Directions (1-5): Read the following passage carefully and choose the most appropriate answer to the question out of the four alternatives.
The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019 passed by the Lok Sabha on July 23 and by the Rajya Sabha on July 31 has 63 clauses with the aim of reducing road traffic fatalities and injuries in India. The amended MVA has several new provisions: increased compensation for road accident victims, a Motor Vehicle Accident fund to provide compulsory insurance cover to all road users, defining a good Samaritan, recall of a defective motor vehicle, development of a National Transportation Policy, a National Road Safety Board, recognising taxi aggregators and increased penalties for several offences. All these are intended to reduce traffic crashes by at least 50% by 2030 (a target set by the United Nations). Out of the many amendments proposed in the Act, the increased penalties have been implemented in many States from September 1, 2019; at the same time, many States have decided to “dilute” the suggested increase in penalties.
New penalties have been introduced for ‘faulty registration details, the concessionaire or the contractor who is responsible for a faulty road design or has not followed standards, and for guardians of juvenile offenders to be penalised. While there have to be penalties for offenders, there does not seem to be any correlation between stricter and higher penalties and a reduction in road traffic crashes in countries where road traffic deaths have reduced over the years’, examples being West Europe, the United States, Japan and Australia.
The idea of higher fines as a deterrent to traffic crashes is based on the assumption that a driver is careless and that the fear of a higher penalty will encourage “careful” behaviour while on the road. This goes against current scientific understanding in reducing traffic crashes that promotes the design of a system which can forgive mistakes made by road users. Road safety experts suggest that road designs such as lane width, shoulder presence, number of lanes and median design influence driving behaviour such as operating speeds, lane changing, etc.
Therefore, one could expect that ‘roads themselves play an important role in road safety, and improved geometry design and infrastructure could in turn help to improve road safety. Drivers can modify their behaviour based on what they see on the road ahead of them. Drivers are more likely to fall asleep or experience boredom on straight, monotonous, dual carriageway roads with little traffic’. Stricter penalties and intensive driver training cannot reduce the risk of driver fatigue. However, road engineers can change the road design to reduce boredom and monotony.
Q1. What is the aim of The Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill, 2019 passed by the Indian Parliament?
(a) To encourage ‘careful’ driving behaviour
(b) To generate more revenue
(c) To reduce road traffic fatalities
(d) To instil fear among those who drive recklessly
Q2. Which among the following is/are the new provision(s) of amended MVA?
(1) Recognising taxi aggregators
(2) Motor Vehicle Accident fund to provide compulsory insurance cover to few road users
(3) Decreased compensation for road accident victims
(4) Recall of a defective motor vehicle
(a) Only (1), (2) & (4)
(b) Only (1) & (4)
(c) Only (3)
(d) Only (1) & (2)
Q3. Select the synonym of “Monotony”
(a) Elation
(b) Zeal
(c) Exhilaration
(d) Tedium
Q4. What according to Road safety experts influence driving behaviour?
(a) Higher penalties
(b) Better road design
(c) Compulsory insurance cover
(d) Development of National Transportation Policy
Q5. What cannot reduce the risk of driver fatigue?
(a) Better road design
(b) Stricter penalties
(c) Intensive driver training
(d) both (b) & (c)
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Directions (6-10): Read the following passage carefully and choose the most appropriate answer to the question out of the four alternatives.
On the foggy winter afternoon of February 3, a phone call from a local, saying “An injured blackbuck, apparently attacked by stray dogs, is lying on a farm in Sardarpur village…” was enough to send a team of forest and wildlife personnel into rescue mode. They rushed to the spot in the Abohar Wildlife Sanctuary (AWS) to save the animal.
A young deer, about two years old, was lying on the farm with multiple injuries, after being attacked by a group of stray dogs. Chased by the canines, the blackbuck had rammed into barbed wires, which enclose agricultural fields to avoid crop damage from stray cattle. The injuries proved to be fatal, even though medical treatment was given, and the blackbuck succumbed within a few hours of the attack.
This is not an isolated incident. In 2019, so far, as many as eight blackbucks have died in the AWS, and a majority of them succumbed to their injuries, caused by barbed wires while trying to escape from stray dogs, officials told The Hindu. Other unnatural reasons for blackbuck deaths include road accidents and falling into water storage tanks and concrete drains.
For the blackbuck, Punjab’s State animal, it’s a fight for existence at the AWS in Fazilka district. It faces a severe threat from stray cattle, attacks by stray dogs, and habitat fragmentation due to change in land use and cropping patterns over the past few years.
Q6. What made the forest and wildlife personnel go into rescue mode?
(a) stray dogs
(b) foggy winter
(c) a phone call from a local
(d) an injured blackbuck
Q7. How many blackbucks have died in 2019 in AWS?
(a) three
(b) number not definite
(c) none of these
(d) eight
Q8. What is the meaning of the word “rescue” as per the context of the passage?
(a) save
(b) endanger
(c) peril
(d) danger
Q9. Which of the following is not the reason of unnatural death of blackbucks as per the given passage?
(a) road accident
(b) falling in water storage tanks
(c) habitat fragmentation
(d) concrete drains
Q10. What did the team of forest and wildlife personnel find out when they rushed to the spot?
(a) canines were chasing the blackbuck.
(b) blackbuck was struggling with the barbed wires.
(c) blackbuck was lying on the farm with lot of injures.
(d) someone was giving medical treatment to the blackbuck.
Solutions:
S1. Ans(c)
Sol. Refer to the 1st sentence “The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019 passed by the Lok Sabha on July 23 and by the Rajya Sabha on July 31 has 63 clauses with the aim of reducing road traffic fatalities and injuries in India.”
S2. Ans(b)
Sol. Refer to “The amended MVA has several new provisions: increased compensation for road accident victims, a Motor Vehicle Accident fund to provide compulsory insurance cover to all road users, defining a good Samaritan, recall of a defective motor vehicle, development of a National Transportation Policy, a National Road Safety Board, recognising taxi aggregators and increased penalties for several offences.”
S3. Ans(d)
Sol. Monotony means lack of variety and interest; tedious repetition and routine.
S4. Ans(b)
Sol. Refer to “Road safety experts suggest that road designs such as lane width, shoulder presence, number of lanes and median design influence driving behaviour such as operating speeds, lane changing, etc.”
S5. Ans(d)
Sol. Refer to “Stricter penalties and intensive driver training cannot reduce the risk of driver fatigue. However, road engineers can change the road design to reduce boredom and monotony.”
S6. Ans. (c)
Sol. Refer to the few lines of the first paragraph, “a phone call from a local, saying “An injured blackbuck, apparently attacked by stray dogs, is lying on a farm in Sardarpur village…” was enough to send a team of forest and wildlife personnel into rescue mode.”
S7. Ans. (d)
Sol. Refer to the lines, “In 2019, so far, as many as eight blackbucks have died in the AWS”
S8. Ans. (a)
S9. Ans. (c)
Sol. Refer to the lines “Other unnatural reasons for blackbuck deaths include road accidents and falling into water storage tanks and concrete drains.”
S10. Ans. (c)
Sol. Refer to the lines “A young deer, about two years old, was lying on the farm with multiple injuries, after being attacked by a group of stray dogs.”
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