocodile, about two feet long with claws and a scaly covering.
C. When asked by the gaoler what he proposed to do with it, he replied with a broad smile that he would make bhujji- a kind of curry - out of it.
D. Its owner had passed a pole through this knot and was merrily carrying it in this fashion.
S6. Subsequently I discovered from reading F W Champion’s book -The Jungle in Sunlight and Shadow- that this animal was the pangolin.