The Role of Government in Environmental Management Reading Answers

Oct 21, 2022

The Role of Government in Environmental Management Reading Answers has 15 different types of questions. Candidates will be shown various question types with clear instructions in this IELTS Section. Fair Games Reading Answers comprises three types of questions: choose the correct heading, and choose the correct option. Candidates are required to solve the question type; choose the correct heading on the basis of the information and cue provided. To choose the correct option, candidates must read the IELTS Reading passage and understand the statement provided.

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Reading Passage Question

Section A

The role of governments in environmental management is difficult but inescapable. Sometimes, the state tries to manage the resources it owns, and does so badly. Often, however, governments act in an even more harmful way. They actually subsidise the exploitation and consumption of natural resources. A whole range of policies, from farm- price support to protection for coal-mining, do environmental damage and (often) make no economic sense. Scrapping them offers a two-fold bonus: a cleaner environment and a more efficient economy. Growth and environmentalism can actually go hand in hand, if politicians have the courage to confront the vested interest that subsidies create.

Section B

No activity affects more of the earth's surface than farming. It shapes a third of the planet's land area, not counting Antarctica, and the proportion Is rising. World food output per head has risen by 4 per cent between the 1970s and 1980s mainly as a result of increases in yields from land already in cultivation, but also because more land has been brought under the plough. Higher yields have been achieved by increased irrigation, better crop breeding, and a doubling in the use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers in the 1970s and 1980s.

Section C

All these activities may have damaging environmental impacts. For example, land clearing for agriculture is the largest single cause of deforestation; chemical fertilisers and pesticides may contaminate water supplies; more intensive farming and the abandonment of fallow periods tend to exacerbate soil erosion; and the spread of mono-Culture and use of high-yielding varieties of crops have been accompanied by the disappearance of old varieties of food plants which might have provided some insurance against pests or diseases in future. Soil erosion threatens the productivity of land In both rich and poor countries. The United States, where the most careful measurements have been done, discovered in 1982 that about one-fifth of its farmland was losing topsoil at a rate likely to diminish the soil's productivity. The country subsequently embarked upon a program to convert 11 per cent of its cropped land to meadow or forest. Topsoil in India and China is vanishing much faster than in America.

Section D

Government policies have frequently compounded the environmental damage that farming can cause. In the rich countries, subsidies for growing crops and price supports for farm output drive up the price of land.The annual value of these subsidies is immense: about $250 billion, or more than all World Bank lending in the 1980s.To increase the output of crops per acre, a farmer's easiest option is to use more of the most readily available inputs: fertilisers and pesticides. Fertiliser use doubled in Denmark in the period 1960-1985 and increased in The Netherlands by 150 per cent. The quantity of pesticides applied has risen too; by 69 per cent In 1975-1984 in Denmark, for example, with a rise of 115 per cent in the frequency of application in the three years from 1981.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s some efforts were made to reduce farm subsidies. The most dramatic example was that of New Zealand, which scrapped most farm support in 1984. A study of the environmental effects, conducted in 1993, found that the end of fertiliser subsidies had been followed by a fall in fertiliser use (a fall compounded by the decline in world commodity prices, which cut farm incomes). The removal of subsidies also stopped land-clearing and over-stocking, which in the past had been the principal causes of erosion. Farms began to diversify. The one kind of subsidy whose removal appeared to have been bad for the environment was the subsidy to manage soil erosion,

In less enlightened countries, and in the European Union, the trend has been to reduce rather than eliminate subsidies, and to introduce new payments to encourage farmers to treat their land In environmentally friendlier ways, or to leave it the same. It may sound strange but such payments need to be higher than the existing incentives for farmers to grow food crops. Farmers, however, dislike being paid to do nothing. In several countries they have become interested in the possibility of using fuel produced from crop residues either as a replacement for petrol (as ethanol) or as fuel for power stations (as biomass). Such fuels produce far less carbon dioxide than coal or oil, and absorb carbon dioxide as they grow.They are therefore less likely to contribute to the greenhouse effect. But they die rarely competitive with fossil fuels unless subsidised - and growing them does no less environmental harm than other crops.

Section E

In poor countries, governments aggravate other sorts of damage. Subsidies for pesticides and artificial fertilisers encourage farmers to use greater quantities than are needed to get the highest economic crop yield. A study by the International Rice Research Institute Of pesticide use by farmers in South East Asia found that, with pest-resistant varieties of rice, even moderate applications of pesticide frequently cost farmers more than they saved.Such waste puts farmers on a chemical treadmill: bugs and weeds become resis-tant to poisons, so next year's poisons must be more lethal. One cost is to human health. Every year some 10,000 people die from pesticide poisoning, almost all of them in the developing countries, and another 400,000 become seriously ill. As for artificial fertilisers, their use world-wide increased by 40 per cent per unit of farmed land between the mid 1970s and late 1980s, mostly in the developing countries. Overuse of fertilisers may cause farmers to stop rotating crops or leaving their land fallow. That, In turn, may make soil erosion worse.

Section F

A result of the Uruguay Round of world trade negotiations Is likely to be a reduction of 36 per cent In the average levels of farm subsidies paid by the rich countries in 1986-1990. Some of the world's food production will move from Western Europe to regions where subsidies are lower or non-existent, such as the former communist countries and parts of the developing world. Some environmentalists worry about this outcome. It will undoubtedly mean more pressure to convert natural habitat into farmland. But it will also have many desirable environmental effects. The intensity of farming in the rich world should decline, and the use of chemical inputs will diminish. Crops are more likely to be grown in the environments to which they are naturally suited. And more farmers in poor countries will have the money and the incentive to manage their land in ways that are sustainable in the long run. That is important. To feed an increasingly hungry world, farmers need every incentive to use their soil and water effectively and efficiently.

Solution and Explanation
Questions 1-5:
Reading Passage has six sections A-F.
Choose the most suitable headings for sections A-D and F from the list of headings below.
Write the appropriate numbers i-ix in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.

List of Headings:

The probable effects of the new international trade agreement
The environmental impact of modern farming
Farming and soil erosion
The effects of government policy in rich countries
Governments and management of the environment
The effects of government policy in poor countries
Farming and food output
The effects of government policy on food output
The new prospects for world trade

Section A

Answer: (v) Governments and management of the environment
Supporting Sentence: The role of governments in environmental management is difficult but inescapable.
Keyword: role, government, management
Keyword Location: Paragraph A, 1st line
Explanation: In section A, the paragraph starts with the words saying “The roles of government in environmental management is difficult but inescapable”
Hence the opening lines of the passage suggest that the role of the government is very vital in managing the environment by providing new eco-friendly policies. Since this is an introduction paragraph for the passage, this gives an introduction to the government’s need for environmental management. So the most suitable title for this section is “Governments and management of the environment”.

Section B

Answer: (vii) Farming and food output
Supporting Sentence: No activity affects more of the earth's surface than farming. It shapes a third of the planet's land area, not counting Antarctica, and the proportion Is rising. World food output per head has risen by 4 percent between the 1970s and 1980s
Keyword: food, output, farming
Keyword Location: Paragraph B, 1st and 2nd line.
Explanation: In the opening statement, farming is introduced as the prime thing that affects the earth’s surface. So one can come to the idea that the passage speaks something related to farming and its good effects. The main reason for farming is the food output it produces. This was discussed in the further later lines about the increase in the food output by farming from the 1970 and 1980s and the increment in the fields for farming all across the world.

Section C

Answer: (ii). The environmental impact of modern farming
Supporting Sentence: All these activities may have damaging environmental impacts
Keyword: damaging, environment
Keyword Location: Paragraph C, 1st Line
Explanation: The passage is mostly concentrated on the adverse effects of modern farming in the environment and lifestyle habits. All the chemical fertilizers, pesticides, water contamination, intensive farming, abandonment of fallow periods, soil erosion all are a part and effect of the modern extensive farming techniques. Hence the paragraph can have the heading “The environmental impact of modern farming” is an appropriate heading.

Section D

Answer: (iv) The effects of government policy in rich countries
Supporting Sentence: Government policies have frequently compounded the environmental damage that farming can cause. In the rich countries, subsidies for growing crops and price supports for farm output drive up the price of land.
Keyword: rich countries, government policies
Keyword Location: Paragraph D, 1st and 2nd line
Explanation: The very Starting words of the passage starts with the Government Policies such as the subsidies in growing crops and the price support for the output drive. These policies were generally provided by the countries which can afford the extensive farming and hence the rich countries were mentioned in the above passage.

The budget is also estimated at about $250 billion, or more than all World Bank lending in the 1980s in the passage hence this clearly describes the condition in the rich countries.

Section F

Answer: (i) The probable effects of the new international trade agreement
Supporting Sentence: A result of the Uruguay Round of world trade negotiations Is likely to be a reduction of 36 percent in the average levels of farm subsidies paid by the rich countries in 1986-1990.
Keyword: Paragraph F, 1st line
Keyword Location: reduction, percent
Explanation: Here, the Uruguay Round of world trade negotiations can be imagined with the reduction in the portable effects. Hence the paragraph describes the adverse effects of the new international trade agreements which demand a high supply of food production to meet the demand-supply needs. Hence this title is most appropriate about the probable effects of the new international trade agreement.

Questions 6-9:
Complete the table below using the information in sections B and C of Reading Passage.
Choose your answers A-G from the box below the table and write them in boxes 6-9 on your answer sheet.

Agricultural Practice	Environmental damage that may result
6	Deforestation
7	Degraded water supply
More intensive farming	8
Expansion of monoculture	9

Choose your answers A-G from the box below the table and write them in boxes 6-9 on your answer sheet.

Abandonment of fallow period
Disappearance of old plant varieties
Increased use of chemical inputs
Increased Irrigation
Insurance against pests and disease
Soil Erosion
Clearing land for cultivation

Question 6:

Answer: G. Clearing land for cultivation.
Supporting Sentence: For example, land clearing for agriculture is the largest single cause of deforestation; chemical fertilisers and pesticides may contaminate water supplies; more intensive farming and the abandonment of fallow periods tend to exacerbate soil erosion
Keyword: land cleaning, deforestation.
Keyword Location: Paragraph C, 2nd line
Explanation: The author explains that all the activities followed by the government will have damaging impacts on the environment. As an example, land clearing for agriculture is one of the largest single causes of deforestation. Here, in this instance, the statement is determined as the impact due to the land clearing for agriculture which is a part of cultivating food items. Hence clearing lands for cultivation will fit in the table’s position.

Question 7:

Answer: C. Increased use of chemical inputs.
Supporting Sentence: For example, land clearing for agriculture is the largest single cause of deforestation; chemical fertilisers and pesticides may contaminate water supplies; more intensive farming and the abandonment of fallow periods tend to exacerbate soil erosion
Keyword: agriculture practice, degraded water supply.
Keyword Location: Paragraph C, 2nd line
Explanation: In paragraph C, this is given in the sense that the increased use of the chemical inputs will contaminate the water supplies which gives the water degrading problems. So this is the correct one to be in the position.

Question 8:

Answer: F. soil erosion.
Supporting Sentence: For example, land clearing for agriculture is the largest single cause of deforestation; chemical fertilisers and pesticides may contaminate water supplies; more intensive farming and the abandonment of fallow periods tend to exacerbate soil erosion;
Keyword: intensive farming, environmental damage.
Keyword Location: Paragraph C, 2nd line
Explanation: In paragraph C, more intensive farming and the abandonment of fallow periods tend to exacerbate soil erosion and lead to a different kind of problem with malnutrition in the plants. This depicts the effect of soil erosion by faster and more extensive farming techniques and the statement fits the table at the correct position.

Question 9:

Answer: B. The disappearance of old plant varieties.
Supporting Sentence: and the spread of mono-Culture and use of high-yielding varieties of crops have been accompanied by the disappearance of old varieties of food plants which might have provided some insurance against pests or diseases in future
Keyword: monoculture
Keyword Location: Paragraph C, 2nd statement, last part
Explanation: The spread of the monoculture of old varieties of food plants that might have provided some of the insurance against the pest will lead to the disappearance of the old plant varieties.Hence the table can be filled with the disappearance of the old plant varieties as seen from the table.

Questions 10-14:
Multiple-choice Questions:
Choose the appropriate letters A-D and write them in boxes 10-14 on your answer sheet.

Research completed in 1982 found that in the United States soil erosion

reduced the productivity of farmland by 20 per cent.
was almost as severe as in India and China.
was causing significant damage to 20 percent of farmland.
could be reduced by converting cultivated land to meadow or forest.

Answer: C. was causing significant damage to 20 percent of farmland.
Supporting Sentence: The United States, where the most careful measurements have been done, discovered in 1982 that about one-fifth of its farmland was losing topsoil at a rate likely to diminish the soil's productivity.
Keyword: 1982, United States
Keyword Location: Paragraph C, 4th statement
Explanation: The United States, where the most careful measurements have been done, discovered in 1982 that about one-fifth of its farmland is losing topsoil at a rate likely to diminish the soil’s productivity. Hence the answer is correct amongst all other ones, according to the passage.

By the mid-1980s, farmers in Denmark

used 50 per cent less fertiliser than Dutch farmers.
used twice as much fertiliser as they had in 1960.
applied fertiliser much more frequently than in 1960.
more than doubled the amount of pesticide they used in just 3 years.

Answer: B.used twice as much fertilizer as they had in 1960.
Supporting Sentence: Fertiliser use doubled in Denmark in the period 1960-1985 and increased in The Netherlands by 150 per cent.
Keyword: Denmark, 1960
Keyword Location: Paragraph D, 5th statement
Explanation: Here in the paragraph the fertilizers used are mentioned clearly in Denmark in the mid 1980’s. the use of fertilizers doubled and then they cause very bad effects on the environment. Hence the fertilizer use getting doubled from 1960 to 1980 is the correct statement.

Which one of the following increased in New Zealand after 1984?

farm incomes
use of fertiliser
over-stocking
farm diversification

Answer: D. farm diversification
Supporting Sentence: In the late 1980s and early 1990s some efforts were made to reduce farm subsidies. The most dramatic example was that of New Zealand, which scrapped most farm support in 1984
Keyword: New Zealand, 1984
Keyword Location: Section D, 2nd paragraph, 1st sentence
Explanation: It was mentioned in a study about the environmental effects conducted in the year 1993, which explains the end of the fertilizer subsidies and the removal of subsidies also stopped land clearing and over-stocking. This in the past had been the principal causes of soil erosion. Then this leads to farm diversification in the case of New Zealand.

The writer refers to some rich countries as being ‘less enlightened’ than New Zealand because

They disapprove of paying farmers for not cultivating the land.
their new fuel crops are as harmful as the ones they have replaced.
their policies do not recognise the long-term benefit of ending subsidies.
they have not encouraged their farmers to follow environmentally friendly practices.

Answer: C. their policies do not recognize the long-term benefit of ending subsidies.
Supporting Sentence: A result of the Uruguay Round of world trade negotiations Is likely to be a reduction of 36 per cent In the average levels of farm subsidies paid by the rich countries in 1986-1990.
Keyword: rich countries
Keyword Location: Paragraph F, 1st statement
Explanation: Here, in the paragraph, enlightened countries like New Zealand were mentioned in the given paragraph. The trend of reducing the subsidies has introduced new payments to encourage farmers to treat their land in environmentally friendlier ways, or the existing incentives for farmers to grow food crops.

The writer believes that the Uruguay Round agreements on trade will

encourage more sustainable farming practices in the long term.
do more harm than good to the international environment.
increase pressure to cultivate land in rich countries.
be more beneficial to rich people than to poor countries.

Answer: A. encourage more sustainable farming practices in the long term.
Supporting Sentence: And more farmers in poor countries will have the money and the incentive to manage their land in ways that are sustainable in the long run.
Keyword: Uruguay Round
Keyword Location: Paragraph F, 8th sentence
Explanation: The author mentions that more farmers in poor countries will have the money and the incentives to manage their land in ways that are sustainable in the long run so they are considered to be encouraging more sustainable farming practices in the long term. Hence this statement is then considered the best of all the options.

Questions 15:
From the list below choose the most suitable title for Reading Passage
Write the appropriate letter A-E in box 15 on your answer sheet.

Environment management
Increasing the world's food supply
Soil erosion
Fertilisers and pesticides - the way forward
Farm subsidies

Answer: A. Environment management.
Supporting Sentence: The role of governments in environmental management is difficult but inescapable
Keyword: management
Keyword Location: Paragraph A, 1st statement
Explanation: In the entire passage given, it always rotates between environmental management and the role of government in environmental management and the problems leading to depletion of the environment. remaining all are the parts of the passage but can't describe all the statements. Hence amongst all the options given, the option Environmental Management is the best apt at the title of the passage.

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