Read the given passage carefully and answer the following questions.
In North America, highway density is high, about 0.65 km per sq km. Every place is within 20 km from a highway. Cities located on the Pacific coast (west) are well-connected with those of the Atlantic Coast (east). Likewise, the cities of Canada in the north are linked with those of Mexico in the south. The Trans Canadian Highway links Vancouver in British Columbia (west coast) to St. John’s City in Newfoundland (east coast) and the Alaskan Highway links Edmonton (Canada) to Anchorage (Alaska). The Pan-American Highway, a large portion of which has been constructed, will connect the countries of South America, Central America and U.S.A.-Canada. The Trans Continental Stuart Highway connects Darwin (north coast) and Melbourne via Tennant Creek and Alice Springs in Australia. Europe has a large number of vehicles and a well-developed highway network. But highways face a lot of competition from railways and waterways. In Russia, a dense highway network is developed in the industrialized region west of the Urals with Moscow as the hub. The important Moscow-Vladivostok Highway serves the region to the east. Due to the vast geographical area, highways in Russia are not as important as railways. In China, highways criss-cross the country connecting all major cities such as Tsungtso (near Vietnam boundary), Shanghai (central China), Guangzhou (south) and Beijing (north). A new highway links Chengdu with Lhasa in Tibet. In India, there are many highways linking the major towns and cities. The Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) or Super Expressway is underway to connect the four metropolitan cities — New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. In Africa, a highway joins Algiers in the north to Conakry in Guinea. Similarly, Cairo is also connected to Cape Town.
Which of the following statements is correct?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Railways are more important than highways in Russia.
Option (1) Railways are more important than highways in Russia. — Correct. The passage states: “Due to the vast geographical area, highways in Russia are not as important as railways.” Railways carry people and goods over the very long distances of Russia.
Option (2) Railways and waterways are more developed than highways in Europe. — Incorrect. Europe has a well-developed highway network. Its highways only face a lot of competition from railways and waterways.
Option (3) The eastern part of America is not connected by any highway with the western part. — Incorrect. In North America, cities of the Pacific coast (west) are well-connected with those of the Atlantic coast (east).
Option (4) Highways are more important than railways in Russia. — Incorrect. This is the opposite of the passage. In Russia, railways are more important than highways.
Note: This passage is taken from the section ‘Highways’ in the chapter ‘Transport and Communication’ (Fundamentals of Human Geography), almost word for word.