Direction (Q. No. 26 to 30) : Read the following passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of four alternatives.

Smoking is defined as the act of smelling or inhaling the smoke of a substance, mostly tobacco. Cigarettes, pipes and hookahs are the most popular methods of smoking and hence, also the most injurious smoking elements for health. Smoking has been known to cause many problems. Not only is it major cause of pollution but it also is one of the leading causes of premature death in developed countries.

Smoking can lead to many kinds of heart and lung diseases, two of the most essential organs of the human body. Different kinds of cancers are caused by smoking, the most common being lung and throat cancer. Smoking can also decrease the body’s immunity system. Due to this, a smoker is more prone to diseases such as bronchitis and pneumonia as compared to a non-smoker. The commonly used slogans to educate people that smoking is injurious to health are usually right. On an estimated average, smoking takes away between average, smoking takes away between 5 to 20 minutes of a person’s life span with every cigarette.

Smoking can cause weaker bones and yellow teeth. Wrinkling and bad skin can also occur with time. Stamina is also reduced due to decreased blood circulation leading to rapid heartbeat and shortage of breath. There are also many other day-to-day issues related with smoking such as bad breath as well as bad smell from hair and hands. The human body knows that smoking is injurious to health; therefore, it tries to counter it at the start. That is why coughing, sore throat, nausea and other negative feelings are aroused in the body when a person tries to smoke the first time. So, one should try to stay away from smoking.

Question-28 : “The human body knows that smoking is injurious to health; therefore, it tries to counter it at the start,” what does the word ‘counter’ suggest here?

Question - 1