Q.1 Which among the following is/are true with respect to the whitley awards ?
1. These are awarded annually by the WWF for the national & regional conservation
2. It also serves as a forum between employers and employees for the conservation of wildlife
Select the correct answer using the codes given below :
A) Only 1
B) Only 2
C) Both are correct
D) Both are incorrect
Ans. D
Whitley awards – For Wildlife conservation
The Whitley Awards are made annually by the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) to recognise and celebrate effective national and regional conservation leaders across the globe. The awards are worth £35,000 (2017) and are now amongst the most high profile of conservation prizes – they have been called the “Green Oscars”.
FRAMED FROM WIKIPEDIA
Q.2 Which among the following species is/ are not the extinct species under the IUCN status ?
1. Steller’s sea cow
2. Short tailed albatross
3. Spectacled cormorant
Select the correct answer using the codes given below :
A) Only 1
B) 2 & 3
C) 1 & 3
D) Only 2
Ans. D
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean.It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves.
There is a small portion of the Kula Plate in the Bering Sea. The Kula Plate is an ancient tectonic plate that used to subduct under Alaska
The sea supports many whale species including the beluga, humpback whale, bowhead whale, gray whale and blue whale, the vulnerable sperm whale, and the endangered fin whale, sei whale and the rarest in the world, the North Pacific right whale. Other marine mammals include walrus, Steller sea lion, northern fur seal, orca and polar bear.
Seabird species include tufted puffins, the endangered short-tailed albatross, spectacled eider, and red-legged kittiwakes.
Two Bering Sea species, the Steller’s sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas) and spectacled cormorant (Phalacrocorax perspicillatus), are extinct because of overexploitation by man. In addition, a small subspecies of Canada goose, the Bering Canada goose (Branta canadensis asiatica) is extinct due to overhunting and introduction of rats to their breeding islands.
FRAMED FROM WIKIPEDIA
Q.3 As per Vavilov’s centre of origin which among the following comes under the Indo-Burma region ?
1. Assam
2. North West Punjab
3. Burma
Select the correct answer using the codes given below :
A) 1 & 3
B) 2 & 3
C) Only 1
D) 1,2,3
Ans. A
FRAMED FROM WIKIPEDIA
Q.4 Consider the following :
1. Melghat Tiger reserve : Maharashtra
2.Tansa Wildlife sanctuary : Tripura
3. Purna wildlife sanctuary : Gujarat
Select the correct answer using the codes given below :
A) 2 & 3
B) 1 & 2
C) Only 2
D) 1 & 3
Ans. D
In Gujarat, the owlet can be found in Purna Wildlife Sanctuary
Melghat Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra
The forest owlet remains critically endangered, and the population in 2015 was estimated by Birdlife International at less than 250.
An individual was located in Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary in the Thane district in 2014
FRAMED FROM WIKIPEDIA
Q.5 Which among the following can remove cyanobacterial blooms from water-based systems ?
1. Calcium hypochlorite
2. Copper sulphate
3. Simazine
Select the correct answer using the codes given below :
A) 1 & 2
B) Only 2
C) 2 & 3
D) 1,2,3
Ans. D
Several chemicals can eliminate cyanobacterial blooms from water-based systems. They include: calcium hypochlorite, copper sulphate, cupricide, and simazine.
Cyanobacteria can produce neurotoxins, cytotoxins, endotoxins, and hepatotoxins
Oncolites are sedimentary structures composed of oncoids, which are layered structures formed by cyanobacterial growth. Oncolites are similar to stromatolites, but instead of forming columns, they form approximately spherical structures that were not attached to the underlying substrate as they formed.
Cyanobacteria use the energy of sunlight to drive photosynthesis, a process where the energy of light is used to synthesize organic compounds from carbon dioxide. Because they are aquatic organisms, they typically employ several strategies which are collectively known as a “carbon concentrating mechanism” to aid in the acquisition of inorganic carbon (CO2or bicarbonate).
Cyanobacteria can be found in almost every terrestrial and aquatic habitat—oceans, fresh water, damp soil, temporarily moistened rocks in deserts, bare rock and soil, and even Antarctic rocks. They can occur as planktonic cells or form phototrophic biofilms. They are found in almost every endolithic ecosystem.
A few are endosymbionts in lichens, plants, various protists, or sponges and provide energy for the host. Some live in the fur of sloths, providing a form of camouflage
Aquatic cyanobacteria are known for their extensive and highly visible blooms that can form in both freshwater and marine environments.
FRAMED FROM WIKIPEDIA
Q.6 Which among the following is/are the right tributary of the river ganga ?
1. Kosi
2. Gandak
3. Yamuna
4. Ramganga
Select the correct answer using the codes given below :
A) 1 & 3
B) 2,3,4
C) Only 2 & 3
D) Only 3
Ans. D
Ganga :
>Left tributaries:
q Ramganga
q Gomati
q Ghaghar
q Gandak
q Kosi
>Right tributaries:
§ Yamuna
§ Son
Hugli
FRAMED FROM WIKIPEDIA
Q.7 Which among the following plant(s) is/are considered as the Weeds ?
1. Dandelion
2. Burdrock
3. Amarnath
Select the correct answer using the codes given below :
A) 1 & 3
B) Only 3
C) 1 & 2
D) 1,2,3
Ans. D
Weeds : Dandelion, Burdrock, Lamb’s quarter, Amarnath, Cornockle
Many plants known as weeds can have beneficial properties. A number of weeds, such as the dandelion (Taraxacum) and lamb’s quarter, are edible, and their leaves or roots may be used for food or herbal medicine. Burdock is common over much of the world, and is sometimes used to make soup and medicine in East Asia.
An example of a crop weed that is grown in gardens is the corncockle, (Agrostemma githago), which was a common weed in European wheat fields, but is now sometimes grown as a garden plant.
Weeds may also act as a “living mulch”, providing ground cover that reduces moisture loss and prevents erosion. Weeds may also improve soil fertility; dandelions, for example, bring up nutrients like calcium and nitrogen from deep in the soil with their tap root, and clover hosts nitrogen-fixing bacteria in its roots, fertilizing the soil directly.
Weed control is important in agriculture. Methods include hand cultivation with hoes, powered cultivation with cultivators, smothering with mulch, lethal wilting with high heat, burning, or chemical attack with herbicides.
Q.8 Which among the following is/are true with respect to the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve ?
1. It is composed of Neyyar & Peppara Wildlife Sanctuaries only
2. This biosphere reserve is dominated by Asian elephants & Nilgiri Tahr
Select the correct answer using the codes given below :
A) Only 1
B) Only 2
C) Both are correct
D) Both are incorrect
Ans.D
Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve became part of World Network of Biosphere Reserves in 2016. Is also under UNESCO’s world list of biosphere reserve
It is composed of Neyyar, Peppara and Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuaries and their adjoining areas of Achencoil, Thenmala, Konni, Punalur, Thiruvananthapuram Divisions and Agasthyavanam Special Division in Kerala.[9] Inclusion of adjoining areas of Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu has been approved.
ABR includes the Indian Ecoregions of South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests, South Western Ghats montane rain forestsand Shola.
Rare animals include the tiger, Asian Elephant, and Nilgiri Tahr. Agastyamalai is also home to the Kanikaran
Kanikkarans are the Original tribal Settlers in Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve
Q.9 With reference to the geographic knowledge, what are Phantom islands ?
A) These are the islands that are situated beyond the continental shelf of the ocean
B) These are the lost lands that were existing during prehistory, but disappeared as a result of catastrophic geological phenomena
C) These are the volcanic islands on the edge of the Indian and Burmese tectonic plates.
D) These are the land masses formerly believed to exist in the historical age, but to have been discredited as a result of expanding geographic knowledge
Ans. D
Phantom islands, as opposed to lost lands, are land masses formerly believed by cartographers to exist in the historical age, but to have been discredited as a result of expanding geographic knowledge. Terra Australis is a phantom continent. While a few phantom islands originated from literary works (an example is Ogygia from Homer’s Odyssey), most phantom islands are the result of navigational errors.
Q.10 Which among the following is/are correctly matched ?
1. Doldrums : 50 N to 50 S
2. Horse latitudes : 250 to 350 N & S
3. Polar : High poles
Select the correct answer using the codes given below :
A) 1 & 3
B) Only 2
C) 2 & 3
D) 1,2,3
Ans. D
Coniferous forests are located between 500& 700 N
