Which of the following animals was NOT listed as vermin in the old Schedule V of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972?
- A.Common crow
- B.Fruit bat
- C.Indian peafowl
- D.House mouse
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, Indian peafowl. The peacock is the national bird of India and was placed in Schedule I, the group given the highest protection, so it could never be treated as vermin. Options A, B and D are wrong as answers because all three were indeed named in the old Schedule V: the common crow, fruit bats and the house mouse, along with rats, were the animals that could be hunted freely because they were regarded as pests of crops, stores and homes. The 2022 amendment deleted this schedule, but the Central Government may still declare any wild animal other than one in Schedule I to be vermin for a specified area and period by notification under Section 62. Questions on this topic usually hide a protected species among three genuine pests.
Read the full article: Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedules and Provisions
Practice Questions
View allThe Wild Life (Protection) Act, which banned hunting and gave legal status to national parks and sanctuaries in India, was enacted in which year?
- A.1972
- B.1980
- C.1986
- D.1991
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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 →After the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022, how many schedules does the Act contain?
- A.Three
- B.Four
- C.Five
- D.Six
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The amendment of 2022 rationalised the schedules of the parent Act: Schedule I now lists animals given the highest protection, Schedule II lists animals with a lesser degree of protection, Schedule III lists specified plants and Schedule IV lists specimens figuring in the appendices of the Convention on International Trade…
Read the full explanation →Under the schedules as restructured in 2022, specified plants are protected under which schedule of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972?
- A.Schedule I
- B.Schedule II
- C.Schedule III
- D.Schedule IV
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In the restructured Act the plant schedule moved from the old Schedule VI to the new Schedule III, and it still protects a short list of species such as the blue vanda, the pitcher plant and other threatened orchids and cycads, whose uprooting and trade are controlled.
Read the full explanation →A national park is declared under which section of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972?
- A.Section 18
- B.Section 29
- C.Section 35
- D.Section 38V
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Section 35 empowers the State Government to declare an area of adequate ecological or zoological importance as a national park, where no grazing is permitted and no rights of any person are allowed to continue.
Read the full explanation →Who is the chairperson of the National Board for Wild Life?
- A.The President of India
- B.The Prime Minister of India
- C.The Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
- D.The Chief Wild Life Warden
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The National Board for Wild Life was created by the amendment of 2002 under Section 5A of the Act as the apex advisory body on wildlife, and the Prime Minister chairs it.
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