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Question

Difficulty: HardLiteral Comprehension and Fact Retrieval

Read the passage below carefully and answer the question that follows:

For centuries, the Uburu Salt Lake in Ebonyi State, Nigeria, has served as a vital centre for traditional salt production. Unlike industrial salt mining that relies on underground shaft drilling, Uburu salt is harvested through an evaporating process using natural brine springs. Women in the Uburu community traditionally lead this craft, funneling the saline water through sun-baked clay mounds known as 'mparata' to filter out heavy silt before boiling the concentrated liquid in earthenware pots. Historical records indicate that during the Nigerian Civil War from 1967 to 1970, Uburu became the chief supplier of essential sodium chloride to the blockaded Eastern enclave when maritime imports ceased. Today, despite competition from refined table salt, Uburu salt remains culturally significant, though production yields have declined due to seasonal flooding of the brine springs.

According to the passage, what specific function do the 'mparata' clay mounds serve in the traditional salt extraction process?

  1. Filtering out heavy silt from the saline water prior to boilingAnswer
  2. B
    Boiling the concentrated saline liquid to crystallize sodium chloride
  3. C
    Drilling underground shafts to reach natural brine spring deposits
  4. D
    Shielding the natural brine springs from seasonal flooding

Answer

The 'mparata' clay mounds function to filter out heavy silt from the saline water before it is boiled.
The correct answer directly aligns with the literal statement in the text that women funnel saline water through sun-baked clay mounds called 'mparata' to filter out heavy silt before boiling the liquid.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Locate the mention of 'mparata' in the passage
Identified the clause: 'funneling the saline water through sun-baked clay mounds known as mparata to filter out heavy silt before boiling the concentrated liquid in earthenware pots.'
Literal comprehension requires retrieving the exact stated detail matching the queried item.
2
Verify the stated purpose against the answer choices
The text directly links the 'mparata' mounds to filtering out heavy silt prior to boiling.
Eliminating options that misattribute functions described elsewhere in the passage (such as boiling in earthenware pots or industrial shaft drilling).

Key Concept

Literal Fact Retrieval from Prose Passage
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Topics

Literal Comprehension and Fact Retrieval

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