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1 AIPTS 2019 (GS - 7) (E) Answer Key Byju’s Classes: 9873643487

ALL INDIA PRELIMS TEST SERIES – 2019

GENERAL STUDIES - 7

Answer Key

Ans:1)(d)

Ans:2)(d)

Explanation: Open air defecation, lack of

general sanitation and hygiene leads to

various diseases, especially diarrhea and

intestinal infections and also typhoid, cholera, hepatitis, polio, trachoma and other

diseases. It also leads to malnutrition and

stunted growth in children. Some diseases

are transmitted through faecal pathogens via

water and are known to be waterborne

infections. Infected surface water, wells and hand pumps may cause serious health

hazards.

Open air defecation is major cause of

diarrheal deaths. WHO in 2014 found in a

research that death of children up-to 5years is approximately 2,000 per day from diarrhea,

which makes it a prime salient killer.

Ans:3)(c)

Explanation:

Ans:4)(b)

Explanation: Use of resources cannot

necessarily be a reason for environmental

degradation. It will not degrade environment

until or unless, it is utilized beyond the replenishment rate of nature.

Ans:5)(d)

Explanation: Factors leading to rise in

population:

Many factors have contributed to the

enormous rise in human population. These are listed below:

1. Improved agricultural practices have helped

in increasing food production, hence food

became available.

2. Progress in medicine prevented deaths due to accident, illness and epidemic diseases.

3. Average longevity of humans has increased

since heart, lung and kidney disorders as well

as other diseases can now be diagnosed and

treated through modern medical technology.

Migration is another factor responsible for the population change in a region.

Ans:6)(d)

Explanation: Increased use of synthetic

fertilizers causes to serious environmental problems. For example, unused fertilizers

from agricultural fields are carried away by

run off waters into lakes and rivers causing

pollution. These agrochemicals may even seep

through the soil and pollute ground water.

Excessive nutrients enrichment of water bodies leads to ‘eutrophication’ (i.e.

enrichment of water with nutrients

particularly nitrates and phosphates triggers

the explosive growth of green algae) may take

place in water bodies and kill aquatic life. Use of pesticides not only kills pests that

destroy crop but may also kill many non pest

organisms which may include even useful

species of insects such as pollinators, birds

and helpers in dispersal of plant seeds.

Pesticides tend to accumulate and their concentration increases through the food

chain and reach toxic levels in eggs, milk and

other food items. (biomagnification).

In intensive agriculture, various agricultural

inputs have increased the cost of food production.

Ans:7)(b)

Explanation: Amur Falcon: The Amur falcon

(Falco amurensis) is a small raptor of the

falcon family. It breeds in south-eastern Siberia and Northern China before migrating

in large flocks across India and over the

Arabian Sea to winter in Southern Africa.

Males are dark grey with reddish brown

thighs and undertail coverts; reddish orange eye-ring, cere, and feet. Females are duller

above, with dark scaly markings on white

underparts, an orange eye ring, cere, and


legs. Their diet consists mainly of insects,

such as termites; during migration over the sea, they are thought to feed on migrating

dragonflies.

Great Billed Heron:

Type of migration: local resident and winter

visitor. Distribution in Indian sub-continent:

Nicobars, coast of South East Asia to

Australia

Asian koel:

Not many people know that koel, the bird

associated with having a melodious voice, is a migratory bird that travels to India from

Singapore. When the climate of Singapore

turns too hot it travels to India, Pondicherry,

to be precise, to find itself around cool

environment and food! Being a state bird of Pondicherry, the best place to koel watching

is also down there.

Ans:8)(b)

Explanation: The Keibul Lamjao National

Park is a national park in the Bishnupur district of the state of Manipur.

The animal species conserved here is brown

antlered deer or Sangai Deer.

The national park is characterized by many

floating decomposed plant materials locally called ‘phumdis’.

Ans:9)(a)

Explanation: ‘Ecology may be defined as the

scientific study of the relationship of living

organisms with each other and with their environment.’

The term ecology was first coined in 1869 by

the German biologist Ernst Haeckel. It has

been derived from two Greek words, ‘oikos’,

meaning home or estate and ‘logos’ meaning study.

Ans:10)(c)

Explanation: In nature, many species occupy

the same habitat but they perform different

functions. The functional characteristics of a species in its habitat is referred to as “niche”

in that common habitat. Habitat of a species

is like its ‘address’ (i.e. where it lives) whereas

niche can be thought of as its “profession”

(i.e. activities and responses specific to the species). The term niche means the sum of all

the activities and relationships of a species by

which it uses the resources in its habitat for

its survival and reproduction.

A niche is unique for a species while many

species share the habitat. No two species in a habitat can have the same niche. This is

because if two species occupy the same niche

they will compete with one another until one

is displaced. For example, a large number of

different species of insects may be pests of

the same plant but they can co-exist as they feed on different parts of the same plant.

Ans:11)(d)

Explanation: Every organism is suited to live

in its particular habitat. The coconuts cannot grow in a desert while a camel cannot survive

in an ocean. Each organism is adapted to its

particular environment. An adaptation is

thus, “the appearance or behaviour or

structure or mode of life of an organism that

allows it to survive in a particular environment”. Presence of gills and fins are

examples of adaptation in fishes to aquatic

habitat. In aquatic flowering plants absence

of wood formation and highly reduced root

system are adaptations to aquatic environment.

Ans:12)(d)

Explanation: A species is defined as; “a

group of similar populations of organisms

whose members are capable of interbreeding, and to produce fertile offspring (children)”. A

tiger, a lion, a lotus and a rose are examples

of different species. Every species has a

scientific name, understood by people of all

over the world. Humans belong to species of Homo sapiens. Only members of the same

species can interbreed to produce fertile

offspring. Every species has its own set of

genetic characteristics that makes the species

unique and different from other species.

However, species are generally composed of a number of distinct populations which freely

interbreed even though they appear to be

different in appearance.

Difference in colour of skin, type of hair; curly

or straight, eye colour, blood type among different ethnic groups represent variation

within human species.

Ans:13)(c)

Explanation: Reasons for Reproduction

Isolation (i) When two different populations become

sexually receptive at different times of the

year, for example a population of frogs that

breeds in May is effectively isolated from one

that breeds in July, though both populations may occur in the same area.

(ii) Members of different populations are not

attracted by courtship behaviour towards one

another.

(iii) When pollination mechanism fails, between

flowers of two populations. (iv) When cross fertilization is prevented as sex

organs of different populations of a species do

not match.


Ans:14)(d)

Explanation: Ever since life evolved on earth, new species better suited or adapted to the

environment have appeared and older less

successful forms have died or become extinct.

Extinction is generally a natural occurrence.

It means the dying out of a variety of or a species. The primary reason for these

extinctions is environmental change or

biological competition. Extinction occurs

when species cannot evolve fast enough to

cope with the changes taking place in their

environment. Many species have gone extinct during geological history of the earth. Fossils

are, the preserved remains of animals, plants,

and other organisms that lived in the

geological past.

Ans:15)(d)

Explanation: ‘Population’ is defined as a

group of freely interbreeding individuals of

the same species present in a specific area at

a given time. For example, when we say that

the population of a city is 50,000, we mean that there are 50,000 humans in that city.

However, all populations of humans living in

any part of the world constitute the species

Homo sapiens.

A population has traits of its own which are different from those of the individuals forming

the population. An individual is born and dies

but a population continues. It may change in

size depending on birth and death rates of the

population.

Ans:16)(d)

Explanation: Density independent

population growth or ‘J’ shaped population

growth curve:

A forest fire may reduce a dense or scanty population drastically. Extreme weather

conditions like drought, rains, floods, storms

and sudden rise or fall in temperatures all act

as density independent factors as they tend

to cause sudden reduction in population

numbers. The population growth that is depicted by a ‘J’ shaped growth curve is

called density independent growth.

Generally the ‘J’ shaped growth curve is

typical of the species which reproduce rapidly

and which are greatly affected by seasonally fluctuating environmental factors such as

light, temperature and rainfall.

Ans:17)(c)

Explanation: The different kinds of

organisms present in a community represent its species diversity. The species composition

or diversity differs from one community to

another. Even in the same community, there

may be seasonal variation in species

composition. Species diversity also influences the stability

of the community. A stable community is one

which is able to return to its original

condition after being disturbed in some way.

Communities with high species diversity have been found to be comparatively more stable.

Ans:18)(c)

Explanation: Primary succession takes place

an over a bare or unoccupied areas such as

rocks outcrop, newly formed deltas and sand dunes, emerging volcano islands and lava

flows as well as glacial moraines (muddy area

exposed by a retreating glacier), where no

community has existed previously. The plants

that invade first bare land, where soil is initially absent are called pioneer species. The

assemblage of pioneer plants is collectively

called pioneer community.

Ans:19)(c)

Explanation: The biological community of an area or ecosystem is a complex network of

interactions. The interaction that occurs

among different individuals of the same

species is called intraspecific interaction

while the interaction among individuals of different species in a community is termed as

interspecific interaction.

Interactions between organisms belonging to

the same trophic level often involve

competition. Individuals of population may

compete for food, space and mates.

Ans:20)(c)

Explanation:

Ans:21)(c) Explanation: Trophic levels in an ecosystem

are not linear rather they are interconnected

and make a food web. Thus food web is a

network interconnected food chains existing

in an ecosystem. One animal may be a member of several different food chains. Food

webs are more realistic models of energy flow

through an ecosystem

The flow of energy in an ecosystem is always

linear or one way. The quantity of energy

flowing through the successive trophic levels


decreases. At every step in a food chain or

web the energy received by the organism is used to sustain itself and the left over is

passed on to the next trophic level.

Ans:22)(a)

Explanation: Pyramid of biomass: This represents the total standing crop biomass at

each trophic level. Standing crop biomass is

the amount of the living matter at any given

time. It is expressed as gm/unit area or kilo

cal/unit area. In most of the terrestrial

ecosystems the pyramid of biomass is upright. However, in case of aquatic

ecosystems the pyramid of biomass may be

inverted e.g. in a pond phytoplankton are the

main producers, they have very short life

cycles and a rapid turnover rate (i.e. they are rapidly replaced by new plants). Therefore,

their total biomass at any given time is less

than the biomass of herbivores supported by

them.

Ans:23)(c)

Ans:24)(a)

Explanation: Nitrification: It is a process by

which ammonia is converted into nitrates or

nitrites by Nitrosomonas and Nitrococcus bacteria respectively. Another soil bacteria

Nitrobacter can covert nitrate into nitrite.

Denitrification: Conversion of nitrates back

into gaseous nitrogen is called denitrification.

Denitrifying bacteria live deep in soil near the

water table as they like to live in oxygen free medium. Denitrification is reverse of nitrogen

fixation.

Ans:25)(c)

Explanation: It is also known as homeostatis.

Ans:26)(c)

Explanation: Downs are found in Australia

South American Grassland is known as

Pampas.

Ans:27)(c)

Ans:28)(d)

Explanation: The Thar Desert presents a wonderful picture of natural vegetation in

India. The trees in this desert are short and

stout, and stunted by the scorching sun.

Cacti, reunjha (Acacia leucophloea), khejree

(Prosopis spicigera), kanju (Holoptelia

integrifolia), Oak (Calotropis gigantea) etc are common plants in this region. All the above

mentioned varieties of forests and areas are

contributing hugely to the natural vegetation

in India.

Great Indian Bustard is also seen in this

region.

Ans:29)(b)

Explanation: An estuary is a place where a river or a stream opens into the sea. It is a

partially enclosed coastal area at the mouth

of the river where its fresh water carrying

fertile silt and runoff from the land mixes

with the salty sea water. It represents an

ecotone between fresh water and marine ecosystem and shows a variation of salinity

due to mixing of sea water with fresh water.

Estuaries are very dynamic and productive

ecosystems since the river flow, tidal range

and sediment distribution is continuously changing in them. Examples of estuaries are

river mouths, coastal bays, tidal marshes,

lagoons and deltas.

Ans:30)(d)

Explanation: Ecotone is a zone of junction between two or more diverse ecosystems e.g.

the mangrove forests. They represent an

ecotone between marine and terrestrial

ecosystem. Some more examples of ecotone

are – grassland, estuary and river bank

Ans:31)(b)

Explanation: The cost of solar power has

come down by a huge margin. The central

government has embarked upon an

ambitious mission of setting up 100GW of solar power by 2022 in India. The state

governments have announced solar policies

to promote solar energy technologies in their

respective states. Though they may seem

attractive and financially viable, there is a spate of problems faced by different players in

this field.

India has a few solar cell manufacturers; they

have a combined manufacturing capacity of

about 1212 MW. But only about 250 MW of

capacity is operational. This is due to the fact that the cell manufacturing companies in the

US, China, Taiwan, Malaysia and EU are

dumping their cells in Indian markets at

lower costs.

Ans:32)(b)

Explanation: Oxides of sulphur are example

of Primary Pollutants.

Ans:33)(d)

Ans:34)(b)

Ans:35)(d)


Explanation: There are many sources of

radiation pollution such as nuclear wastes from nuclear power plants, mining and

processing of nuclear material etc.

Ans:36)(b) Explanation: Bamboo is a native plant.

Ans:37)(d)

Explanation: Forest conservation approach

was first time started in the year 1894 by the

British. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change has given the draft national

forest policy 2018. It is not yet finalised.

Ans:38)(c)

Explanation: The United Nations World Water Development Report (WWDR) was

released ahead of World Water Day (March

22).

Ans:39)(d)

Explanation: The Himalayas are home to over 300 species of mammals, a dozen of

which are endemic. Mammals like the Golden

langur, The Himalayan tahr, the pygmy hog,

Langurs, Asiatic wild dogs, sloth bears,

Gaurs, Muntjac, Sambar, Snow leopard, Black bear, Blue sheep, Takin, the Gangetic

dolphin, wild water buffalo, swamp deer call

the Himalayan ranged their home.

Ans:40)(d)

Explanation: Asia-Pacific Hotspots

East Melanesian Islands

Himalayas

Indo-Burma

Japan

Mountains of Southwest China

New Caledonia

New Zealand

Philippines

Polynesia-Micronesia

Southwest Australia

Forests of Eastern Australia (new)

Sundaland

Wallacea

Western Ghats and Sri Lanka

Ans:41)(b) Explanation: Nanda Devi is present in

Uttarakhand.

Ans:42)(c)

Explanation:

The IUCN is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation

and sustainable use of natural resources.

IUCN was established in 1948.

It’s headquartered in Gland, Switzerland.

It is involved in data gathering and analysis, research, field projects, advocacy, lobbying

and education.

IUCN has observer and consultative status at the United Nations, and plays a role in the

implementation of several international

conventions on nature conservation and

biodiversity.

IUCN is the only international observer organization in the UN General Assembly

with expertise in issues concerning the environment.

Ans:43)(c)

Explanation:

Extinct (EX): A taxon is Extinct when there is no reasonable doubt that the last

individual has died.

Extinct IN THE Wild (EW) : A taxon is

Extinct in the Wild when it is known only to

survive in cultivation, in captivity or as a

naturalized population (or populations) well outside the past range.

Critically Endangered (CR) : A taxon is

Critically Endangered when the best available

evidence indicates that it meets any of the

criteria A to E for Critically Endangered, and it is therefore considered to be facing an

extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

Ans:44)(d)

Explanation:

Critically Endangered Mammals Himalayan Brown/Red Bear

Pygmy Hog

Andaman White- toothed Shrew

Kondana Rat

Large Rock Rat or Elvira Rat Namdapha Flying Squirrel

Malabar Civet

Sumatran Rhinoceros

Kashmir stag/hangul

Ans:45)(d) Explanation: None of the statements is

incorrect.

Tailed Macaque:

It is endemic to the Western Ghats.

Avoid human presence and they do not live, feed or travel through plantations.

Habitat: Evergreen forests in the Western Ghats range.

Threat: Habitat fragmentation due to spread of agriculture and tea, coffee, teak and

cinchona.

Ans:46)(c) Explanation: Ganges River Dolphin:

Habitat: Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers and their tributaries in Bangladesh, India and

Nepal.


The Ganges river dolphin has been recognized by the government of India as its National

Aquatic Animal.

Ans:47)(d)

Explanation: Wetlands are areas where water

is the primary factor controlling the environment and the associated plant and

animal life. They occur where the water table

is at or near the surface of the land, or where

the land is covered by water.

Ans:48)(c) Explanation: Deepor Beel is in Assam.

Bhoj Wetland is in Madhya Pradesh.

Ashtamudi Wetland is in Kerala.

Ans:49)(d) Explanation:

The Sambhar Salt Lake, India’s largest inland salt lake.

Sambhar has been designated as a Ramsar site (recognized wetland of international

importance) because the wetland is a key

wintering area for tens of thousands of

flamingos and other birds that migrate from northern Asia.

The specialized algae and bacteria growing in the lake provide striking water colours and

support the lake ecology that, in turn,

sustains the migrating waterfowl.

Ans:50)(c) Explanation:

Ross Sea in Antarctica was declared as world’s largest Marine Protected Area (MPA)

to protect the Earth’s most pristine marine

ecosystem.

The Ross Sea is one of the last intact marine ecosystems in the world.

MPA status to Ross Sea will bring blanket ban on commercial fishing in about three quarters of its area for 35 years.

Ross Sea is home to Adelie penguins, Antarctic petrels and Antarctic minke whales.

It is also home to huge number of krill, a staple food for species including whales and

seals.


CMS is an international treaty concluded under aegis of United Nations Environment

Programme (UNEP), concerned with

conservation of wildlife and habitats on a

global scale.

It is commonly abbreviated as Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) or the Bonn

Convention

CMS aims to conserve terrestrial, marine and

avian migratory species throughout their

range.

India will host next Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild

Animals (CMS) Conference of Parties 13 (CMS

COP13) in year 2020.

Ans:52)(b) Explanation: Whale Shark Conservation

Project

The species is considered as endangered by the IUCN.

In India, it is found along the shores of the of Gujarat and Lakshadweep.

It has been added to Schedule I of India’s Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 in May 2001.

The Whale Shark also receives international protection due to its inclusion in Appendix II of the Convention in International Trade in

Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora

(CITES).

Ans:53)(a)

Explanation:

Chipko, signifying ’embrace or hug’, was the strategy of hundreds of villagers –mostly

women- in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand,

to save the forest cover on the Garhwal

Himalayas.

The original Chipko Aandolan dates back to the 18th century and was started by

Rajasthan’s Bishnoi community.

The incident has been etched in the annals of history for the sacrifice of a group of villagers,

who led by a lady named Amrita Devi, laid

down their lives while protecting trees from

being felled on the orders of then King of

Jodhpur.

After this incident, the king, in a royal decree,

banned cutting of trees in all Bishnoi villages.

Inspired by the Chipko movement in Uttarakhand, later leaders like Sunderlal

Bahuguna and Panduranga Hegde led similar

movements in UP and Karnataka.

Ans:54)(c) Explanation: Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act 2016

It established National Compensatory Afforestation Fund (NCAF) under the public

account of India and State Compensatory

Afforestation Funds under public accounts of

states.

These funds will receive payments for-

Compensatory afforestation

Net present value of forest (NPV)

Other project specific payments

The National Fund will receive 10% of these funds, and the State Funds will receive the remaining 90%.


The Act provides statutory status for two ad-hoc institution which are named as-

1. National Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority

(CAMPA) for management and utilisation of

NCAF.

2. State Compensatory Afforestation Fund

Management and Planning Authority (State CAMPA) for utilisation of State Compensatory

Afforestation Fund.

The act also provides for annual audit of the accounts by the Comptroller and Auditor

General.

Ans:55)(c)

Ans:56)(c)

Ans:57)(b)

Ans:58)(b)

Explanation:

NITI Aayog constituted group of experts has submitted report titled ‘Inventory and Revival

of Springs in the Himalayas for Water

Security.’

It has mentioned that nearly 30% of springs crucial to water security of people are drying and 50% have reported reduced discharge.

Ans:59)(a)

Explanation:

The Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES) is India's

only facility for conservation of endangered species.

It is a dedicated facility of CSIR’s Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in

Hyderabad.

It was set up in 2007 with the support of Department of Biotechnology, Central Zoo

Authority, Council of Scientific and Industrial

Research (CSIR) and Govt. of Andhra Pradesh.

It uses modern biotechnologies for conservation of endangered wildlife.

It supports both in-situ habitat preservation and Ex-situ conservation through captive

breeding in controlled environment to restock

original wild populations.

Ans:60)(b)

Explanation: Vulture Conservation Breeding

Centre (VCBC):

VCBC is an ex-situ conservation initiative.

The centers were setup by Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).

Four such centers exist now at Haryana, Assam, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh.

Except these centers, Central Zoo Authority (CZA) manages five breeding centers.

A typical VCBC has aviaries of different types for breeding, nursing, looking after sick and

injured vultures and colonies for vultures to live in.

Similar to the ex-situ conservation BNHS also provides in-situ conservation in the name of

Vulture safe zones (VSZ).


The Convention on Biological Diversity is an international treaty that was adopted at the

Earth Summit in 1992. The Convention has

three main goals:

1. Conservation of biological diversity (or

biodiversity); 2. Sustainable use of its components;

3. Fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising

from genetic resources.

In other words, its objective is to develop national strategies for the conservation and

sustainable use of biological diversity.

The convention recognized for the first time in international law that the conservation of biological diversity is "a common concern of

humankind" and is an integral part of the

development process.

The agreement covers all ecosystems, species, and genetic resources.

It links traditional conservation efforts to the economic goal of using biological resources

sustainably.

It sets principles for the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits.

It also covers the rapidly expanding field of biotechnology through Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, addressing technology development

and transfer, benefit-sharing and biosafety

issues.

Importantly, the Convention is legally binding; countries that join it are obliged to

implement its provisions.

Ans:62)(c)

Explanation: The Convention on Wetlands,

signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, is an

intergovernmental treaty which provides the

framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation

and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

There are presently 158 Contracting Parties

to the Convention, with 1758 wetland sites,

totaling 161 million hectares, designated for

inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance. Ramsar Convention

is the only global environment treaty dealing

with a particular ecosystem.

Ans:63)(b) Explanation:


It is an international agreement which aims at sharing the benefits arising from the

utilization of genetic resources in a fair and equitable way, including by appropriate

access to genetic resources and by

appropriate transfer of relevant technologies,

taking into account all rights over those

resources and to technologies, and by appropriate funding, thereby contributing to

the conservation of biological diversity and

the sustainable use of its components.

It was adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological

Diversity at its tenth meeting on 29 October

2010 in Nagoya, Japan.

The fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic

resources is one of the three objectives of the

Convention on Biological Diversity.

The Strategic Plan consists of 20 new biodiversity targets for 2020, termed the ‘Aichi Biodiversity Targets’

Cartagena Protocol on biosafety aims to ensure safe handling, transport and use of Living Modified Organisms.

Ans:64)(c)

Explanation: According to a recent report by

TRAFFIC, India accounts for 29% of black

spotted turtles seized from across seven countries in South Asia.

Black Spotted Turtles

Black spotted turtle or spotted pond turtle is a medium-sized freshwater turtle and native

to South Asia.

The species was once smuggled for its meat and is now sought after as an exotic pet.

It is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of threatened species.

In India, the species is distributed across the north, northeast and a few parts of central

India.

The States are West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand,

and parts of Madhya Pradesh, Punjab,

Rajasthan and Meghalaya.

According to TRAFFIC, in turtle’s seizure rate, India is followed by Thailand (19%) and Hong

Kong (17%), Bangladesh (12%).

Ans:65)(c)

Explanation:

TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, is a leading non-governmental

organisation working globally on trade in wild

animals and plants.

It is a strategic alliance of IUCN and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

Its mission is to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the

conservation of nature.

It plays a vital role in tackling illegal wildlife trade through conducting research and

analysis, advocacy and awareness work and

by supporting remedial action against illegal

wildlife trade.

It is currently working in the following projects,

1. ReTTA: Reducing trade threats to Africa's wild species and ecosystems through

strengthened knowledge and action in Africa

and beyond.

2. Wildlife-TRAPS: Wildlife Trafficking

Response, Assessment and Priority Setting. The Global Shark and Ray Initiative: It

works to secure the future of our oceans

through shark and ray conservation.

Ans:66)(d)

Explanation: Asiatic Lions ● There are only 700 Asiatic lions in the wild,

and they only live in the Gir Forest area,

India.

● At present Gir National Park and Wildlife

Sanctuary in Gujarat is the only abode of the Asiatic lion.

● It is listed in Schedule I of Wildlife (Protection)

Act 1972, in Appendix I of CITES and as

Endangered on IUCN Red List.

● The asiatic lions in Gir Sanctuary, has

recently been succumbed to the deadly infection of canine distemper virus (CDV) and

tick-borne babesiosis.

Ans:67)(d)

Explanation: Living Planet Report, 2018

The Living Planet Report, 2018 by World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) presents a

grim picture of the impact human activity has

on the world’s wildlife, forests, oceans, rivers

and climate.

It is felt that the world has begun a “sixth mass extinction,” but it will be the first

caused by a species – humans.

Ans:68)(d)

Explanation: Wildlife Protection Act, 1972

It is an Act of Parliament of India enacted for protection of plants and animal species.

It extends to whole of India except Jammu & Kashmir.

It has 6 schedules which give varying degree of protection.

Various other Acts like Air Act (1981), Environment Protection Act (1986), Biological

Diversity Act (2002), National Green Tribunal

Act (2010), etc. have been enacted in

subsequent years in India which aims at

protecting the overall environment.


Ans:69)(a) Explanation: Swacchh Bharat Harit Bharat:

It has been decided to take the initiative of

Swacchh Bharat Harit Bharat forward in a

campaign titled Prakriti, Paryavaran aur Hum

- Green March. It is expected to create a mass movement by involving citizens, students,

children, youth etc to take up 'Good Deeds'.

'Good Deeds' can be actions that individual

citizens can do on daily basis as part of their

contribution towards environmental

protection/conservation/development. An exhaustive list of indicative 'Good Deeds' have

been given here on Swachh Bharat Harit

Bharat.

Ans:70)(a) Explanation: Tree Pests of INDIA app:

The role of insect pests in forest tree species

is well recognized. If the infestation is left

unchecked, it may lead to major pest

outbreak and finally destruction of large

areas of natural and/or planted forests. In view of this, the present mobile application

brings out information on the major insect

pests of prominent trees in south India along

with their control measures.

This Application will surely serve as a useful tool for various stakeholders in identifying

early pest attacks and to adopt necessary

control measures, thereby saving both the

resources as well as field expenses.

This App Tree Pests of INDIA is developed by

ENVIS-IFGTB, Coimbatore-India.

Ans:71)(a)

Explanation: Montreux Record under the

Convention is a register of wetland sites on

the List of Wetlands of International Importance where changes in ecological

character have occurred, are occurring, or are

likely to occur as a result of technological

developments, pollution or other human

interference. It is maintained as part of the

Ramsar List. The Montreux Record was established by Recommendation 4.8 of the

Conference of the Contracting Parties (1990).

Resolution 5.4 of the Conference (1993)

determined that the Montreux Record should

be employed to identify priority sites for positive national and international

conservation attention. Sites may be added to

and removed from the Record only with the

approval of the Contracting Parties in which

they lie. At present, 48 Ramsar sites are

present in the Montreux Record 32 sites which had been listed on the Montreux

Record have since been removed from it.

There are only two sites in India under

Montreux record. e.g. Loktak lake in

Manipur, Keoladeo National Park in

Rajasthan.

Ans:72)(b)

Explanation: The “Green Planner” is a

database to provide information on different

plants for mitigating air pollution. These plants can be planted on roadside, road-

dividers, in greenbelts, and in indoor

premises. The plantation of such locally

suitable and pollutant mitigant plants will

help to ameliorate the deleterious effects of

different air pollutants from industrial emissions, vehicular exhausts, and indoor

premises.

The plant list in the Green Planner provides

the botanical and common names of pollution

tolerant and mitigant plants, their distribution in India and suitable planting

sites along with economic and ecological

benefits and other relevant information.

This App is developed by ENVIS-NBRI at

CSIR-NBRI, Lucknow-India.

Ans:73)(c)

Explanation: Beneficial bacteria for the

environment:

Natural scavengers: Bacteria are the natural scavengers on the earth. They decay any dead

and waste matter on the surface of the earth and in the soil.

Hence there is no accumulation of corpse of

animals over so long years of the emergence

of life on earth.

These degraded and decomposed substance

add to the fertility of plants or converts to biogas.

Further, they degrade any chemical or

biochemical fallen on the soil and thereby

detoxify the valuable soil. Thus they make it

fit for the growth of plants & animal safe survival on the earth. Even the vast amount

of chemical and other waste are degraded

over a period of weeks in the water. Or else

the soil and water would be toxic for further

use.

Nutrition: They are an important source of vegetative nutrition in the marine environment. They provide major & micro-

nutrients required for the sustenance of

marine animals. i.e. they form the starting

point of the marine food chain.

Beneficial bacteria for plants:

As a source of manure (fertilizer enhancers).

Bacteria are helpful for plants. They render the soil suitable for the growth of plants. They

break down any dead and organic matter into

humus so that the plants receive essential

mineral elements for growth.


Ammonifying bacteria which converts proteins, amino acids and nucleic acids of

dead bodies into ammonia. Ex: Bacillus.

Ans:74)(a)

Explanation: Champions of the Earth award

is given by UNEP. This award was given to

Narendra Modi in year 2018 for policy leadership category. This award was

established by UNEP in year 2005.

Ans:75)(c)

Explanation: To combat the worsening air

quality, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), the Nagpur-based

laboratory of the Council of Scientific and

Industrial Research (CSIR), has developed the

WAYU (Wind Augmentation and Purification

Units) device. This device, designed in collaboration with Industrial Design Centre at

IIT Bombay, can tackle air pollution at high

traffic zones. WAYU, designed by NEERI and

IIT (Bombay), works by converting pollutants

such as dangerous PM2.5 and PM10

particles, carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds into carbon dioxide using

a filter. Its creators claim it can reduce

pollution at busy traffic junctions by 40-60

percent.

Ans:76)(d)

Explanation: The Central Pollution Control

Board (CPCB), a statutory organisation, was

constituted in September, 1974 under the

Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution)

Act, 1974. Further, CPCB was entrusted with the powers and functions under the Air

(Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act,

1981.

It serves as a field formation and also

provides technical services to the Ministry of Environment and Forests of the provisions of

the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

Principal Functions of the CPCB, as spelt out

in the Water (Prevention and Control of

Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Air (Prevention

and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, (i) to promote cleanliness of streams and wells in

different areas of the States by prevention,

control and abatement of water pollution, and

(ii) to improve the quality of air and to

prevent, control or abate air pollution in the country.

Ans:77)(a)

Explanation: The National Green Tribunal

has been established on 18.10.2010 under

the National Green Tribunal Act 2010 for effective and expeditious disposal of cases

relating to environmental protection and

conservation of forests and other natural

resources including enforcement of any legal

right relating to environment and giving relief and compensation for damages to persons

and property and for matters connected

therewith or incidental thereto. It is a

specialized body equipped with the necessary

expertise to handle environmental disputes involving multi-disciplinary issues. The

Tribunal shall not be bound by the procedure

laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure,

1908, but shall be guided by principles of

natural justice.

Ans:78)(c)

Explanation: There are six AQI categories,

namely Good, Satisfactory, Moderately

polluted, Poor, Very Poor, and Severe. The

proposed AQI will consider eight pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, CO, O3, NH3, and

Pb) for which short-term (up to 24-hourly

averaging period) National Ambient Air

Quality Standards are prescribed. Along with

these it also calculates level of sulphur,

nitrogen, ozone, benzene, arsenic, nickel, carbon monoxide and ammonia.

Ans:79)(d)

Explanation: WHO highlighted that air

pollution is mainly responsible for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), causing an

estimated onequarter (24%) of all adult

deaths from heart disease, 25% from stroke,

43% from chronic obstructive pulmonary

disease and 29% from lung cancer.

Ans:80)(a)

Explanation: According to the World Health

Organisation (WHO) global air pollution

database released in Geneva, India has 14

out of the 15 most polluted cities in the world in terms of PM 2.5 concentrations -- the

worst being Kanpur with a PM 2.5

concentration of 173 micrograms per cubic

metre, followed by Faridabad, Varanasi and

Gaya.

Among 10 global megacities (habitation of above 14 million), Mumbai, with an average

PM10 level of 104ìg/m3 (microgram per cubic

metre), came after Delhi (which topped the

list), Cairo and Dhaka. Shockingly, it was

found to be more polluted than Beijing, which is always in news for its terrible smog-laden

days.

Ans:81)(b)

Explanation: A horned grebe - a rare winter

bird - has been spotted at the Bhaniyana wetland in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur.

Birdwatchers claim that the sighting is first

in Rajasthan and only the third time in India.


The bird, also known as the Slavonian grebe,

was spotted among the long-decked diving birds in the wetland, locally known as the

Bhim Sarovar.

Horned grebe (Podiceps auritus) is listed as a

vulnerable species by the International Union

for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It is a member of the grebe family, Podicipedidae

and is found across Europe, America and

Asia, including only few records from the

Indian subcontinent. These birds are

migratory in nature and the Agreement on

the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies to them,

birdwatchers say.

Ans:82)(c)

Ans:83)(d)

Explanation: The governments of India,

Nepal and Bhutan are planning for a joint

task force for allowing free movement of

wildlife across political boundaries and

checking smuggling of wildlife across the Kanchenjunga Landscape, a trans-boundary

region spread across the three nations.

Ans:84)(c)

Explanation: Arunachal Pradesh is also the only state that is believed to have all the four

major varieties of big cats in its jungles –

Tiger, Leopard, Clouded leopard and Snow

leopard and home to the lesser known feline

species like the Golden cat and Marbled cat.

Ans:85)(c)

Explanation: They fly far and they fly strong-

-Amur falcons travel up to 22,000km per year

from South Eastern Siberia and Northern

China to Somalia, Kenya and South Africa, their final destinations. Every year, on the

way, they roost in Nagaland and few other

parts of northeast India (Umrongso in Assam

and Tamenglong in Manipur).

Doyang, in Pangti village of Wokha district,

witnesses one of the biggest congregations of these migratory birds because of which now

Nagaland is a declared 'Falcon Capital of the

World'. The Amur Falcon Conservation Week

& Festivals will be held from November 8 to

10 every year and this year (2018) is its first edition.

Ans:86)(c)

Explanation: With the population of the

endangered Gangetic river dolphin decreasing

and its habitat changing, there is finally good news that the much-awaited National

Dolphin Research Centre (NDRC), India's and

Asia's first, would be a reality here soon.

The NDRC is likely to be set up on the banks

of the Ganga River in the Patna University premises. It will play an important role in

strengthening conservation efforts and

research to save the endangered mammal.

Ans:87)(a) Explanation: At present, there are two

natural World Heritage Sites in the Northeast

— Kaziranga and Manas National Parks and

one cultural (mountain Railway of Darjeeling).

The Centre has nominated the Garo Hills

Conservation Area (GHCA), straddling South and West Garo Hills district in Meghalaya, for

a World Heritage Site. The nomination has

been made in the mixed-site category this

year and kept in the tentative list. Tentative

list is an inventory of properties which each state intends to consider for nomination.

Ans:88)(b)

Explanation: In the Lakshadweep

archipelago, off the west coast of India, is a

tiny island called Pakshi Pitti. The island hosts no humans; instead, it is an important

nesting place for seabirds. It is a bird

sanctuary protected under the Indian Wildlife

(Protection) Act, 1972. However, its nesting

seabirds are far from protected. During the breeding season, fisherfolk from the

neighbouring islands visit Pakshi Pitti to loot

its treasure of eggs.

Ans:89)(a)

Explanation: Termed Local Treatment of Urban Sewage Streams for Healthy Reuse

(LOTUSHR), the project aims to produce clean

water from Delhi's Barapullah drain, while

mining nutrients and energy from the sewage.

The LOTUSHR project can convert 10 lakh litres of sewage into clean water and generate

three tonnes of biofuel. Barapullah is a

12.5km long drain, carrying the city's sewage

and is responsible for 30 per cent of the

pollution of the Yamuna, according to the

government. The LOTUSHR project began two years ago,

as a joint initiative with the Netherlands

government. It will also have an onsite

experimental testing laboratory for assessing

the quality of the water.

Ans:90)(c)

Explanation: With an aim to boost tiger and

elephant conservation efforts, the government

approved the continuation of the centrally-

sponsored umbrella scheme of Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (CSS-IDWH)

till 2019-20. The scheme consists of centrally

sponsored schemes of Project Tiger (CSS-PT),


Development of Wildlife Habitats (CSS-DWH)

and Project Elephant (CSS-PE).

Ans:91)(a)

Explanation: Country’s first genetic resource

bank, which could have far reaching

implications in conservation and revival of extinct and endangered species in the near

future, was established at Centre for Cellular

and Molecular Biology’s (CCMB) Laboratory of

Conservation of Endangered Species

(LaCONES) facility in Hyderabad.

Ans:92)(a)

Explanation: The Khangchendzonga

Biosphere Reserve has become the 11th

Biosphere Reserve from India that has been

included in the UNESCO designated World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR). The

decision to include Khangchendzonga

Biosphere Reserve in WNBR was taken at the

30th Session of International Coordinating

Council (ICC) of Man and Biosphere (MAB)

Programme of UNESCO held at Indonesia's Palembang.

India has 18 Biosphere Reserves and with the

inclusion of Khangchendzonga, the number of

internationally designated WNBR has become

11, with 7 Biosphere Reserves being domestic Biosphere Reserves.

Ans:93)(a)

Explanation: The National Tiger

Conservation Authority is a statutory body

under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change constituted under

enabling provisions of the Wildlife (Protection)

Act, 1972, as amended in 2006, for

strengthening tiger conservation, as per

powers and functions assigned to it under the said Act.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority

has been fulfilling its mandate within the

ambit of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 for

strengthening tiger conservation in the

country by retaining an oversight through advisories/normative guidelines, based on

appraisal of tiger status, ongoing

conservation initiatives and recommendations

of specially constituted Committees. ‘Project

Tiger’ is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Environment, Forests and Climate Change,

providing funding support to tiger range

States, for in-situ conservation of tigers in

designated tiger reserves.

Ans:94)(d) Explanation: The targets for the first

commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol

cover emissions of the six main greenhouse

gases, namely:

Carbon dioxide (CO2);

Methane (CH4);

Nitrous oxide (N2O);

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs);

Perfluorocarbons (PFCs); and

Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6)

Ans:95)(c) Explanation: If a pollutant is short-lived, it

will be broken down before it can become

dangerous. If it is not mobile, it will stay in

one place and is unlikely to be taken up by

organisms. If the pollutant is soluble in

water, it will be excreted by the organism. Pollutants that dissolve in fats, however, may

be retained for a long time.

Ans:96)(b)

Explanation: Sundari Trees are mangroves

and they are characteristic littoral plant formation of tropical and subtropical

sheltered coastlines.

They require high solar radiation and have

the ability to absorb fresh water from

saline/brackish water. It produces pneumatophores (blind roots) to

overcome respiration problem in the

anaerobic soil conditions.

Mangroves exhibit Viviparity mode of

reproduction. i.e. seeds germinate in the tree

itself (before falling to the ground). This is an adaptative mechanism to overcome the

problem of germination in saline water.

Ans:97)(c)

Ans:98)(b)

Explanation: Biotic resources- These include

plants, animals and microorganisms. They

are living animal resources.

Ans:99)(a) Explanation: Eutrophication: Eutrophication

of a water body occurs when plant nutrients

such as nitrates and phosphates are released

by the action of aerobic bacteria on organic

wastes entering a water body. These nutrients promote growth of algae (algal bloom). Algae

consume all the oxygen and aquatic organism

die due to lack of oxygen.

Mercury in the water bodies in consumed

fishes, which leads to bioaccumulation and

the consumption of such fishes causes minamata disease.

Ans:100)(a)

Explanation: Excess nitrate in drinking

water reacts with hemoglobin to form non-functional methaemoglobin, and impairs

oxygen transport. This condition is called

methaemoglobinemia or blue baby syndrome.

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