A passage is given with 5 questions following it. Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.
Passage:
Volcanic eruptions create beautiful surreal panorama like the unique landscape in Turkey. Here, rock structures of different shapes and sizes are a result of volcanic outbursts. Called “Fairy Chimneys” of Goreme in the Cappadocia region, Turkey, these rock sites are a major tourist attraction. Cappadocia lies in Central Anatolia in Turkey with the Taurus Mountains in the south separating it from the Mediterranean Sea. The rock formations that we see today can be traced back to millions of years. Several volcanic eruptions through deep fractures threw up rocks, lava, ash and other materials. After the eruption, a dense ash covered the entire area. Soon the ejected ash solidified into a soft/porous rock called “tuff”.
The soft rocks were exposed to sub aerial erosion by wind, water and climatic changes (temperature changes). The rocks expanded in summer as they heated up, and broke up in winter as they froze. Added to this, the icy water collected in the cracks led to disintegration. Cappadocia gets heavy rain, and this too has played its part in altering the landscape. Rainwater has created sweeping curves on the sides of the valleys. The rivers washed away the eroded pieces of rocks and the harder rocks stayed on. Today, you see them in different shapes — capped chimneys, pillars, mushrooms and conical formations. As erosion constantly changes the landscape of the rock structures in Cappadocia, it can pose a danger to the habitation.
A passage is given with 5 questions following it. Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.
Passage:
The Berber, are a group of people indigenous to North Africa. In the Nalut district of the Tripolitania region, Ghadames, an oasis town is known as the “pearl of the desert”. It is one of the oldest pre-Saharan cities and a grand example of a traditional settlement. Flying over, I was surprised to see just houses and more houses. There didn’t seem to be any pathways or alleys. Puzzled I flew down to investigate. I found that each house is built in such a way that it hangs over the alleys creating an underground network of passages. The ground floor of the house is used to store supplies, the next floor is for the use of the family and the open-air
terraces are reserved for women. They were talking a language I did not understand. I later learnt it was Ghadams, a Berber language.
Towards the end of the month, for three days the old city of Ghadames comes alive with feasting, singing and dancing. It happens at the end of the date harvest. When all the work is done, the people head to the city’s World Heritage-listed old quarter to eat dates and celebrate. The people of the old quarter moved out in the mid-1980s, and live in the modern town. But, on this occasion they return to their family homes in the old city. They throw open the doors for singing, dancing and other festivities. The covered alleys provide shelter from the hot Sahara sun.
