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.
Identify the correct statement.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → The USA has better highway connectivity than any other country.
The passage states: “In North America, highway density is high, about 0.65 km per sq km. Every place is within 20 km from a highway.”
Option (1) The USA has better highway connectivity than any other country. — Correct. North America, which includes the USA, has a very dense highway network.
Option (2) The Pan-American Highway connects Atlantic coast of America to Pacific coast. — Incorrect. The Pan-American Highway runs north to south. It will connect the countries of South America, Central America and U.S.A.-Canada.
Option (3) Trans-Canadian Highway links Canada with South American Countries. — Incorrect. The Trans-Canadian Highway stays inside Canada. It links Vancouver on the west coast to St. John’s City on the east coast.
Option (4) Russia has better highway connectivity than USA. — Incorrect. Russia has a dense highway network only west of the Urals, and its highways are less important than its railways.
Note: The given answer is as per the official NTA Answer Key. The passage does not compare the USA with every other country in clear words. It only gives the high highway density of North America (0.65 km per sq km, every place within 20 km of a highway), and each of the other options goes against the passage.