List of top English Questions on Environmental and Social Issues asked in National Aptitude test in Architecture

Which is the local climate of a desert region

Which clothing material is suitable to wear in Chennai?

After reading the given TEXT answer the 4 questions based on the text by choosing the appropriate option.
TEXT:
The coconut is an unusual food for many reasons. It is technically a seed, produced by the coconut palm tree, and as such is one of the largest edible seeds produced by any plant. Its unusual contents also make it unique in the seed world-the interior consists of both "meat" and "water." The meat is the white pith with which we are all familiar, as it is used extensively for cooking and flavorings; the coconut water is a white liquid that is very sweet and thirst-quenching.
Portuguese explorers gave the nut its name in the 15th century, referring to it as coco, meaning "ghost" in their language. The three dimples and the hairy texture reminded them of a ghost's face. It is used to make margarine, as well as various cooking oils. The coconut fluid is a favorite drink in hot climates, providing a cool and refreshing beverage right off the tree. This water is also used by manufacturers of various sports drinks because of its isotonic electrolyte properties.
Even the shell itself has many uses, including cattle food and fertilizer. Coconut oil is used for cosmetics, medicines, and can even be used in place of diesel fuel. Dried coconut shells are used in many countries as a tool, such as a buffer for shining wood floors. The shells are also used for shirt buttons; they are even used for musical instruments and bird houses! And all these are only some of the uses found for the coconut fruit. The coconut palm tree, which produces the nut, also produces countless useful items. It's no wonder that the coconut palm has been called "the tree of life."

What are the advantages of using mud as a construction material in tropical countries? Identify four most appropriate advantages from the options listed below.
(Marks will be awarded only if all answers are correct.) 

After reading the given TEXT answer the 4 questions based on the text by choosing the appropriate option.
TEXT:
The human body can tolerate only a small range of temperature, especially when the person is engaged in vigorous activity. Heat reactions usually occur when large amounts of water and/or salt are lost through excessive sweating following strenuous exercise. When the body becomes overheated and cannot eliminate this excess heat, heat exhaustion and heat stroke are possible. Heat exhaustion is generally characterized by clammy skin, fatigue, nausea, dizziness, profuse perspiration, and sometimes fainting, resulting from an inadequate intake of water and the loss of fluids.
First aid treatment for this condition includes having the victim lie down, raising the feet 8 to 12 inches, applying cool, wet cloths to the skin, and giving the victim sips of salt water (1 teaspoon per glass, half a glass every 15 minutes) over a 1-hour period. Heat stroke is much more serious; it is an immediate life-threatening situation. The characteristics of heat stroke are a high body temperature (which may reach 106° F or more); a rapid pulse; hot, dry skin; and a blocked sweating mechanism. Victims of this condition may be unconscious, and first-aid measures should be directed at quickly cooling the body. The victim should be placed in a tub of cold water or repeatedly sponged with cool water until his or her temperature is sufficiently lowered. Fans or air conditioners will also help with the cooling process. Care should be taken, however, not to over-chill the victim once the temperature is below 102° F.

After reading the given TEXT answer the 4 questions by choosing the appropriate option.
TEXT 
Researchers in Kenya have found that a fish could be an effective weapon in the fight to reduce the spread of malaria. A fish that is normally eaten was introduced to several places in the west of the country. The fish eats mosquito larvae, which are young mosquitoes before they have wings.
People have known for a long time that this fish eats mosquito larvae, but this was the first time that researchers had looked at how the fish could be used to control malaria. This disease made 300 million people ill and caused a million deaths worldwide every year. 

After reading the given TEXT answer the 4 questions based on the text by choosing the appropriate option.
TEXT:
 Nature writing is nonfiction or fiction prose or poetry about the natural environment. Nature writing encompasses a wide variety of works, ranging from those that place primary emphasis on natural history facts (such as field guides) to those in which philosophical interpretation predominate. It includes natural history essays, poetry, essays of solitude or escape, as well as travel and adventure writing. Nature writing often draws heavily on scientific information and facts about the natural world; at the same time, it is frequently written in the first person and incorporates personal observations of and philosophical reflections upon nature. Modern nature writing traces its roots to the works of natural history that were popular in the second half of the 18th century and throughout the 19th. An important early figure was the "parson-naturalist" Gilbert White (1720 1793), a pioneering English naturalist and ornithologist. He is best known for his Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne (1789).

After reading the given TEXT carefully answer the 4 questions based on the text by choosing the appropriate option.
TEXT 
Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization. It took about 3 lakhs years to learn agriculture. It was the beginning of new civilization. Water was the main source of agriculture. Man began to domesticate some animals and created vast pastures for them to feed. The dog looked after the sheep. The sheep provided meat and skin for winter wear. Goats provided milk. Oxen helped him in his agriculture work. He extended his domestic and social activities. He constructed houses for safety. Settled life led him to varieties of profitable activities. Twigs were used for making baskets. Clay baskets were used for storing grains. There was no desperate struggle against nature. Humanity was evolving with a new direction. The discovery of wheel along with cattle power helped him in extending profitable activities. Bazaars were created. They gradually became a celebration and for exchanging goods. Settled agriculture brought peace to humanity.

After reading the given TEXT answer the 4 questions based on the text by choosing the appropriate option.
TEXT 
Producing silk is a lengthy process and demands close attention. First, quality feed for silkworms needs to be cultivated. Then the worms need to be carefully hand-reared in controlled environmental conditions till the pupae spin the silk cocoons. Finally, the silk has to be extracted by human hand and then woven into fabric. South India is the leading silk-producing area of the country, and is also known for its famous silk-weaving enclaves like Kanchipuram, Dharmavaram and Arni. The traditional handloom silk always scores over the power loom ones in the richness of their textures and designs, in their individuality, character and classic beauty. Handloom weaving remains a symbol of the versatility and creativity of living craft. Today, Indian silks, especially the handloom product remains the most beautiful and cherished the world over. 
It is estimated that almost 85 per cent of the price of silk in the market goes back to communities that are engaged in sericulture and silk industry as the entire families are involved in production rather than one bread winner. It plays a huge role in the upliftment of communities from poverty to prosperity. If the consumption of silk increases, the entire village tends to prosper. The final part of silk production is the weaving of the fabric which is considered more of an art than an act. These communities depend solely on weaving silk for their livelihood and the distinct regions have developed their own character of weaving silk to establish indelible identities for themselves. 
Silk has been intermingled with the life and culture of the Indians. Though India is producing all the varieties of silk, i.e., dress materials, scarves/stoles, readymade garments, etc., but the silk sarees are unique. The saree is almost synonymous with the word, 'silk. It has been the traditional costume of Indian woman since time immemorial. There are innumerable references in Indian literature about this draped garment and the style of wearing differs from time to time, region to region and people to people. The silk sarees of India are among the excellent living examples of the craftsmanship of the weavers of the country.

Which of the following options most appropriately describes the primary function of the building component indicated by the arrow?

Carefully read the passage given below and provide the answers to the 4 questions based on the passage.
The assault on the purity of the environment is the price that we pay for many of the benefits of modern technology. For the advantage of automotive transportation we pay a price in smog- induced diseases; for the powerful effects of new insecticides, we pay a price in dwindling wildlife and disturbances in the relation of living things and their surroundings; for nuclear power, we risk the biological hazards of radiation. By increasing agricultural production with fertilizers, we worsen water population. The highly developed nations of the world are not only the immediate beneficiaries of the good that technology can do; they are also the first victims of environmental diseases that technology breeds. In the past, the environmental effects which accompanied technological progress were restricted to a small and relatively short time. The new hazards are neither local nor brief. Air pollution covers vast areas of continents and radioactive fallout from the nuclear explosion is worldwide. Radioactive pollutants now found on the earth surface will be for generations, and in the case of Carbon-14, for thousands of years.

Carefully read the passage given below and provide the answers to the 4 questions based on the passage.
Until the end of his first year at school, Vedant retained many of the pleasures and pursuits he had brought with him from home, and he kept an old interest in butterflies and fossils. His grandmot her had presented him with a fine bird's eggs cabinet, but he couId never bring himself to risk in climbing trees. Once or twice he dissected dead birds from sheer determination to overcome his horror of the operation. Probably it was his envy of those physically unlike himself that brought on a phase during which he drew massive athletes with thick necks and square shoulders. Again he was pitying himself for what he could never be

Carefully read the passage given below and provide the answers to the 4 questions based on the passage.
'Pratik a professional man who had worked in an office for many years had a fearful dream. In it, he found himself in a land where small slug- like animals with slimy tentacles lived on people's bodies. T he people tolerated the loathsome creatures because after many years they grew into elephants which then became th e nation's system of transport, carrying everyone wherever he wanted to go. Pratik suddenly realised that he himself w as covered with these things and he woke up screaming.
In a vivid sequence of pictures this dream dramatized for Pratik what he had never been able to put in to words; he saw himself as letting society feed on his body in his early year s so that it would carry him when he retired. He later threw off the "security bug" and took up freelance work.'

Below are few symbols of sustainable development goals as published by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Identify the symbol for the goal "Climate Action"

Which of the following measures are effective for soil conservation in India ?
(i) Avoiding crop rotation
(ii) Afforestation
(iii) Encouraging the use of chemical fertilizers
(iv) Limiting shifting cultivation

The word sciography is associated with which of the following

Fly ash is a waste product from which of the following: