www.iasscore.

in

ENVIRONMENT, RESOURCES &

BIODIVERSITY ANSWERS
1.

(b)

2.

(a)

(b)

8.

(a)

Exp.: The Bachat Lamp Yojana under the Clean

Development Mechanism (CDM) of the
United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) was launched
on 28th May, 2008. It is a public-private
partnership programme.

10.

(d)

11.

(d)

12.

(a)

13.

(a)

GS

(a)

(c)

(b)

Exp.: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also

known as the Eastern Pacific Garbage Patch
and the Pacific Trash Vortex, lies in a highpressure area between the U.S. states of
Hawaii and California. A similar garbage
patch exists in the Atlantic Ocean, in the
North Atlantic Gyre.
4.

7.

SC

Exp.: They shed their leaves in the dry season.

The common trees are oak, ash, beech, etc.
3.

(d)

OR
E

Exp.: Municipal bodies shall develop the

necessary infrastructure development for
collection,
storage,
segregation,
transportation, processing and disposal of
municipal solid waste directly or by
engaging agencies or groups as per the
rules.

6.

9.

Exp.: Kaziranga National Park has the largest

number of one horned rhinos in the world
whereas Pabitora National Park has the
highest density of rhinos in the world.

Exp.: Hotspots are not formally recognised or

governed areas. However, the identification
of these areas as hotspots increases the
likelihood of conservation investment. In
addition, other designations for biodiversity
conservation are likely to be present within
these broad areas which may have more
formal management structures. For
example, the average protected area
coverage of hotspots, based on IUCN
protected area categories I-VI, is 10% of
their original extent.

Exp.: The nation with the highest number of sites

is the United Kingdom at 169; the nation
with the greatest area of listed wetlands is
Canada, with over 130,000 km2.

5.

(a)

Exp.: It does not, however, address the

movement of radioactive waste.

14.

(b)

15.

(d)

16.

(d)

17.

(a)

18.

(a)

19.

(b)

20.

(c)
[1]

21.

(a)

31.

22.

(c)

23.

(d)

24.

(a)

25.

(d)

26.

(c)

Exp.: 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 multidisciplinary 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.

27.

OR
E

Exp.: The Ganges shark is largely restricted to

the rivers of eastern and northeastern India,
particularly the Hooghly River of West
Bengal, and the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and
Mahanadi in Bihar, Assam, and Odisha,
respectively. It is typically found in the
middle to lower reaches of a river.
(a)

(d)

SC

Exp.: EIA has now been made mandatory under

the Environmental Protection Act, 1986 for
29 categories of developmental activities
involving investments of Rs. 50 crores and
above.
28.

(c)

Exp.: Currently there are 5 exchanges trading in

carbon allowances:

32.

(a)

Exp.: Minus 4 C (25 F) is a physiological

temperature limit of mangrove survival.
33.

(d)

34.

(a)

The European Climate Exchange

2.

NASDAQ OMX Commodities Europe

Exp.: Tropical Andes is a hotspot. There are some

countries which are situated in the tropical
region; they possess a large number of the
worlds species diversity.

3.

PowerNext

35.

(d)

4.

Commodity Exchange Bratislava

36.

(c)

5.

The European Energy Exchange

29.

(c)

Exp.: Biomes are climatically and geographically

defined as contiguous areas with similar
climatic conditions on the Earth.

GS

1.

Exp.: GRIHA rating system consists of 34 criteria

categorized under various sections such as
Site Selection and Site Planning,
Conservation and Efficient Utilization of
Resources, Building Operation and
Maintenance, and Innovation points.
30.

(a)

Exp.: Leadership in Energy and Environmental

Design (LEED) is a set of rating systems for
the design, construction, operation, and
maintenance of green buildings, homes and
neighbourhoods.
[ 2 ]

37.

(a)

38.

(a)

39.

(d)

40.

(c)

41.

(b)

42.

(c)

Exp.: Rights to all activities like hunting, grazing,

etc. in reserved forests are banned unless
specific orders are issued otherwise. The

first Reserve Forest Of India was Satpura

National Park.

(iv) Precipitation which includes total amount,

variations over time and intensity.

43.

(b)

(v)

44.

(b)

45.

(d)

46.

(a)

(vi) Soil types

(vii) Slope

48.

(d)

49.

(d)

50.

(c)

51.

(b)

52.

(d)

53.

(a)

55.

GS

(a)

58.

(d)

Exp.: The changes are:

(i)

Majority of the grasslands have been

converted into agricultural lands which
have now become famous granaries of the
world

(ii)

Pastoralism or domestication of animals.

(iii) Large scale hunting of animals has resulted

into extinction of some animals.

Exp.: Thorium is more abundant in nature than

uranium. It is fertile rather than fissile, and
can only be used as a fuel in conjunction
with a fissile material such as recycled
plutonium. Two-thirds of monazite is found
in heavy mineral sands deposits on the
south and east coasts of India.
54.

(ix) Other plant and animal species.

SC

(d)

(viii) Drainage

OR
E

Exp.: The trees found in the western section are

broad-leaved oak, brown oak, walnut,
rhododendron, etc. The forests in the
northern region are denser than in the
South.
47.

Wind flow that include speed, direction,

duration and frequency.

(iv) The introduction of new animal and plant

species has altogether changed the
composition of native vegetation.
59.

(c)

Exp.: Green House effect leads to acidification of

oceans. It also reduces the transport of
nutrients from deeper layers to the surface
by vertical circulation.
60.

(d)

(c)

61.

(a)

56.

(d)

Exp.: Monitorable targets for the 12th Plan:

57.

(d)

a)

Exp.: There are various factors which affects the

size, location, and character of a biome.
Important factors are as follow:

To increase forest and tree cover by 5

percentage points.

b)

To reclaim wetlands/inland lakes /ponds

by 2017.

(i)

Length of day light and darkness. This is

mainly responsible for duration of
photosynthesis.

c)

(ii)

Mean temperature as well as difference in

temperature. Differences (both diurnal and
annual) to find out extreme conditions.

To identify, assess and remediate

contaminated sites (hazardous chemicals
and wastes) with potential for ground
water contamination.

d)

To improve forest production and maintain

biodiversity.

e)

To establish continuous on-line monitoring

(iii) Length of growing season.

[3]

systems using GIS & GPS for air and water

pollution.
f)

To create Common Infrastructure for

Environment Protection viz; CETP, TSDF,
etc.

g)

To clean all critically polluted rivers by

2020.

h)

To reduce 20-25 percent energy use per unit

of GDP by 2020.

i)

Epidemiological studies to assess

improvement in health status due to better
management of Environment and ecology.
(c)

Exp.: The advantages of crop rotation are:

Crop rotation helps to create a biodiversity

soil which reduces the chance of soil bound
organisms to get a pest and reducing the
use of pesticides.

Crop rotation helps to minimise the growth

of weeds that needs to be eradicated and
so reducing the use of pesticides

Crop rotation helps getting a good soil

structure (alternatively shallow and deep
rooting roots), high organic matter, good
water provision, especially in combination
with conservation tillage, resulting in a
higher yield

GS

SC

66.

(a)

Exp.: The reasons for low productivity are (i)

minimum sunlight and insolation (ii)
absence or scarcity of nutrients such as
nitrogen and phosphorous in the soils, (iii)
poorly developed soils (iv) scarcity of
moisture in the soils, (v) permanently frozen
ground and (vi) very short growing period.
67.

(a)

68.

(d)

OR
E

62.

Exp.: The areas of Western Ghats and Sri Lanka;

Eastern Himalayas and Indo-Burma region
are considered as Biodiversity hotspots in
India.

Crop rotation, especially performed with

nitrogen-fixating rotation crops, will reduce
the input of fertilizers and so reduce the
pollution by nitrogen; a high nitrogensupply will even contribute to soil organic
matter depletion.
Crop rotation, especially combined with
conservation tillage, will lead to higher soilcarbon content and so contribute to
combating climate change.

69.

(b)

Exp. Interspecific competition, in ecology, is a

form of competition in which individuals
of different species compete for the same
resource in an ecosystem (e.g. food or living
space). The other form of competition is
intraspecific competition, which involves
organisms of the same species.
70.

(d)

71.

(b)

Exp.: Heat islands occur on the surface and in

the atmosphere. The temperature difference
between the urban heat island and its
surroundings is usually larger at night than
during the day.
72.

(c)

Exp.: Sasan- Gir or Gir National Park is only home

of pure Asiatic Lion Panthera leon persica.
These lions were once found across
northern Africa, south west Asia and
northern Greece.
73.

(a)

63.

(b)

Exp.: The objectives of the programme are:

64.

(c)

Afforestation in lands outside forest areas.

Increasing the number of trees in India.

Promoting the participation of institutions

and people in the field of growing of trees.

Exp.: Enhances germination, plant growth, and

crop yield.
65.
[ 4 ]

(a)

Putting less fertile and unproductive land

to productive use

Augmenting the income of people by tree

planting.

Increasing the employment opportunities

of rural poor.

74.

(d)

75.

(c)

OR
E

SC

Increasing the yield of timber and other

non-timber forest produce like fruit,
firewood, fodder, etc to ensure easy supply
to people.

GS

[5]