महाराष्ट्र अभियंता सेवा (स्थापत्य) मुख्य परीक्षा २०१२

Directions (Q. 96 to 100): Read the following passage and answer the items that follow. Your answer to those items should be based on the passage only.
                                                 Passage
           The land was parched and cracked throughout what had once been a fertile field. It was now utterly barren, and the farmer surveyed it dismally. The relentless heat, which could send temperatures soaring up to forty-five degrees Celsius, was his greatest enemy. Tilak Ram mopped his brow with a brightly coloured rag and looked hopefully up at the sky. It was a clear, shimmering blue, with not a cloud to be seen. He groaned, and with a bent head, trudged back to his hut to renew his prayers for rain.
          He had to wait three weeks before the gods responded. He was squatting in the shade of the hut, watching his youngest son playing with a puppy. Neither child nor dog seemed aware of the scorching heat. The sky was now covered with clouds, and had been so for the past week, but the promised monsoon had yet to arrive. Indeed, the grey blanket had only served to intensify the heat, bringing along with it unbearable humidity which seemed to make the day last forever. Tilak Ram had dropped into an uncomfortable lethargy, for any movement drenched him with perspiration. The air was as thick as the pea-soup which he had eaten the previous night for dinner though. The nights brought some relief though it was short-lived, and the cool breeze which had soothed him a few days ago had now deserted him. He could scarcely remember when he was a boy like Raju, as exuberant in the heat as in the chill of winter, when the only thing that could dampen his spirits was the sting of the schoolmaster's cane. Life had seemed so simple then, with no worries about the crop, the harvest, fertiliser, the market, fluctuating prices, and the dreaded money-lender...
            Wait! Was that a distant rumble ? No, he must be mistaken, the heat was beginning to affect his brain ... there it was again, louder, and more insistent. The and dashed back to the safety of the hut. The rumbling grew, building up to a deafening crack as jagged streaks of fire tore through the black clouds. A few droplets began to splatter on the ground as Tilak Ram stood transfixed, gazing at the heavens. And then, the heavens themselves burst open. The farmer was now soaked to the skin, but still stood his ground, hands raised to the sky. "Praise the gods !” he cried. "The monsoon is here at last.”
         In a few days, the land stood transformed. Tiny shrubs grew everywhere, and most of the field wore a lush, green coat. The entire landscape looked fresh and clean, and the birds, nesting in the trees, sang a paean of praise. The soil had awakened to the call of life - rain, the life-giver, had returned to open a new chapter in the book of nature.