Question

Read the following paragraph carefully and answer the question that follows:
It is one week since Uttarakhand’s worst disaster in living memory. Flash floods resulting from extremely intense rainfall swept away mountainsides, villages and towns, thousands of people, animals, agriculture fields, irrigation canals, domestic water sources, dams, roads, bridges, and buildings — anything that stood in the way. A week later, media attention remains riveted on the efforts to rescue tens of thousands of pilgrims and tourists visiting the shrines in the uppermost reaches of Uttarakhand’s sacred rivers. But the deluge spread far beyond the Char Dhams — Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath — to cover the entire state. The catchments of many smaller rivers also witnessed flash floods but the media has yet to report on the destruction there. Eyewitness accounts being gathered by official agencies and voluntary organizations have reported devastation from more than 200 villages so far and more affected villages are being reported every day.
Which of the following would the author agree the most with?

• A. Char Dhams were most affected by Uttarakhand disaster.
• B. Entire catchment of rivers flowing in Uttarakhand was affected.
• C. Media attention was on Char Dham but the entire catchment area of rivers flowing in Uttarakhand was affected.
• D. Media cannot be trusted as it focuses only on important places and events.
• E. Voluntary organizations are better than media in reaching out to the affected people.

Hint:

For inference questions, focus on what the author explicitly emphasizes versus what is merely mentioned. Here, the key contrast was between media focus Char Dham) and actual widespread destruction Entire catchments).

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Identify the focus of the passage.
The author highlights that media coverage was concentrated on the Char Dham shrines and pilgrim rescue operations. However, the floods had widespread impact beyond Char Dham, affecting entire river catchments and many villages.
Step 2: Evaluate the options.
(A) Incorrect — The passage does not claim Char Dhams were the most affected, only that media focused there.
(B) Too broad — While the floods spread widely, the author stresses the gap between media focus Char Dham) and actual damage Across river catchments).
(C) Correct — This directly captures the author’s view: media focused narrowly on Char Dham, but the devastation covered the entire state and other catchments.
(D) Incorrect — The author criticizes the scope of media coverage, but does not generalize that media cannot be trusted.
(E) Incorrect — Voluntary organizations are mentioned, but the author’s main argument is about skewed media attention, not superiority of agencies.
\[ \boxed{\text{Media attention was on Char Dham but the entire catchment area of rivers flowing was affected.}} \]