Question

There's a certain magic in the first chill of season... that moment when India's forests stir back to life. The sanctuary gates creak open, migratory birds return, and air carries that unmistakable scent of damp leaves and wild earth. In western Odisha, Dibrugarh Wildlife Sanctuary, near Sambalpur, is at the heart of this quiet awakening. Now on the cusp of being declared India's newest tiger reserve, it's drawing attention not just for its Wildlife, but for the people who have helped it thrive. Spread across forested slopes along the shimmering Hirakud reservoir, Dibrugarh is a revelation---serene, scenic, and full of small surprises. Mornings here are a melody of birdsongs echoing over still water. Spotted deer and langurs, dart through sal forests while eagles trace lazy circles in the sky. On Bot Island, thousands of bats hang like dark fruits from ancient trees. What was once an overlooked stretch of woodland is today one of eastern India's most inspiring stories of eco-tourism and community-led conservation.
At the edge of this wilderness lies Sambalpur, a city that rests gracefully along Mahanadi River. Its past stretches from the Chauhan dynasty to colonial days, and its present hums with trade, textiles, and temple bells. The river runs through it all, shaping lives, livelihoods, and legends.
A short drive away, Hirakud Dam stands as both an engineering marvel and landscape poetry, a structure that tames Mahanadi yet adds to its splendour. Built in 1950, it remains one of world's longest earthen dams. From Gandhi Minar viewpoint, the reservoir stretches like molten silver, dotted with fishing boats and green islets---same waters that cradle Dibrugarh's forests. Back in the narrow lanes of Sambalpur, looms click, and threads gleam. This is where the famed Sambalpuri ikat is born, each fabric a labor of precision and patience. During festivals, the city turns into a living gallery, women draped in ikat saris, men in handwoven kurtas---each garment carrying stories of skill, soil, and heritage.
41. Dibrugarh Wildlife Sanctuary is attracting tourists because of its-

• A. Wildlife
• B. Mahanadi River
• C. Community-led Conservation
• D. Engineering Marvel
• A. Alliteration
• B. Metaphor
• C. Personification
• D. Simile
• A. Western river
• B. Hirakund river
• C. Woodland river
• D. Mahanadi river
• A. Gallery
• B. Handwoven fabric
• C. mass produced fabric
• D. Heritage
• A. Animal Training
• B. Wild life awakening
• C. Textile and weaving
• D. Engineering the dam

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Concept:
Reading comprehension questions that test the primary focus of an informational text require identifying the central unique selling proposition (USP) highlighted by the author. When a passage mentions multiple features (such as wildlife and scenic views) but explicitly elevates a specific transformative model as the primary catalyst for inspiration and tourist attention, that highlighted model constitutes the intended answer.

Step 1: Textual Evidence Analysis:
- The first paragraph explicitly states:
“...it's drawing attention not just for its Wildlife, but for the people who have helped it thrive.”
- The paragraph concludes by emphasizing:
“What was once an overlooked stretch of woodland is today one of eastern India's most inspiring stories of eco-tourism and community-led conservation.”

Step 2: Evaluation of Options:
- (A) Wildlife: The passage explicitly states it is drawing attention “not just for its Wildlife”, showing that wildlife alone is not the distinguishing factor.
- (B) Mahanadi River: Mentioned as flowing near Sambalpur and Hirakud, not as the primary reason for the sanctuary's unique tourist appeal.
- (C) Community-led Conservation: Directly matches the concluding sentence of paragraph 1, which identifies the sanctuary as an inspiring model of eco-tourism and community-led conservation.
- (D) Engineering Marvel: Refers to the Hirakud Dam, not the sanctuary itself.

Step 3: Final Answer:
The correct option is “Community-led Conservation”, matching Option (C).

Answer 2

Concept:
A Simile is a figure of speech in which an explicit comparison is drawn between two fundamentally dissimilar entities using explicit connective words such as “like”, “as”, or “so”. Unlike a metaphor (which asserts that one thing is another without connecting words), a simile maintains the distinct identity of both subjects while highlighting a vivid visual or sensory resemblance.

Step 1: Textual Breakdown of the Expression:
- Target line: “Thousands of bats hang like dark fruits”
- Primary subject (tenor): “bats”
- Comparative object (vehicle): “dark fruits”
- Comparative connective marker: “like”
- Visual resemblance: The physical posture of dormant bats hanging inverted from branches is directly compared to dark ripe fruits hanging from trees.

Step 2: Evaluating the Figures of Speech:
- (A) Alliteration: Involves the repetition of initial consonant sounds; not the primary device here.
- (B) Metaphor: Would state “thousands of bats were dark fruits” (without “like”).
- (C) Personification: Involves attributing human traits to non-human entities.
- (D) Simile: The presence of the explicit connective marker “like” comparing bats to fruits confirms that the figure of speech is a Simile.

Step 3: Final Answer:
The figure of speech is a “Simile”, which corresponds to Option (D).

Answer 3

Concept:
Direct factual recall in reading comprehension requires locating explicit geographical and environmental proper nouns identified in the passage. Scanning techniques must be used to locate the reference to the city of Sambalpur and extract the name of the river directly associated with its geography and cultural life.

Step 1: Locating Textual Evidence in the Passage:
- In the second paragraph, the passage explicitly records:
“At the edge of this wilderness lies Sambalpur, a city that rests gracefully along Mahanadi River.”
- The paragraph further underscores this fact:
“The river runs through it all, shaping lives, livelihoods, and legends.”
- In the third paragraph, the dam is described as a structure that “tames Mahanadi”.

Step 2: Evaluation of Options:
- (A) Western river: Western is used as a directional adjective for Odisha (“In western Odisha”), not the name of a river.
- (B) Hirakund river: Hirakud is a dam and reservoir built on the Mahanadi River, not a separate river itself.
- (C) Woodland river: “Woodland” refers to the stretch of forest, not a river.
- (D) Mahanadi river: Accurately and explicitly named as the river running through the city of Sambalpur.

Step 3: Final Answer:
The river running through Sambalpur is the “Mahanadi river”, matching Option (D).

Answer 4

Concept:
Contextual vocabulary and cultural comprehension require deducing the meaning of specialized textile terms from surrounding descriptive modifiers. By examining the contextual clues provided in the sentence and the succeeding descriptions (e.g., “looms click”, “threads gleam”, “each fabric a labor of precision”, “women draped in ikat saris”, “men in handwoven kurtas”), the identity of “ikat” as a traditional handloom textile art form is clearly established.

Step 1: Textual Evidence and Descriptive Clues:
- Paragraph 3 describes the weaving culture:
“Back in the narrow lanes of Sambalpur, looms click, and threads gleam. This is where the famed Sambalpuri ikat is born, each fabric a labor of precision and patience.”
- The passage further specifies:
“...women draped in ikat saris, men in handwoven kurtas---each garment carrying stories of skill...”

Step 2: Evaluating the Options:
- (A) Gallery: A room or building for the display of art; the passage uses “living gallery” purely as a metaphor for the festival city, not the definition of ikat.
- (B) Handwoven fabric: Correctly captures the identity of ikat as a traditional, handloom-woven, precision textile.
- (C) Mass produced fabric: Directly contradicts the description of ikat as an intricate craft made on traditional clicking looms requiring painstaking patience.
- (D) Heritage: Refers to cultural inheritance in general, not the specific physical fabric itself.

Step 3: Final Answer:
The underlined word “ikat” refers to a “Handwoven fabric”, corresponding to Option (B).

Answer 5

Concept:
Inferential and factual comprehension involves synthesizing information distributed across descriptive passages to determine the primary economic and occupational identity of a community. Passages focusing on traditional crafts, clicking looms, and renowned woven garments establish weaving and textile craftsmanship as the core traditional profession of the local citizenry.

Step 1: Locating Evidence across the Passage:
- In paragraph 2, the author notes about Sambalpur:
“...its present hums with trade, textiles, and temple bells.”
- In paragraph 3, the author details the widespread engagement with weaving in the city:
“Back in the narrow lanes of Sambalpur, looms click, and threads gleam. This is where the famed Sambalpuri ikat is born, each fabric a labor of precision and patience.”
- The clothing of the populace during festivities consists of local handwoven garments (ikat saris, handwoven kurtas).

Step 2: Evaluating the Options:
- (A) Animal Training: Entirely unmentioned in the passage.
- (B) Wild life awakening: A poetic description of the morning forest, not an occupation.
- (C) Textile and weaving: Accurately reflects the bustling trade, ubiquitous looms, and renowned handwoven ikat craft celebrated throughout the passage.
- (D) Engineering the dam: The dam was built in 1950 and stands as an engineering landmark, but dam engineering is not the widespread everyday occupation of the residents of Sambalpur's lanes.

Step 3: Final Answer:
The prominent profession highlighted in the city is “Textile and weaving”, which is Option (C).