Verbal Ability-Question of the Day

Question:-
The question below contains a paragraph followed by alternative summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the paragraph.
Decades of drought, alternating with intense monsoon rains, may have sounded the death knell for Cambodia's ancient Khmer civilization at Angkor nearly 600 years ago. Columbia University researchers say this based on an analysis of tree rings, archaeological remains and other evidence. Their findings may also shed light on what drives - and disrupts - the rainy season across much of Asia, which waters crops for nearly half the world's population. "Angkor at that time faced a number of problems - social, political and cultural. Environmental change pushed the ancient Khmers to the limit and they weren't able to adapt," said the study's lead author, Brendan Buckley.

OPTIONS
1) A study has established the reason for Angkor civilization collapse as climate change. The findings may shed light on the pattern of monsoon across Asia.
2) A study by Columbia University researchers attributes the collapse of Angkor civilization to social, political, cultural and environmental issues; their findings may also shed light on changes in the rainy season across Asia.
3) A study by Columbia University researcher on the collapse of Angkor civilization owing to prolonged droughts and intense rains may help understand the pattern of monsoon across Asia.
4) A study by Columbia University researchers about the civilization at Angkor 600 years ago may help analyse the pattern of monsoon in Asia.
5) Researchers studying the collapse of Angkor civilization feel that the decades of drought and intense rain that decimated it may be similar to the pattern of monsoon across Asia.

Solution
Option 1 deficient in just mentioning ‘A study’ – the specificity of the study is important to a précis.
Option 3 talks about ‘collapse of Angkor civilization due to environmental factors but misses out on mentioning other factors - cultural, social, political. This gives a distorted meaning of the paragraph. Secondly, 'researcher' instead of 'researchers' changes the meaning completely.
Option 4 misses the climate change completely.
Option 5 states similar to the pattern across Asia – this is a distortion and overstatement.
Hence, the correct answer is option 2.