Set 60 of the Environment & Ecology mixed quiz has 20 multiple-choice questions from 19 different topics of the subject: Ecosystem and Food Chains, Sacred Groves and Community Conservation in India, National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries and more. 14 of them were asked in real previous-year papers. A topic quiz checks one chapter; this set revises the whole subject at once, the way an exam paper does, where the next question can come from any chapter. Every question carries an explanation of why the correct option is right and why the others are wrong. Keep to the timer, read the explanations at the end, and go back to the notes of any topic where you slipped.
20 questions with answers and explanations
Study of a single species and the environmental factors in its habitat is called
Autecology studies one species, or one individual, in relation to the physical and biological conditions of the place where it lives.
Read the full explanation →The founder of the Bishnoi sect, whose twenty nine rules forbid the felling of green trees, was:
Jambheshwar, known affectionately as Jambhoji, founded the Bishnoi sect in 1485 in the Bikaner desert. He laid down twenty nine rules of conduct, and the name Bishnoi comes from bis, twenty, and noi, nine.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following Protected Areas are located in Cauvery basin? 1. Nagarhole National Park 2. Papikonda National Park 3. Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve 4. Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Nagarhole, Sathyamangalam and Wayanad all drain into the Cauvery system, while Papikonda lies on the Godavari. Nagarhole National Park in Karnataka is bounded by the Kabini river, a major tributary of the Cauvery.
Read the full explanation →National Energy Conservation Day is observed in India on
The Ministry of Power observes National Energy Conservation Day on this date every year, and the national energy conservation awards are given to industries, buildings and institutions that have cut their energy use.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following activities : 1. Spreading finely ground basalt rock on farmlands extensively 2. Increasing the alkalinity of oceans by adding lime 3. Capturing carbon dioxide released by various industries and pumping it into abandoned subterranean mines in the form of carbonated waters How many of the above activities are often considered and discussed for carbon capture and sequestration?
Each activity is a recognised way of pulling carbon dioxide out of circulation and locking it away.
Read the full explanation →Which body is the central coordinating agency for oil spill response in Indian waters?
Oil spill response in Indian waters runs under the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan, and the Coast Guard is its central coordinating agency, working with major ports, state governments, oil companies and the Navy on reporting, containment with booms, recovery with skimmers, use of dispersants and shoreline clean-up.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements : The Environment Protection Act, 1986 empowers the Government of India to 1. state the requirement of public participation in the process of environmental protection, and the procedure and manner in which it is sought 2. lay down the standards for emission or discharge of environmental pollutants from various sources Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The Act empowers the Centre to set emission and discharge standards, but it says nothing about public participation. The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 was passed after the Bhopal gas tragedy as an umbrella law under Article 253, to give effect to the decisions of the 1972 Stockholm Conference.
Read the full explanation →The Wild Life (Protection) Act, which banned hunting and gave legal status to national parks and sanctuaries in India, was enacted in which year?
The Wild Life (Protection) Act received the assent of the President on 9 September 1972 and remains the principal wildlife law of the country, covering hunting, protected areas, trade in animal articles and the schedules of protected species.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements : 1. Coal ash contains arsenic, lead and mercury. 2. Coal-fired power plants release sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen into the environment. 3. High ash content is observed in Indian coal. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
All three statements about coal, its ash and its emissions are correct. When coal burns in a power station, the leftover fly ash and bottom ash carry toxic heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium and chromium, which can leach into groundwater from ash ponds.
Read the full explanation →The Terai grasslands and the swamp deer of Dudhwa are features of which biogeographic zone?
The Gangetic Plain zone covers the upper and lower Ganga plains including the Terai belt along the foot of the Himalaya, and Dudhwa in Uttar Pradesh protects its swamp deer or barasingha along with tiger and, after reintroduction, rhinoceros.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following statements about eutrophication is/are correct? 1. Eutrophication takes place in young lakes when the water is cold and clear. 2. Eutrophication is caused by nutrient enrichment in water bodies. Select the answer using the code given below.
Eutrophication is the enrichment of a water body with nutrients, so statement 2 is correct, while statement 1 describes the opposite condition.
Read the full explanation →The Central Zoo Authority was constituted under which law?
The amendment of 1991 inserted the provisions on zoos into that Act, and the Central Zoo Authority was constituted in 1992 to recognise zoos, prescribe standards for animal housing, upkeep and veterinary care and coordinate conservation breeding; a zoo without its recognition cannot operate.
Read the full explanation →In which one of the following regions of the Earth is the ozone hole prominently observed in the stratosphere?
The ozone hole, a sharp seasonal thinning of stratospheric ozone, forms every southern spring over Antarctica. During the long polar winter a strong circular wind, the polar vortex, isolates the air over Antarctica, and temperatures fall low enough to form polar stratospheric clouds.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements :
1. Lions do not have a particular breeding season.
2. Unlike most other big cats, cheetahs do not roar.
3. Unlike male lions, male leopards do not proclaim their territory by scent marking.
Which of the statements given above are correct ?
Lions breed at any time of year and cheetahs cannot roar, but male leopards do mark their territory with scent.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following factors are needed for the growth of corals? 1. Freshwater 2. Clear shallow salt water 3. Plenty of sunlight for photosynthesis 4. Warm water between 23 °C and 25 °C Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Corals grow in clear, shallow, warm sea water with plenty of sunlight; fresh water kills them. Coral reefs are built by tiny animals called polyps, which take calcium carbonate from sea water to make hard skeletons.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following natural regions is known as the Land of Big Games?
The savanna is a tropical grassland with tall coarse grass and scattered flat topped trees, and its wet season produces an enormous crop of grass.
Read the full explanation →As per the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 in India, which one of the following statements is correct?
The 2016 Rules set out detailed criteria for choosing sites for landfills and waste processing facilities. The Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, framed under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, replaced the Municipal Solid Wastes Rules of 2000.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements : 1. As per recent amendment to the Indian Forest Act, 1927, forest dwellers have the right to fell the bamboos grown on forest areas. 2. As per the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, bamboo is a minor forest produce. 3. The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 allows ownership of minor forest produce to forest dwellers. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The Forest Rights Act names bamboo as minor forest produce and gives forest dwellers ownership of such produce, but the Indian Forest Act amendment did not allow felling of bamboo grown in forest areas.
Read the full explanation →The financial instruments that generate proceeds for investment in environmentally sustainable and climate-suitable projects are called as :
A green bond is a debt instrument whose money can be spent only on projects that help the environment or the climate.
Read the full explanation →How is permaculture farming different from conventional chemical farming?
1. Permaculture farming discourages monocultural practices but in conventional chemical farming, monoculture practices are predominant.
2. Conventional chemical farming can cause increase in soil salinity but the occurrence of such phenomenon is not observed in permaculture farming.
3. Conventional chemical farming is easily possible in semi-arid regions but permaculture farming is not so easily possible in such regions.
4. Practice of mulching is very important in permaculture farming but not necessarily so in conventional chemical farming.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Permaculture avoids monoculture, does not build up salt in the soil and relies on mulching; only statement 3 is wrong.
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