What the monsoon passage implies — Aptitude Question
What the monsoon passage implies: India's monsoon is often described as a single event, but it is really two. Answer and worked solution on CodeKairo.
- Topic: Reading Comprehension
- Section: Verbal Ability
- Difficulty: Medium
- Time target: 90 seconds
Question
India's monsoon is often described as a single event, but it is really two. The south-west monsoon arrives in Kerala in early June and works north over six weeks, bringing roughly three-quarters of the country's annual rainfall. The north-east monsoon, far smaller, returns in October and waters the south-eastern coast. Forecasting either has improved markedly since the 1990s, though the models remain better at predicting the total than its distribution — which is unfortunate, because it is the distribution that determines whether a crop survives.
Which statement can be inferred from the passage?
Options
- A season with normal total rainfall can still damage crops.
- Forecasting models are no longer useful.
- The south-west monsoon reaches the whole country on the same day.
- Crops depend only on the north-east monsoon.
Show the answer and the worked solution
Correct answer: A. A season with normal total rainfall can still damage crops.
Worked solution
- The passage states that distribution, not total, determines whether a crop survives.
- So a normal total spread badly could still ruin crops — a direct inference.
- The other options contradict the passage or overstate it.
Answer: A season with normal total rainfall can still damage crops.
The idea
A valid inference is one short step from the text. Options containing 'no longer', 'only' or 'the whole' usually overreach.
Shortcut. Combine the last two claims: models predict totals well, but distribution decides crops. So a normal, correctly forecast total can still come with crop damage — only one option says that.
Common trap. "Forecasting models are no longer useful." — overreading the 'unfortunate' limitation; the passage says forecasting has 'improved markedly' and is merely weaker on distribution.