Dhaka Board-2009 - English (Compulsory) 1st Paper
Read the passage carefully and answer the questions following it.
Thousands of people in Bangladesh are suffering from arsenic poisonings and more are being affected every day. Arsenicosis is caused by drinking tubewell water containing arsenic. People who drink uncontaminated water do not catch arsenicosis from affected people. The main recommendation for the people who are affected by arsenic is to drink water from a source that contains no arsenic.
The effects of arsenicosis are less severe among people who eat a healthy, balanced diet, ideally containing fish and vegetables. This is an initial treatment for arsenicosis and may be part of the reason why the number of arsenicosis patients in Bangladesh is still relatively low. It is believed that vitamins A, C and E are effective for treatment of arsenicosis.
Poisoning by arsenic is a slow process. It is due to a gradual build-up of the poison in the human body. Eventually people start to show symptoms and become unwell. Deaths due to long- term poisoning make it even more important to address the problem as soon as possible. This is in effect a race against time to safe water for everyone. Many people currently drinking arsenic contaminated groundwater may develop problems soon. They must attempt to find safe source of water.
The majority of the tubewells in Bangladesh are free from arsenic, but they need to be tested to separate the safe from the unsafe and, in many areas, this has not yet been done. Tubewells, which have been tested for arsenic, should be painted green if they are safe or red if they are unsafe. Deep tubewells are free from arsenic and bacteria although they will need testing in the future to ensure that it is still the case. Surface water in ponds and rivers is a potential source of arsenic-free water. However, most surface water in Bangladesh is heavily polluted with dangerous bacteria. No surface water should be used without some form of treatment.
1. Choose the best answer from the alternatives. 1x5=5
(a) Arsenicosis is — .
i) the effect of arsenic poison in the human body
ii) poisoning caused by drinking tube-well water
iii) a highly poisonous chemical
iv) the name of an infectious disease
(b) A balanced diet is the — treatment of arsenicosis.
i) manual ii) primary
iii) advanced iv) medical
(c) Arsenicosis kills a man — .
i) swiftly ii) instantly
iii) gradually iv) rapidly
(d) 'Uncontaminated water' means — .
i) pure water ii) dirty water
iii) polluted water iv) impure water
(e) A tube-well is free from arsenic if it is marked by — .
i) red sign ii) no sign
iii) red and green sign iv) green sign