Environment, Ecology & Biodiversity MCQs - Set 3

1)   Which among the following is / are the Economic services performed by wild species?
1: Nitrogen-fixation
2: Production of medicines
3: Pollination of crops
4: Greenwashing
Select the correct option from the codes given below:


a. Only 1 & 2
b. Only 2 & 3
c. Only 2, 3 & 4
d. Only 1, 2 & 3
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Only 1, 2 & 3

Explanation:
Greenwashing (a compound word modelled on “whitewash”) is a form of spin in which green PR or green marketing is deceptively used to promote the perception that an organization’s aims and policies are environmentally friendly. Whether it is to increase profits or gain political support, greenwashing may be used to manipulate popular opinion to support otherwise questionable aims.


2)   Consider the following statements about Green Climate Fund:
1: It was established at 21st Conference of Parties (COP)held in Paris, France.
2: It aims at mobilization of funds from developed countries to developing countries.
3: It is governed by the GCF Board.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?


a. 2 Only
b. 1 and 3 Only
c. 2 and 3 Only
d. 1,2 and 3
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: 2 and 3 Only

Explanation:
First Statement is wrong because GCF was established during COP 16 at Cancun, in Mexico, in the year 2010.COP 21 was held at Paris, in France, in the year 2015.


3)   The government of India has a say in the prices of which among the following fuels?
1. Natural Gas
2. Gasoline
3. Diesel
4. Kerosene
Choose the correct option:


a. Only 2 & 4
b. Only 1, 2 & 4
c. 1, 2, 3 & 4
d. Only 1, 3 & 4
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: 1, 2, 3 & 4

Explanation:
Though the prices of Gasoline are deregulated, yet it means that the increases will be made by the Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) in consultation with the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas. It has also been decided that in case of a high rise and volatility in international oil prices, Government will suitably intervene in the pricing of Petrol and Diesel.


4)   Which of the following is / are Organochlorine pesticides?
1: DDT
2: Endosulphan
3: Aldrin
Select the correct option from the codes given below:


a. Only 1 & 2
b. Only 2 & 3
c. Only 1 & 3
d. 1, 2 & 3
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: 1, 2 & 3

Explanation:
Organochlorine pesticides are persistent organic pollutants (POPs), a class of chemicals known to break down very slowly and bio- accumulate in lipid rich tissue such as body fat.


5)   The political instability in Yemen is compounded by the severe ecological crisis also. This ecological crisis in Yemen is caused by _:
1. Scarcity of freshwater
2. Abuse of available groundwater
3. Low agricultural output & food insecurity
Select the correct option from the codes given below:


a. Only 1 & 2
b. Only 2 & 3
c. Only 1 & 3
d. 1, 2 & 3
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: 1, 2 & 3

Explanation:
Yemen’s political instability has been compounded and partly caused by the severe ecological crisis in the country. The average Yemeni has access to only 140 cubic meters of water per year for all uses, while the Middle Eastern average is 1000 m3/yr, and the internationally defined threshold for water stress is 1700 cubic meters per year.[10] Yemen’s groundwater is the main source of water in the country but the water tables have dropped severely leaving the country without a viable source of water. For example, in Sana’a, the water table was 30 meters below surface in the 1970s but had dropped to 1200 meters below surface by 2012. The groundwater has not been regulated by Yemen’s governments. Even before the revolution, Yemen’s water situation had been described as increasingly dire by experts who worried that Yemen would be the “first country to run out of water”. Agriculture in Yemen takes up about 90% of water in Yemen even though it only generates 6% of GDP – however a large portion of Yemenis are dependent on small-scale subsistence agriculture. Half of agricultural water in Yemen is used to grow khat, a narcotic that most Yemenis chew. This means that in such a water-scarce country as Yemen, where half the population is food-insecure, 45% of the water withdrawn from the ever-depleting aquifers is used to grow a crop that feeds nobody. This water insecurity has a direct impact on political stability. Outsiders hear most about the proxy war between factions supported by other countries, but according to the Yemeni newspaper Al-Thawra, 70% to 80% of conflicts in the country’s rural regions are water-related. The country’s Interior Ministry has estimated that across the country, water and land related disputes kill 40,000 people a year – more than terrorism. In Al-Jawf Governorate, a dispute over a well’s placement has led to a blood feud that has continued for more than 30 years. In 2007, Yemen’s minister of Water and Natural Resources suggested that the Sana’a might have to be evacuated if it runs out of water. Although the government was unable to move the capital in an orderly and peaceful way, the war and political crisis has rendered Sana’a and most of Yemen into a battleground that people have been forced to flee.


6)   Consider the following:
1: Vermicompost
2: Azotobacter
3: Phosphate-solubilising bacteria
Which of the above is/are bio-fertilizer(s)?


a. 1 Only
b. 2 & 3 Only
c. 2 Only
d. 1, 2 & 3
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: 1, 2 & 3

Explanation:
All of above are bio-fertilizers


7)   Consider the following pollutants:
1: Ground level ozone
2: Sulphur oxides
3: Volatile organic compounds
Which of the above is/are primary pollutant(s)?


a. 1 Only
b. 2 & 3 Only
c. 1 & 2 Only
d. 2 Only
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: 2 & 3 Only

Explanation:
Ground level ozone is a secondary pollutant


8)   The Montreal Protocol was signed to phase out use of CHCs and HCFCs and replace them with HFCs. What advantage(s) is / are offered by HFCs over CHCs and HCFCs?
1. HFCs are ozone friendly in comparison to CHCs and HCFCs
2. HFCs are not proved to posses potential to contribute to global warming
Select the correct option from the codes given below:


a. Only 1
b. Only 2
c. Both 1 & 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Only 1

Explanation:
The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was an international treaty which was organized in 1987. HFCs have no role in the depletion of the ozone layer. Hence, HFCs are ozone friendly in comparison to CHCs and HCFCs. It plays a crucial link between protecting the ozone layer and climate.


9)   Identify the fauna of India with the following information:
1.This animal is widely found in Himalayan Foothills in India, Nepal and Bhutan along with some other countries
2.This animal is considered to be most talented climbers among the cats, it can climb upside down and hang from branches with its hind feet
3.It is smallest of the world’s big cats
Choose the correct option from the codes given below:


a. Snow leopard
b. Indian leopard
c. Clouded leopard
d. Cougar
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Clouded leopard

Explanation:
The clouded leopard (smallest of the world’s big cats) is listed as Vulnerable under the IUCN Red List. It is is widely found in Himalayan Foothills in India, Nepal and Bhutan along with some other countries. It is considered to be most talented climbers among the cats, it can climb upside down and hang from branches with its hind feet.


10)   Which of the following is / are advantages of preservation of biodiversity?
1: It helps in isolation of unique genetic material so it can be incorporated into existing crops
2: It helps in increasing the chances of discovering organisms with medicinal value
3: It helps in prevention of natural selection
4: In helps in finding new plants that can supplement the world’s food supply
Select the correct option from the codes given below:


a. Only 1 & 2
b. Only 1, 2 & 3
c. Only 1, 2 & 4
d. 1, 2, 3 & 4
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Only 1, 2 & 4

Explanation:
Third statement is incorrect. Preservation of biodiversity helps in natural selection instead.