question_answer

Direction: Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.

Among the many tales emerging from parched Maharashtra, some are pointing to a remarkable level of co-operation among people. 'The Times of India' recently carried a story about a village in the state which seems to be immune to the problem of water scarcity. The secret of the village, Hiware Bazar, is the extraordinary level of social cohesion which has developed over the last 20 years. During this period farmers have collectively decided upon the kind of crops they would grow and the manner in which they would extract water. One can only marvel at this level of cohesion.

How do they propose to maintain this level of social cohesion? By insisting on the condition that no villager can sell his/her land to an outsider. Presumably, they fear that a new arrival to the village would lead to a break-down in their level of cohesion which has ensured that no family is below the poverty line.

Social cohesion is a subject which has fascinated re-searchers in economics and sociology. A rough description of social cohesion would be the level of connected-ness among people in a society which fosters trust. A higher level of trust usually has a positive spin-off for society. This does not imply that homogeneity is necessary a condition for social cohesion.

If we look at Europe, two Scandinavian countries, Den mark and Sweden, top the EU ranking of social cohesion.

Denmark also topped the World Happiness Report 2016 as the happiest country in the world. India figured 118th on the list, which was a little below Iraq. Even if Indians are not as happy as Iraqis, one can make a strong case that India has a higher level of social cohesiveness.

Denmark, the most socially cohesive EU nation and the happiest one in the world, has another side to it. It has introduced harsh laws to restrict the inflow of refugees.

Even if desperate Syrians are keen on Denmark, the country has made it tough for them. Denmark is not an outlier. Its Scandinavian neighbours are doing something similar.

It is just possible that anxiety about a loss of social cohesion is an explanation for the unfriendly attitude to outsiders in Hiware Bazar and Denmark.

What is so special about Hiware Bazar?

A) It is a village in Maharashtra.

B) It suffers from acquit water shortage.

C) It is immune to drought in spite of being located on a drought zone.

D) It is equivalent to Denmark.

E) None of these