Read the given passage and answer the six questions that follow.
Pollinators, such as bees, butterflies, birds and bats, are essential for the ecosystem, health and human food security. They facilitate plant reproduction by transferring pollen between flowers, enabling the production of seeds and fruits crucial for plant biodiversity and ecosystem stability.
This mutualistic relationship supports global food production, with approximately 75% of leading food crops relying on animal pollination. Pollinators contribute to the diversity and abundance of flowering plants in natural ecosystems, providing habitat and food resources for various organisms.
Despite their importance, pollinators face significant threats. Habitat loss due to urbanization, agriculture and deforestation reduces nesting sites and floral resources. Pesticide exposure, especially insecticides and climate change further endanger pollinator populations by poisoning them and disrupting their behaviour and reproductive patterns.
To safeguard pollinators and ecosystems, concerted action is necessary. This includes protecting and restoring pollinator habitats, adopting pollinator-friendly agricultural practices, reducing pesticide use and raising public awareness about the crucial role of pollinators.
By addressing these challenges, we can ensure the sustainability of ecosystems, biodiversity and food production systems, securing a healthier future for both nature and humanity.
The 'mutualistic relationship' talked about in the passage is between ____.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → pollinators and plants
A mutualistic relationship is one in which two living things both benefit from each other. The phrase "This mutualistic relationship" points back to the sentence before it: pollinators carry pollen between flowers and so help plants reproduce, while the pollinators get their food from the flowers. The two partners are the pollinators and the plants.
Example: Bees and flowers share a mutualistic relationship: the bees get nectar and the flowers get pollinated.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: humans and pollinators — Incorrect. Wrong link: humans gain from the food production this relationship supports, but they are not one of its two partners.
Option 2: animals and pollinators — Incorrect. Misread: pollinators such as bees, birds and bats are themselves animals. "Animal pollination" in the passage means pollination by them.
Option 3: farmers and consumers — Incorrect. Not mentioned: the passage names no farmers or consumers as partners in any relationship.
Note: In the original NTA paper, Option 3 read "ecosystem and pollinators". NTA accepted this option as a correct answer as well. To leave only one correct answer and avoid confusion for students, it has been changed here to "farmers and consumers".
Advice for the exam: In the real exam, mark the answer that is grammatically or factually correct. If NTA’s provisional answer key marks a different option, challenge it during the answer-key challenge window and give the reason in one or two lines.