(1) According to the last paragraph, planning itself may be thwarted for which of the following reasons?In the second sentence of the last paragraph, we have "....the last century`s hydrological cycle....has become unreliable". (D) reflects this though perfectly
(D) Information used to plan the size of certain environmental projects, such as dams, has become dated.
Hence,
(D) is the right answer choice here. (2) According to the passage, the likelihood that “dams in arid areas also may face increased sedimentation” will most likely result fromIn the last line of the first paragraph, we have "Dams in arid areas also may face increased sedimentation, since a 10 percent annual increase in precipitation can double the volume of sediment washed into rivers." (A) reflects this perfectly.
(A) an increase in precipitation
Hence,
(A) is the right answer choice. (3) The passage is primarily concerned withIn the first paragraph, the author asserts that ''not enough attention is being given to the relevance of water in global warming''. The second and third paragraphs are constructed to emphasize on the wide environmental consequences of rapidly varying water levels accelerated by global warming.
(E) describes this flow of information perfectly.
(E) describing how the Earth’s water will be affected by global warming
Hence,
(E) is the right answer choice. (4) Based on information in the second paragraph, which of the following can best be supported?(A) Precipitation across different latitudes can differ significantly. - we can infer (A) from the first two sentences of the second paragraph. Hence, (A) is the right answer choice.
(B) An increase in soil moisture can have devastating effects on agriculture. -
the second paragraph does not form a link between soil moisture and ''devastating effects'' on agriculture.
(C) Increased temperatures at sea level can affect the highest altitudes. -
the second paragraph links increased temperatures with saline contamination
(D) Saline contamination mostly results from an increase in sea levels. -
the second paragraph does not assert 'increased in sea levels' as the primary cause of saline contamination.
(E) Hydrological activity at one elevation has little to no effect on hydrological activity at another elevation. -
cannot be inferred from the second paragraph.