Question 74
MediumOriginal questionFloods kill more people each year than any other danger that comes with a thunderstorm, and many of those deaths could be prevented.
Most people who drown in floods are not swept away from their homes. In the United States, over half of all flood drownings happen when someone drives a vehicle into flood water. The next largest number happen when people walk into or near fast-moving water.
The problem is that people the power of moving water. Just fifteen centimetres of fast-flowing flood water can knock an adult off their feet. About thirty centimetres of rushing water can carry away most cars, and around sixty centimetres can even large vehicles and trucks. Flood water also hides what lies beneath it: the road under the water may have been washed away entirely.
That is why weather services repeat one simple rule: it is never safe to drive or walk into flood water. If a road is flooded, do not try to get through. Turn around, don't drown.
"People underestimate the power of moving water." This means people
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The sentences that follow show how surprisingly powerful even shallow moving water is.
To underestimate is to think something is smaller or weaker than it is.
Worth noting
The opposite is to overestimate. The passage shows people think water is weaker, not stronger.
- Concept
- Working out a word from what follows
- Typical timeTypical
- 40 s
- Your timeYours
- —
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