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RC Passage
Direction for the questions 9 to 12: The passage below is accompanied by a set of six questions. Choose the best answer to each question.
RESIDENTS of Lozère, a hilly department in southern France, recite complaints familiar to many rural corners of Europe. In remote hamlets and villages, with names such as Le Bacon and Le Bacon Vieux, mayors grumble about a lack of local schools, jobs, or phone and internet connections. Farmers of grazing animals add another concern: the return of wolves. Eradicated from France last century, the predators are gradually creeping back to more forests and hillsides. âThe wolf must be taken in hand,â said an aspiring parliamentarian, Francis Palombi, when pressed by voters in an election campaign early this summer. Tourists enjoy visiting a wolf park in Lozère, but farmers fret over their livestock and their livelihoods. . . .
As early as the ninth century, the royal office of the Lupariiâwolf-catchersâwas created in France to tackle the predators. Those official hunters (and others) completed their job in the 1930s, when the last wolf disappeared from the mainland. Active hunting and improved technology such as rifles in the 19th century, plus the use of poison such as strychnine later on, caused the population collapse. But in the early 1990s the animals reappeared. They crossed the Alps from Italy, upsetting sheep farmers on the French side of the border. Wolves have since spread to areas such as Lozère, delighting environmentalists, who see the predatorsâ presence as a sign of wider ecological health. Farmers, who say the wolves cause the deaths of thousands of sheep and other grazing animals, are less cheerful. They grumble that green activists and politically correct urban types have allowed the return of an old enemy.
Various factors explain
the changes of the past few decades. Rural depopulation is part of the story. In Lozère, for example, farming and a once-flourishing mining industry supported a population of over 140,000 residents in the mid-19th century. Today the department has fewer than 80,000 people, many in its towns. As humans withdraw, forests are expanding. In France, between 1990 and 2015, forest cover increased by an average of 102,000 hectares each year, as more fields were given over to trees. Now, nearly one-third of mainland France is covered by woodland of some sort. The decline of hunting as a sport also means more forests fall quiet. In the mid-to-late 20th century over 2m hunters regularly spent winter weekends tramping in woodland, seeking boars, birds and other prey. Today the FĂŠdĂŠration Nationale des Chasseurs, the national body, claims 1.1m people hold hunting licences, though the number of active hunters is probably lower. The mostly protected status of the wolf in Europeâhunting them is now forbidden, other than when occasional culls are sanctioned by the stateâplus the efforts of NGOs to track and count the animals, also contribute to the recovery of wolf populations.As the lupine population of Europe spreads westwards, with occasional reports of wolves seen closer to urban areas, expect to hear of more clashes between farmers and those who celebrate the predatorsâ return. Farmersâ losses are real, but are not the only economic story. Tourist venues, such as parks where wolves are kept and the animalsâ spread is discussed, also generate income and jobs in rural areas.
RC Line-wise Explanation
Paragraph 1
Original: RESIDENTS of Lozère, a hilly department in southern France, recite complaints familiar to many rural corners of Europe.
Explanation: People living in Lozère, a mountainous area in France, have concerns similar to those in other rural European areas.
Original: In remote hamlets and villages, with names such as Le Bacon and Le Bacon Vieux, mayors grumble about a lack of local schools, jobs, or phone and internet connections.
Explanation: In small villages, local leaders complain about insufficient public services like education, employment, and digital connectivity.
Original: Farmers of grazing animals add another concern: the return of wolves.
Explanation: Animal farmers are additionally worried about wolves coming back to the area.
Original: Eradicated from France last century, the predators are gradually creeping back to more forests and hillsides.
Explanation: Though wolves were wiped out in France in the 20th century, they are now slowly returning to rural and forested regions.
Original: âThe wolf must be taken in hand,â said an aspiring parliamentarian, Francis Palombi, when pressed by voters in an election campaign early this summer.
Explanation: A political candidate, Francis Palombi, emphasized controlling the wolf problem during a campaign when voters brought it up.
Original: Tourists enjoy visiting a wolf park in Lozère, but farmers fret over their livestock and their livelihoods.
Explanation: While tourists like seeing wolves in parks, farmers are worried the animals threaten their animals and income.
Paragraph 2
Original: As early as the ninth century, the royal office of the Lupariiâwolf-catchersâwas created in France to tackle the predators.
Explanation: France had an official position called the Luparii for hunting wolves as far back as the 800s.
Original: Those official hunters (and others) completed their job in the 1930s, when the last wolf disappeared from the mainland.
Explanation: These hunters succeeded in eradicating wolves in mainland France by the 1930s.
Original: Active hunting and improved technology such as rifles in the 19th century, plus the use of poison such as strychnine later on, caused the population collapse.
Explanation: Advances in weapons and the use of poisons led to the near extinction of wolves.
Original: But in the early 1990s the animals reappeared.
Explanation: Wolves began returning in the 1990s.
Original: They crossed the Alps from Italy, upsetting sheep farmers on the French side of the border.
Explanation: Wolves migrated from Italy over the Alps, alarming French sheep farmers.
Original: Wolves have since spread to areas such as Lozère, delighting environmentalists, who see the predatorsâ presence as a sign of wider ecological health.
Explanation: Conservationists welcome the wolves, viewing them as indicators of a healthy environment.
Original: Farmers, who say the wolves cause the deaths of thousands of sheep and other grazing animals, are less cheerful.
Explanation: Farmers are upset, saying wolves kill many of their livestock.
Original: They grumble that green activists and politically correct urban types have allowed the return of an old enemy.
Explanation: They blame environmentalists and city dwellers for supporting the wolves' return without understanding the rural impact.
Paragraph 3
Original: Various factors explain the changes of the past few decades. Rural depopulation is part of the story.
Explanation: Several reasons contribute to the return of wolves, including fewer people living in rural areas.
Original: In Lozère, for example, farming and a once-flourishing mining industry supported a population of over 140,000 residents in the mid-19th century.
Explanation: In the 1800s, Lozère had a large population supported by farming and mining.
Original: Today the department has fewer than 80,000 people, many in its towns.
Explanation: Now, Lozèreâs population has halved, with more people living in towns than villages.
Original: As humans withdraw, forests are expanding.
Explanation: With fewer people and farms, forests are growing back.
Original: In France, between 1990 and 2015, forest cover increased by an average of 102,000 hectares each year, as more fields were given over to trees.
Explanation: During this period, trees replaced farmlands at a rapid rate.
Original: Now, nearly one-third of mainland France is covered by woodland of some sort.
Explanation: Currently, forests occupy a significant portion of French land.
Original: The decline of hunting as a sport also means more forests fall quiet.
Explanation: As fewer people hunt for sport, forests have become quieter and more animal-friendly.
Original: In the mid-to-late 20th century over 2m hunters regularly spent winter weekends tramping in woodland, seeking boars, birds and other prey.
Explanation: Decades ago, hunting was popular and kept wildlife in check.
Original: Today the FĂŠdĂŠration Nationale des Chasseurs, the national body, claims 1.1m people hold hunting licences, though the number of active hunters is probably lower.
Explanation: Though many still hold hunting permits, fewer people are actively hunting now.
Original: The mostly protected status of the wolf in Europeâhunting them is now forbidden, other than when occasional culls are sanctioned by the stateâplus the efforts of NGOs to track and count the animals, also contribute to the recovery of wolf populations.
Explanation: Wolves are now legally protected, and conservation groups help monitor them, aiding their resurgence.
Paragraph 4
Original: As the lupine population of Europe spreads westwards, with occasional reports of wolves seen closer to urban areas, expect to hear of more clashes between farmers and those who celebrate the predatorsâ return.
Explanation: As wolves move closer to cities, tensions between farmers and environmentalists are likely to grow.
Original: Farmersâ losses are real, but are not the only economic story.
Explanation: Though farmers suffer, there's another side to the story economically.
Original: Tourist venues, such as parks where wolves are kept and the animalsâ spread is discussed, also generate income and jobs in rural areas.
Explanation: Wolves also bring tourism, creating jobs and revenue for rural communities.
RC Paragraph Explanation
Paragraph 1 Summary
Residents of Lozère express typical rural concerns, especially over the return of wolves that threaten livestock, despite tourist interest in the animals.
Paragraph 2 Summary
Wolves were eradicated in France by the 1930s but reappeared in the 1990s from Italy. Their return pleases environmentalists but worries farmers, who see them as a renewed threat.
Paragraph 3 Summary
Rural depopulation, forest regrowth, and declining hunting have created an environment favorable for wolves. Legal protections and conservation efforts have also supported their return.
Paragraph 4 Summary
As wolves move westward and near cities, conflicts between supporters and detractors increase. While farmers suffer losses, wolf-related tourism offers new rural economic opportunities.
RC Quick Table Summary
| Paragraph Number | Main Idea |
|---|---|
| Paragraph 1 | Rural Lozère worries about services and the threat wolves pose to livestock. |
| Paragraph 2 | Wolves, once extinct in France, have returned and caused conflict between farmers and greens. |
| Paragraph 3 | Depopulation, reforestation, and conservation laws have aided the wolfâs return. |
| Paragraph 4 | Wolf-related tensions continue, but tourism also brings benefits to rural areas. |
RC Questions
Ques 9. The inhabitants of Lozère have to grapple with all of the following problems, EXCEPT:
Ques 10. Which one of the following statements, if true, would weaken the authorâs claims?
Ques 11. Which one of the following has NOT contributed to the growing wolf population in Lozère?
Ques 12. The author presents a possible economic solution to an existing issue facing Lozère that takes into account the divergent and competing interests of:
