ADVANCED READING AND WRITING

(Brief-answer Questions)

Reading – I

13. Read the following composition attentively and answer any five of the questions:

Mechanized farming means the use of modern machinery on farms. On many modern farms the work of labourers is done by up-to-date machines. The use of these machines helps to save a lot of time and labour and brings in big profit. For instance in modern orchards even the picking of fruit is done by machinery. A tractor with a long metal arm drives up to a tree, fastens its 'fingers' firmly round one of the branches and begins to shake in rigorously. As the ripe fruit drops, it is caught by a special device, and then it is sent along a conveyor belt and packed into large wooden boxes. Only three men are needed to work this tractor, but they can pick about thirty tons of fruit in one day. When the picked fruit is unloaded, it is cleaned, sorted and packed by machinery. So, then the ripe fruit is bought by a housewife, it is really untouched by human hands.

      a.  The use of up-to-date farm machinery provides more jobs for farm labourers.

     Answer: False                                                                                                                       

      b. Farmers make more money by using machines than by employing men.

      Answer: True

      c.  A man can pick about ten tons of fruit in a day if he is working with a machine.

      Answer: False

      d. Housewives are employed by fruit growers to pick the ripe fruit.

      Answer: False

      e.   The fruit goes right from the orchard to the shops without being touched by anybody.

      Answer: True