Which of the following is not a bird ?
- A.Golden Mahseer
- B.Indian Nightjar
- C.Spoonbill
- D.White Ibis
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Golden Mahseer. The golden mahseer is a large freshwater fish, not a bird.
The golden mahseer (Tor putitora) lives in fast-flowing rivers of the Himalayan foothills, from the Indus basin to the Brahmaputra. It is called the tiger of the water for its fighting strength, is prized by anglers and is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List because of dams, overfishing and loss of habitat. Several Himalayan states have adopted mahseer species as their state fish, and conservation groups breed it in hatcheries to restock rivers.
B is wrong because the Indian nightjar is a small nocturnal bird that hunts insects at dusk and rests on the ground by day. C is wrong because the spoonbill is a wading bird named after its flat, spoon-shaped bill. D is wrong because the white ibis is a wading bird with a long, downward-curved bill, seen in Indian wetlands.
Exam tip: Mahseer = fish (tiger of the water); nightjar, spoonbill and ibis are birds.
Practice Questions
View allIn India, Indus Dolphin, one of the world's rarest mammals, is mainly found in which one of the following rivers?
- A.Ganga
- B.Cauvery
- C.Brahmaputra
- D.Beas
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In India the Indus river dolphin survives only in a short stretch of the Beas in Punjab, around the Harike wetland.
Read the full explanation →Transition zone of varied natural vegetation occupying the boundary between two adjacent and differing plant communities is known as
- A.ecological succession
- B.ecotone
- C.ecological niche
- D.climax
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An ecotone is the zone of transition where two different communities or ecosystems meet and blend. Examples of ecotones are the belt between forest and grassland, the mangrove zone between land and sea, an estuary where river water meets the ocean, and the margin between a lake and its shore.
Read the full explanation →The Cartagena Protocol, to which India is a party, is related to
- A.combat the green house gasses and to reduce the global warming and climate change
- B.biosafety, negotiated under the aegis of the Convention on Biological Diversity
- C.combat the ozone depleting substances to protect the human lives from diseases
- D.combat the phenomenon of desertification by improving dry land farming in dry regions
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The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety deals with the safe handling of living modified organisms. The protocol was adopted in 2000 as a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity and came into force in 2003; India is a party to it.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements :
1. Many urban and suburban areas experience a higher temperature than surrounding rural areas known as urban heat islands.
2. The reduction in urban green cover and the increase of built-up hard surface is the only cause of urban heat island.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.Both 1 and 2
- D.Neither 1 nor 2
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Statement 1 defines the urban heat island correctly, but statement 2 is wrong because loss of green cover and more hard surfaces are not the only cause.
Read the full explanation →With reference to an initiative called 'The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB)', which of the following statements is/are correct?
1. It is an initiative hosted by UNEP, IMF and World Economic Forum.
2. It is a global initiative that focuses on drawing attention to the economic benefits of biodiversity.
3. It presents an approach that can help decision-makers recognize, demonstrate and capture the value of ecosystems and biodiversity.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
- A.1 and 2 only
- B.3 only
- C.2 and 3 only
- D.1, 2 and 3
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Statement 1 is wrong because TEEB is hosted by the UN Environment Programme alone, not jointly with the IMF and the World Economic Forum.
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