Which one of the following is not included in the National Air Quality Index?
- A.Sulphur
- B.Nitrogen dioxide
- C.Lead
- D.Methane
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is D, Methane. Methane is not one of the pollutants used to calculate India's National Air Quality Index.
The National Air Quality Index was launched in 2014 under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and is run by the Central Pollution Control Board. It is based on eight pollutants: PM10, PM2.5, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, ammonia and lead. The index is reported in six categories, from Good and Satisfactory to Severe. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that matters for climate change, but it is not a direct health-based air pollutant in this index.
A is wrong because sulphur, measured as sulphur dioxide, is one of the eight pollutants. B is wrong because nitrogen dioxide, mostly from vehicles and power plants, is included. C is wrong because lead, a toxic heavy metal, is also part of the index.
Exam tip: AQI's eight pollutants: PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, CO, O3, NH3 and Pb; no methane, no carbon dioxide.
Practice Questions
View allWhich one of the following statements about the National Green Tribunal is not correct?
- A.It was set up in the year 2010.
- B.It is involved in effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests.
- C.It may consider giving relief and compensation for damages to persons and property.
- D.It is bound by the procedures laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908.
Show answer
The National Green Tribunal is not bound by the Code of Civil Procedure; it is guided by the principles of natural justice.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements about National Wildlife Action Plan (NWAP) of India for 2017-2031:
1. This is the Third National Wildlife Action Plan.
2. The NWAP is unique as this is the first time India has recognized the concerns relating to climate change impact on wildlife.
3. The NWAP has ten components.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A.1 only
- B.1 and 2 only
- C.2 and 3 only
- D.1, 2 and 3
Show answer
The plan for 2017-2031 is India's third National Wildlife Action Plan and the first to deal with the impact of climate change on wildlife, but it has five components, not ten.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following methods is not suitable for urban rainwater harvesting?
- A.Rooftop recharge pit
- B.Recharge wells
- C.Gully plug
- D.Recharge trench
Show answer
A gully plug is a small check structure built across a natural gully or stream channel in hilly and rural land, so it has no place in a city.
Read the full explanation →The city of Cartagena, which is famous for Protocol on Biosafety, is located in
- A.Colombia
- B.Venezuela
- C.Brazil
- D.Guyana
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Cartagena is a port city on Colombia's Caribbean coast, where talks on the biosafety protocol were held in 1999. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity of 1992.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following is NOT a biocontrol agent ?
- A.Bacillus thuringiensis
- B.Ladybird beetle
- C.Trichoderma
- D.Aphid
Show answer
An aphid is a sap-sucking insect pest of crops, so it is the target of biocontrol, not an agent of it.
Read the full explanation →