Read the passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer to each of the following questions from 2...

Recent confirmations from both Australian and U.S. government agencies have verified a sobering ecological event. The Great Barrier Reef, the planet’s largest living structure, is experiencing a widespread and severe mass bleaching episode. The development is not an isolated regional problem but part of a global pattern of coral reef degradation driven by persistently rising ocean temperatures. These vibrant and vital ecosystems, from the Pacific to the Atlantic, are succumbing to the pressures of a warming world.

The biological mechanism behind bleaching is a stress response to inordinate heat. Coral polyps, the tiny animals that build the reef, have a crucial symbiotic partnership with algae called zooxanthellae that live within their tissues. These algae provide the coral with its primary food source through photosynthesis and are responsible for its spectacular coloration. When subjected to prolonged thermal stress, the corals expel the algae. Left without them, the coral’s transparent tissue reveals its white calcified skeleton, though it is not yet dead. It is, however, in a state of starvation and extreme vulnerability to disease.

For the Great Barrier Reef, this is the fourth catastrophic mass bleaching event recorded since 2016. Aerial surveys conducted by the marine park authority revealed that over 75% of shallow – water corals across multiple regions were affected. The frequency of these serial bleaching events prevents the reef from having adequate time to recover, leading to cumulative and potentially irreversible damage. “This is tragic. It is heartbreaking,” stated David Ritter, the chief executive of Greenpeace Australia Pacific. “This is a direct result of the heating of our planet.”

The loss of coral reefs has cascading consequences far beyond marine biodiversity. These keystone ecosystems act as natural barriers, protecting coastlines from storms and erosion, a service that is increasingly critical in an era of more extreme weather. They also support the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people globally through fishing and tourism. The slow, silent death of a coral reef is a stark and unambiguous indicator of a planet under duress, a visible sign of the profound impact of global warming on the natural world.

[Adapted from The Conversation]

Question 23: The word “succumbing”in paragraph 1 is OPPOSITE in meaning to __________.

A. adapting          B. withstanding          C. shrinking          D. experiencing

Question 24: The word “inordinate”in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to __________.

A. excessive          B. prolonged          C. unusual          D. damaging

Question 25: The word “it”in paragraph 2 refers to __________.

A. the algae          B. transparent tissue          C. white calcified skeleton          D. the coral

Question 26: Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as an immediate consequence for a

coral after it has expelled its symbiotic algae?

A. Exposure of its white skeleton          B. A state of starvation

C. Vulnerability to disease          D. Irreversible damage

Question 27: Which of the following best paraphrases the underlined sentence in paragraph 4?

A. The profound effect of global warming on nature is made visibly and undeniably clear by the slow, quiet demise of a coral reef, a signal that the planet itself is in distress.

B. A coral reef’s slow and silent degradation is a significant cause of worldwide planetary stress, serving as a visible warning of global warming’s strong environmental effects.

C. The gradual, quiet decay of a coral reef clearly indicates the impact of global warming, an impact that is itself caused by the immense pressure affecting the natural world.

D. The quiet deterioration of a coral reef is an undeniable signal of a world in crisis and is likewise a tangible manifestation of global warming’s serious impact on human beings.

Question 28: Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. In a bleaching episode, the symbiotic algae living within the coral tissues perish, revealing the white skeleton of the living coral host.

B. The high frequency of mass bleaching episodes in recent years significantly slows down the natural recovery timeline for the reef ecosystem.

C. The recurrent nature of recent bleaching events is linked to a failure in the photosynthetic process of the corals’ symbiotic algae.

D. The structural formations of coral reefs provide coastal regions with a valuable defense against the destructive forces of severe weather.

Question 29: Which paragraph mentions the recurring nature of the problem hindering the ecosystem’s recovery?

A. Paragraph 1          B. Paragraph 3        C. Paragraph 2          D. Paragraph 4

Question 30: Which paragraph mentions the human economic and safety benefits provided by coral reefs?

A. Paragraph 4          B. Paragraph 3        C. Paragraph 2          D. Paragraph 1