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 1...

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 17 to 24.

        Across many metropolises, rewilding reframes urban green space as essential infrastructure rather than decorative garnish. Tree-lined corridors, pocket parks, and community gardens mitigate particulate pollution, temper heat trapped by masonry, and furnish continuous habitat for birds and pollinators. If such networks are stitched with care, residents report calmer moods, renewed sociability, and motivation for gentle exercise. Although budgets are finite, small parcels, when linked, can deliver outsized ecological dividends, functioning as the city’s lungs while also enlivening streets where nature has been long sidelined.

        Rewilding diverges from manicured landscaping by privileging native species and patient restraint. Meadow plantings, wetland rehabilitation, and microhabitats – log piles, stone clusters, shallow ponds – invite amphibians and beneficial insects to recolonise. Left largely to their own rhythms, these revived patches often stabilise themselves more effectively than highly curated lawns. Where nectar-rich flora prevail, bees and butterflies rebound; where soils are undisturbed, fungi and invertebrates re-weave nutrient cycles. If municipalities eschew constant trimming, vegetation structure diversifies, rain infiltrates more readily, and maintenance costs may fall without sacrificing civic pride.

        Community involvement turns scattered plots into a civic commons. Schools adopt verge gardens; tenants co-manage rooftops; neighbourhood groups host workshops and citizen-science drives, and they coordinate seasonal care. Such engagement is not sporadic when municipal officers provide seed kits, signage, and clear guidance on coexistence with urban wildlife. While some residents fear “messiness,” well-designed paths, sightlines, and interpretive boards reassure newcomers. If participation is embedded in local calendars, stewardship becomes habit, and shared ownership displaces indifference that once left planters barren by mid-summer.

        The dividends are tangible. Cooler streets blunt heat-island spikes; restored wetlands buffer flash floods; leafy vistas reduce anxiety and entice foot traffic that sustains small businesses. Nonetheless, obstacles persist: development pressure, funding bottlenecks, and skepticism toward naturalistic aesthetics can stall pilots. Yet as eco-design tools mature – smart green roofs, nature-inclusive façades – cities can integrate habitat without halting growth. If planners articulate lifetime savings and resilience gains, investment follows, and rewilding shifts from experiment to norm, securing biodiversity benefits alongside humane, convivial spaces for future citizens.

(Adapted from https://logic-bespoke.com/rewilding-initiatives-transforing-cities-for-nature-and-people)

Question 17. The word mitigate in paragraph 1 can be best replaced by ______?

A. reduce                B. intensify                        C. complicate                        D. conceal

Question 18. Which of the following is TRUE according to paragraph 2?

A. Rewilding prioritises ornamental exotics to attract tourists year-round.

B. Rewilding requires constant trimming to maintain ecological stability.

C. Installing log piles and shallow ponds creates shelter for insects and amphibians.

D. Rewilding focuses chiefly on reintroducing large mammals into dense districts.

Question 19. The word sporadic in paragraph 3 is OPPOSITE in meaning to ______.

A. consistent                B. erratic                        C. occasional                        D. fitful

Question 20. The word they in paragraph 3 refers to ______.

A. tenants                                                B. neighbourhood groups

C. workshops and citizen-science drives                D. municipal officers

Question 21. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in paragraph 1 as a function of urban green spaces?
A. Filtering dirty air and moderating heat that accumulates between dense high-rises in summer months.

B. Offering connected habitat networks for birds, insects, and small mammals through corridors and gardens.

C. Bolstering social cohesion and psychological well-being via restorative, low-intensity contact with nature.

D. Deterring street crime by enabling continuous surveillance across park perimeters with smart cameras.

Question 22. Which of the following best paraphrases the underlined sentence in paragraph 2?

A. With limited intervention, restored habitats typically achieve ecological balance more readily than intensively maintained turf areas.

B. Natural succession in rewilded areas generally produces more stable ecosystems than landscapes requiring constant horticultural care.

C. When minimally managed, regenerated sites often self-regulate better than lawns kept perfectly tidy by frequent grooming.

D. Allowing revived patches to develop autonomously often yields greater stability compared to lawns subjected to rigorous upkeep.

Question 23. Which paragraph mentions community participation as crucial to rewilding success?

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

Question 24. Which paragraph mentions obstacles such as development pressure and aesthetic skepticism?
A. Paragraph 2        B. Paragraph 3                C. Paragraph 1        D. Paragraph 4