CAT Questions | CAT Paragraph Summary Questions

The question is from CAT Paragraph Summary. Paragraph Summary for Verbal Ability for CAT. Paragraph Summary questions often feature in the CAT. Given a paragraph and four choices, you are asked to choose the option that summarizes the paragraph best. Have a look at this question from Paragraph Summary. Solve CAT Questions from Paragraph Summary to get more practice and 2IIMs CAT questions bank provides you with CAT questions that can help you gear for CAT Exam .

Question 10: Though they do not involve burning dirty fossil fuels, hydropower projects are not emissions free. Often, large dams flood vast vegetated areas. As a result, the vegetation rots under water. Eventually, this leads to the release of methane, a greenhouse gas 34 times as potent as carbon dioxide. In some cases, large dams can result in even more lifetime greenhouse gas emissions than equivalent conventional sources. And this does not even include the emissions resulting from the construction of such dams – cement and equipment-heavy projects that usually take several years to build.

1. Large hydropower projects contribute more to climate change than fossil fuels plants of equivalent generating capacity.
2. As large dams result in significant greenhouse gas emissions, hydropower cannot be regarded as a clean source of energy.
3. Hydropower projects cause flooding, leading to significant greenhouse gas emissions from rotting organic material.
4. In terms of greenhouse gas costs, hydropower is comparable to more conventional sources of energy.

Explanatory Answer

Method of solving this CAT Question from Paragraph Summary:

The main idea of the given paragraph is that hydropower projects are not emissions free. To support this argument, the paragraph cites evidence: methane is released by rotting vegetation and emissions are released during the years the dam is under construction.

Now, option A states that large hydropower projects contribute "more" to climate change than fossil fuel plants. The paragraph merely states that "in some cases" large dams can result in even more lifetime greenhouse gas emissions than equivalent conventional sources. Also, "climate change" is not talked about here. So, option A is ruled out.

Similarly, option D states that hydropower is "comparable" to more conventional sources of energy in terms of greenhouse gas costs. The paragraph does not try to compare the amount or nature of emissions resulting from hydropower projects to emissions from conventional sources. It only argues that hydropower is not emissions free. So, option D is also ruled out.

Now, between options B and C, while C is clearly true, it doesn't touch upon the emissions released during dam construction. It is therefore not a good option to sum up the paragraph.

Option B states the main idea: large dams result in significant greenhouse gas emissions. As to hydropower not being a "clean" source of energy, the paragraph does state that while hydropower projects do not involve burning "dirty" fossil fuels, they are not emissions free. The implication is that hydropower is not a clean source of energy. So, of the given options, B summarizes the given paragraph best.

The question is "Choose the option that summarizes the paragraph best "

Hence, the answer is B

Choice B is the correct answer.