To summarize the Classic Maya collapse, we can tentatively identify five strands. I acknowledge, however, that Maya archaeologists still disagree vigorously among themselves in part, because the different strands evidently varied in importance among different parts of the Maya realm; because detailed archaeological studies are available for only some Maya sites; and because it remains puzzling why most of the Maya heartland remained nearly empty of population and failed to recover after the collapse and after re-growth of forests.
With those caveats, it appears to me that one strand consisted of population growth outstripping available resources: a dilemma similar to the one foreseen by Thomas Malthus in 1798 and being played out today in Rwanda, Haiti and elsewhere. As the archaeologist David Webster succinctly puts it, "Too many farmers grew too many crops on too much of landscape." Compounding that mismatch between population and resources was the second strand: the effects of deforestation and hillside erosion, which caused a decrease in the amount of useable farmland at a time when more rather than less farmland was needed, and possibly exacerbated by an anthropogenic drought resulting from deforestation, by soil nutrient depletion and other soil problems, and by the struggle to prevent bracken ferns from overrunning the fields.
The third strand consisted of increased fighting, as more and more people fought over fewer resources. Maya warfare, already endemic, peaked just before the collapse. That is not surprising when one reflects that at least five million people, perhaps many more, were crammed into an area smaller than the US state of Colorado (104,000 square miles). That warfare would have decreased further the amount of land available for agriculture, by creating no-man’s lands between principalities where it was now unsafe to farm. Bringing matters to a head was the strand of climate change. The drought at the time of the Classic collapse was not the first drought that the Maya had lived through, but it was the most severe. At the time of previous droughts, there were still uninhabited parts of the Maya landscape, and people at a site affected by drought could save themselves by moving to another site. However, by the time of the Classic collapse the landscape was now full, there was no useful unoccupied land in the vicinity on which to begin anew, and the whole population could not be accommodated in the few areas that continued to have reliable water supplies.
As our fifth strand, we have to wonder why the kings and nobles failed to recognize and solve these seemingly obvious problems undermining their society. Their attention was evidently focused on their short-term concerns of enriching themselves, waging wars, erecting monuments, competing with each other, and extracting enough food from the peasants to support all those activities. Like most leaders throughout human history, the Maya kings and nobles did not heed long-term problems, insofar as they perceived them.
Finally, while we still have some other past societies to consider before we switch our attention to the modern world, we must already be struck by some parallels between the Maya and the past societies. As on Mangareva, the Maya environmental and population problems led to increasing warfare and civil strife. Similarly, on Easter Island and at Chaco Canyon, the Maya peak population numbers were followed swiftly by political and social collapse. Paralleling the eventual extension of agriculture from Easter Island’s coastal lowlands to its uplands, and from the Mimbres floodplain to the hills, Copan’s inhabitants also expanded from the floodplain to the more fragile hill slopes, leaving them with a larger population to feed when the agricultural boom in the hills went bust. Like Easter Island chiefs erecting ever larger statues, eventually crowned by pukao, and like Anasazi elite treating themselves to necklaces of 2,000 turquoise beads, Maya kings sought to outdo each other with more and more impressive temples, covered with thicker and thicker plaster — reminiscent in turn of the extravagant conspicuous consumption by modern American CEOs. The passivity of Easter chiefs and Maya kings in the face of the real big threats to their societies completes our list of disquieting parallels.
According to the passage, which of the following best represents the factor that has been cited by the author in the context of Rwanda and Haiti?
Show Hint
- Various ethnic groups competing for land and other resources.
- Various ethnic groups competing for limited land resources.
- Various ethnic groups fighting with each other.
- Various ethnic groups competing for political power.
- Various ethnic groups fighting for their identity.
The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
By an anthropogenic drought, the author means:
Show Hint
- A drought caused by lack of rains.
- A drought caused due to deforestation.
- A drought caused by failure to prevent bracken ferns from overrunning the fields.
- A drought caused by actions of human beings.
- A drought caused by climate changes.
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
According to the passage, the drought at the time of Maya collapse had a different impact compared to the droughts earlier because:
Show Hint
- The Maya kings continued to be extravagant when common people were suffering.
- It happened at the time of collapse of leadership among Mayas.
- It happened when the Maya population had occupied all available land suited for agriculture.
- It was followed by internecine warfare among Mayans.
- Irreversible environmental degradation led to this drought.
The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
According to the author, why is it difficult to explain the reasons for Maya collapse?
Show Hint
- Copan inhabitants destroyed all records of that period.
- The constant deforestation and hillside erosion have wiped out all traces of the Maya kingdom.
- Archaeological sites of Mayas do not provide any consistent evidence.
- It has not been possible to ascertain which of the factors best explains as to why the Maya Civilization collapsed.
- At least five million people were crammed into a small area.
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
Which factor has not been cited as one of the factors causing the collapse of Maya society?
Show Hint
- Environmental degradation due to excess population.
- Social collapse due to excess population.
- Increased warfare among Maya people.
- Climate change.
- Obsession of Maya population with their own short-term concerns.
The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
Top Questions on Reading Comprehension
- What is a classical dance ?
A dance which is created or choreographed and performed according to the tenets of the Natya Shastra is called a classical dance. The two broad aspects of classical dancing are the tandava and the lasya. Power and force are typical of the tandava; grace and delicacy, of the lasya. Tandava is associated with Shiva, and lasya with Parvati. Dance which is pure in movement is called nritta, and dance which is interpretative in nature is called nritya. A dancer in the classical tradition has to have years of training before he or she can begin to perform on the stage.
What are the main schools of classical dancing ?
Bharata Natyam, Kathakali, Manipuri, Kathak. Bharata Natyam is the oldest and most popular dance-form of India. Earlier, it was known by various names. Some called it Bharatam, some Natyam some Desi Attam and some Sadir.
The districts of Tanjore and Kanchipuram of Tamil Nadu were the focal points in the development of Bharata Natyam. It was danced as a solo performance by devadasis (temple dancers) on all auspicious occasions. Later, kings and rich people lent their patronage to it and it started shedding its purely sacred character.- Maharashtra Class X Board - 2025
- English
- Reading Comprehension
- O moon,
give me moonlight,
basketful or two baskets full,
with seeds of moonlight.
From the city to my village,
on the sides of the path
I want to sow many,
small, small moons of light.
The whole village goes to the city
daily to work.
It becomes dark on its way back
as my village is quite far.
The route is tough and full of
snakes and scorpions.
Neither bus nor cart plies.
When my father returns home
I am asleep.
And he goes back early in the morning
while I am sleeping.- Maharashtra Class X Board - 2025
- English
- Reading Comprehension
- Swami and Friends is written in such simple English it is hard to imagine that it is a work of such a literary genius like R. K. Narayan. The English used in the book is both plain and simple, without any troubling words for the kids. Also the use of simple and short sentences adds to the simplicity of the book.
It is mentioned in the description that the book is about a mischievous ten year old Indian boy, and some parents may be concerned about the influence this will have on their already mischievous children. But the book is as such, that it encompasses the mischief of the kids in a view of the kid which is harmless and pure in his perspective. Also amidst all the mischief and naughtiness, we actually find that Swami is a loving and a tender kid who’s actually very sensitive. It is also a known fact that mischievous kids are the most sensitive and loving people of all. And R.K. Narayan does a great job conveying that to all of us.
So in conclusion it can be said that this book is a good read for children of all ages, who may just enjoy a good read or who may want to improve their English skills.- Maharashtra Class X Board - 2025
- English
- Reading Comprehension
- Her name was Sulekha but since her childhood everyone had been calling her Bholi the simpleton. She was the fourth daughter of Numberdar Ramlal. When she was ten months old, she had fallen off the cot on her head and perhaps it had damaged some part of her brain. That was why she remained a backward child and came to be known as Bholi, the simpleton.
At birth the child was very fair and pretty. But when she was two years old, she had an attack of smallpox. Only the eyes were saved. But the entire body was permanently disfigured by deep black pockmarks. Little Sulekha could not speak till she was five and when at last she learnt to speak, she stammered. The other children often made fun of her and mimicked her. As a result, she talked very little.
Ramlal had seven children, three sons and four daughters and the youngest of them was Bholi. It was a prosperous farmer’s household and there was plenty to eat and drink. All the children except Bholi were healthy and strong.- Maharashtra Class X Board - 2025
- English
- Reading Comprehension
- Appreciation of the poem:
Read the following poem and write an appreciation of it with the help of the points given below:
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Robert Frost
- Maharashtra Class X Board - 2025
- English
- Reading Comprehension
Questions Asked in CAT exam
- Renu would take 15 days working 4 hours per day to complete a certain task whereas Seema would take 8 days working 5 hours per day to complete the same task. They decide to work together to complete this task. Seema agrees to work for double the number of hours per day as Renu, while Renu agrees to work for double the number of days as Seema. If Renu works 2 hours per day, then the number of days Seema will work, is
- CAT - 2024
- Time and Work
- If \(x\) and \(y\) are real numbers such that \(4x^2 + 4y^2 - 4xy - 6y + 3 = 0\), then the value of \((4x + 5y)\) is
- CAT - 2024
- Linear & Quadratic Equations
- Two points A and B are 45 km apart. Anil started from A. Sunil started from B. They met each other after 1 hour 30 mins. and after meeting, they continued towards their destinations. Time taken by Anil to reach Point B was 1 hr 15 mins more than the time taken by Sunil to reach point A. Find speed of Anil
- CAT - 2024
- Time, Speed and Distance
- The sum of all four-digit numbers that can be formed with the distinct non-zero digits $a$, $b$, $c$, and $d$, with each digit appearing exactly once in every number, is $153310 + n$, where $n$ is a single digit natural number. Then, the value of $(a + b + c + d)$ is ?
- CAT - 2024
- Permutations and Combinations
- Let $x$, $y$, and $z$ be real numbers satisfying
\(4(x^2 + y^2 + z^2) = a,\)
\(4(x - y - z) = 3 + a.\)
Then $a$ equals ?- CAT - 2024
- Algebra