Explanation
- A
1 only
(a) 1 only. (a) Official key: The Aral Sea in Central Asia has shrunk catastrophically after Soviet diversion of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya for irrigation. The Black Sea and Lake Baikal have pollution and level issues but have not ‘dried up’ or shrunk on the Aral scale. Only statement 1 fits the stem.
- B
2 and 3
(b) 2 and 3. Neither the Black Sea nor Baikal has collapsed like the Aral. This pairing is not the key.
- C
2 only
(c) 2 only. The Black Sea remains a large inland sea; it is not the dried basin in the question. This is not the key.
- D
1 and 3
(d) 1 and 3. Aral is correct, but Baikal has not shrunk immensely from human diversion in the same way. Adding Baikal keeps this code off the key.
Summary. Official key is (a) 1 only. Diversion of feeder rivers shrank the Aral Sea to a fraction of its former area. The Black Sea and Lake Baikal are not comparable dried-up cases. Honour the stored letter (a).
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