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Question

Difficulty: MediumLiteral Comprehension and Fact Retrieval

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

The Great Green Wall initiative, launched in 2007 by the African Union, aims to combat desertification across the Sahel region south of the Sahara Desert. In northern Nigeria, where fertile land loses up to 0.6 kilometers to sand dunes annually, the federal government established protective shelterbelts across eleven frontline states. These shelterbelts consist of dense rows of drought-resistant trees, primarily neem and acacia, planted perpendicular to prevailing desert winds. Beyond halting wind erosion, these tree barriers increase soil moisture by reducing evapotranspiration rates by up to thirty percent. Local farming communities manage these belts, harvesting gum arabic from acacia trees while cultivating drought-tolerant crops like sorghum and millet in the shielded microclimates.

According to the passage, how do the protective shelterbelts increase soil moisture in northern Nigeria?

  1. By reducing evapotranspiration rates by up to thirty percentAnswer
  2. B
    By completely eliminating sand dune encroachment across the Sahel
  3. C
    By enabling local farming communities to harvest gum arabic
  4. D
    By altering the direction of prevailing desert winds

Answer

The shelterbelts increase soil moisture by reducing evapotranspiration rates by up to thirty percent.
The correct answer directly aligns with the explicitly stated fact in the passage, which notes that the tree barriers increase soil moisture by reducing evapotranspiration rates by up to thirty percent.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the key focus of the question
The question asks for the explicit textual fact detailing how shelterbelts increase soil moisture.
Literal comprehension requires retrieving facts explicitly stated in the reading passage.
2
Locate the specific sentence mentioning soil moisture in the passage
The text states: 'Beyond halting wind erosion, these tree barriers increase soil moisture by reducing evapotranspiration rates by up to thirty percent.'
Matching the keywords from the stem directly to the passage reveals the stated factual mechanism.
3
Compare the retrieved fact with the options
The statement regarding the reduction of evapotranspiration rates by up to thirty percent directly matches the passage.
Selecting the option that directly aligns with explicit passage evidence ensures factual accuracy.

Key Concept

Literal Fact Retrieval
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Topics

Literal Comprehension and Fact Retrieval

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