Past Questions — 2017

Write a précis on the given passage giving a suitable title: The Clean Air Act of 1970, amended in 1977 and 1981, is one of the basic laws under which EPA operates. Its purpose is “to protect and enhance the quality of the nation’s air resources so as to promote the public health and welfare and the productive capacity of its population.” In order to do that, Congress authorized a national research and development program to prevent and control air pollution. The act also provided for EPA to assist state and local governments in the development and execution of their air quality programs. The Clear Air Act required EPA to set national primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for certain air pollutants. The law also required emission standards for mobile sources of air pollution (vehicles), and for new stationary sources such as smokestacks. In addition, the act called for regulation of hazardous air pollutants for which no ambient air quality standard is applicable. Another section of the law was designed to protect air quality in national parks, wilderness areas, monuments, seashores, and other areas of special national or regional natural, recreational, scenic, or historic value, and to prevent significant deterioration of air quality in those areas.

Write an essay on any one of the options given below: - Probability of India becoming a super power in the next 20 years. - Traffic Management system in Aizawl city - Eradication of educated unemployment in Mizoram.