**While the Diwali festivities draw to a close and The Hindu Editions and the Prelims Daily questions resume, try these ones:
Q1. Consider the following statements:
1. Botanical Garden Conservation International (BGCI) is the largest plant conservation network in the world.
2. BGCI is an IUCN-led conservation network.
3. BGCI aims to collect and conserve samples of world’s plants to act as an insurance against their extinction in the wild.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) 2 only
(b) 1 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 2 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Q2. Crinum Malabaricum (‘Kanthanga’) is a critically endangered aquatic plant and has its only known natural habitat in
(a) Arunachal Pradesh
(b) Andaman and Nicobar Islands
(c) Kerala
(d) West Bengal
Q3. The R M Lodha Committee, sometimes in the news, is related to
(a) restoration of the degraded wetlands
(b) containing the child mortality
(c) recapitalization of public sector banks
(d) reforms in the game of cricket
Q4. Consider the following statements:
1. Algal blooms in oceans can pose serious threats to water quality and risks to human and animal health.
2. The Bay of Bengal is relatively free of algal blooms compared to the Arabian sea.
3. Algal blooms are found only on the surface of the water bodies.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 2 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Q5. Cross-breeding of crop plants can have multiple benefits including:
1. Making agriculture more water efficient.
2. Increase in the crop yield.
3. Increase in the nutritive value of the crops.
4. Reduction in the release of certain green house gases from agricultural activities.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) 1, 2 and 3 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q6. Which one of the following terms indicates the process by which the nutritional quality of food crops is improved through agronomic practices, conventional plant breeding or modern biotechnology?
(a) Bioaccumulation
(b) Biofortification
(c) Biomagnification
(d) Phytoremediation
Q7. In a significant find, the scientists at NASA have discovered deep, steep-sided canyons flooded with liquid methane on which of the following celestial body?
(a) Charon
(b) Titan
(c) Europa
(d) Phobos
Q8. Consider the following statements:
1. Swamp deer is found in its natural habitat only along the littoral and swamp regions of the eastern coast of India.
2. Hog deer is found in its natural habitat only in the banni grasslands of Gujarat.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Q9. Consider the following statements:
1. Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is an autonomous institution under the Environment Ministry.
2. It releases the Red Data Book of Indian Animals.
3. It shall house the country’s first repository on tigers.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 1, 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 2 and 3 only
Q10. Consider the following statements:
1. National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is a statutory body under the Environment Ministry.
2. It is headed by the Prime Minister.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Q11. Consider the following statements:
1. International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is an autonomous institution under the aegis of WWF.
2. It works to safeguard the populations and preserve the habitats of wild animals only.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Q12. Consider the following statements about Chhotanagpur and Meghalaya Plateaus:
1. Both are rich in minerals.
2. Both receive rainfall from South-west monsoon.
3. Both are covered with Tropical Deciduous forests.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1, 2 and 3
(d) 1 and 2 only
Q13. Which of the following is most southerly located?
(a) Chilka Lake
(b) Sunderbans
(c) Bhubaneshwar
(d) Gir Forests
Q14. Features known as ‘kayals’ are generally found in/along the
(a) Utkal Coast
(b) Malabar Coast
(c) Shiwalik Foothills
(d) Lower course of rivers
Q15. Consider the following statements about Indian vegetation:
1. Tropical Evergreen forests are found only along the slopes of Western Ghats.
2. Mangroves are not found along the Eastern coast of India.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Q16. According to Koeppen’s scheme of classification of climates, which of the following regions in India has ‘Aw’ type of climate?
(a) Western Rajasthan
(b) Arunachal Pradesh
(c) Peninsular Plateaus
(d) Coromandal Coast
Q17. Which of the following types of forests are generally found in regions that receive about 100-200 cm of annual precipitation?
(a) Dry Deciduous forests
(b) Tropical Evergreen forests
(c) Wet Deciduous forests
(d) Littoral and Swamp forests
Q18. Consider the following pairs:
1. Saddle Peak : Nicobar Islands
2. Saramati Peak : Garo Hills
3. Blue Mountain : Naga Hills
Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only
(d) None of the pairs above is correctly matched
Q19. Consider the following statements:
1. The State executive consists of the governor, the chief minister and the council of ministers only.
2. The governor of a state is appointed by the President only in concurrence with the chief minister of the state.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Q20. Recently, the researchers revealed that ‘Bramble Cay melomys’ has become the first mammal species driven to extinction by anthropogenic climate change. The mammal was endemic to
(a) Andes Mountains
(b) Southern Alps
(c) Great Barrier Reef
(d) Marshall Islands
Q21. India recently joined the Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCoC). Consider the following statements in this context:
1. HCoC aims at phasing out the production of ballistic missiles.
2. It is legally binding international agreement.
3. It was agreed upon in the year 1970 when the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) came into force.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) 1, 2 and 3
(b) 1 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) None of the statements given above is correct
Q22. Consider the following statements:
1. World Environment Day (WED) is a global initiative of UNEP to raise awareness to protect the environment.
2. WED was initiated by the United Nations General Assembly in 2002 during the World Summit on Sustainable Development.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Q23. Which of the following missions to study the ‘Red Planet’ have been launched by NASA?
1. Mars Express Mission (MEM)
2. Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)
3. Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN)
Select the correct alternative using the codes given below.
(a) 2 and 3 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Q24. Consider the following statements:
1. International Seabed Authority (ISA) is an autonomous organization established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
2. ISA governs the living and the non-living resources of the seabed of international waters.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Q25. In recent times, there has been a scramble among the nations for harnessing the poly-metallic nodules from the ocean beds. Poly-metallic nodules contain various elements including
1. Plutonium
2. Gold
3. Silver
4. Nickel
5. Copper
Select the correct answer using the codes given below.
(a) 1, 2 and 3 only
(b) 3, 4 and 5 only
(c) 2, 3, 4 and 5 only
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
