Desertification, the creation of desert-like conditions where none had

1. The author is primarily concerned with
(A) criticizing a social attitude => The author has a suggestive approach, incorrect
(B) suggesting an approach to solving a problem => The author mentions in the 2nd para: Deterioration and ultimately desertification in the Sahel and in other ecosystems can be combated only if... this signifies a suggestive approach. Moreover the last para states a number of suggestions from the author, hence correct
(C) explaining the mechanics of a process => No process is explained, incorrect
(D) defending the theories of ecological scientists => the passage does not contain theories from ecologists, incorrect
(E) establishing criteria for an experiment => out of scope, incorrect

2. According to the passage, which of the following contributed to the desertification of the Sahel?
I. The size of the livestock herds grazing on the land
II. The quality of the land in the Sahel
III. The amount of rainfall after 1967
The OA is not provided, but i chose D on the basis of the following:
The 1st para states:
1) the pastoralists moved into the marginal regions in the north with relatively large herds => as per point I above
2) the pastoral populations found themselves overtaxing very marginal rangelands => as per point I above
3) However, with the onset of a series of dry years beginning at the end of the rainy season in 1967 => the same is mentioned in point III above

3. It can be inferred from the passage that the nomadic tribes who moved into the marginal regions of the Sahel did NOT
(A) enlarge the size of their livestock herds=> cannot be inferred, incorrect
(B) conserve water after the drought began =>water conservation not mentioned, cannot be inferred, incorrect
(C) live in the Sahel after 1968 => cannot be inferred, incorrect
(D) expect a drastic change in weather conditions => However, with the onset of a series of dry years beginning at the end of the rainy season in 1967, the pastoral populations found themselves overtaxing very marginal rangelands, with the result that the nomads viewed themselves as victims of a natural disaster => we can infer that the tribes did not expect the change, hence, correct
(E) seek governmental aid in overcoming drought conditions => Out of scope, incorrect


4. It can be inferred from the passage that the concept of the carrying capacity of land is
(A) still hypothetical rather than practical => Para 2 states: Such inconclusiveness within the scientific community, while understandable, creates confusion for the land managers who often decide to take no action or who decide that all scientific suggestions are of equal weight - hence, we can infer that it is still hypothetical rather than practical => hence correct
(B) basically political rather than ecological => political is out of scope, incorrect
(C) independent of climatic conditions => passage states that it is dependent on climatic conditions like rainfall => incorrect
(D) relatively unknown among ecologists => it is a known concept, but with inconclusiveness=> incorrect
(E) generally misrepresented by ecologists => out of scope

5. Which of the following best states the author’s view concerning the relationship between the ecological scientist and the land manager?
(A) The scientist has not provided the manager with clear guidelines that can be used in regulating the productivity of land.
Para 2 states:
Such inconclusiveness within the scientific community, while understandable, creates confusion for the land managers, who often decide to take no action or who decide that all scientific suggestions are of equal weight and, therefore, indiscriminately choose any one of those suggested.

6. With which of the following statements concerning desertification would the author be most likely to agree?
(D) It is not always the result of drastic climate changes alone.
In para 1, the author mentions :
Desertification, the creation of desert-like conditions where none had existed before, is the result of the vagaries of weather and climate or the mismanagement of the land or, in most cases, some combination of both

7. According to the passage, a statistical description of the climate regime of an arid or semiarid region would probably be
(A) misleading
(B) impossible
(C) complex => the last para states : no single number can adequately describe the climate regime of an arid or semiarid region. Land managers must supplement such terms as the “mean” with more informative statistical measures to characterize adequately the variability of the climate- hence, correct
(D) meaningless
(E) abstract

8. The tone of the passage can best be described as
(A) flippant => The author infact has a serious and suggestive tone, this is opposite => hence incorrect
(B) objective => Correct
(C) aggressive => the author is not aggressive, rather suggestive. Incorrect
(D) apologetic => The author has a suggestive tone, not apologetic, incorrect
(E) unconcerned => The author has a suggestive tone, he is not "unconcerned", incorrect