Diversity in the Living World MCQs for UPSC Prelims
110 practice questions covering Diversity in the Living World, organised into 2 topics.
110 questions include a written explanation.
Pick a topic below, or try the samples first.
Two habitats are described. The first has scattered thorny shrubs, very hot days and almost no rain. The second is covered mainly with grasses, has few trees and supports many grazing animals. Which pair names them correctly?
ABoth of them are forests
BThe first is a grassland and the second is a desert
CThe first is a forest and the second is a mountain
DThe first is a desert and the second is a grassland
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D - The first is a desert and the second is a grassland
Thorny shrubs with great heat and almost no rain describe a desert, while a cover of grasses with few trees and grazing animals describes a grassland. The second choice swaps the two. Neither place is thick with tall trees, so neither is a forest, and no height or cold is mentioned for a mountain.
Q2
medium
A student watches an animal that feeds only on grass and leaves. What can she correctly say about it?
AIt is an omnivore, since grass and leaves are two different foods
BIt is a herbivore, and it depends directly on plants for its food
CIt is a carnivore, since grass and leaves are living things
DIt cannot be placed in any feeding group
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B - It is a herbivore, and it depends directly on plants for its food
Feeding only on plant material makes an animal a herbivore, and its food comes straight from plants. A carnivore is one that eats the flesh of animals, not plants. Grass and leaves are both plant parts, so eating both does not make it an omnivore, and every animal has a feeding group.
Q3
easy
When we say that the desert is the habitat of the camel, we mean that
Athe camel was born inside a zoo built in a desert
Ba camel can survive in the desert for only one day
Cthe desert is the surroundings in which a camel naturally lives
Dthe camel feeds on sand
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C - the desert is the surroundings in which a camel naturally lives
A habitat is the natural surroundings of an organism, and the desert supplies the camel with what it needs. A zoo is not a natural habitat, camels feed on desert plants rather than sand, and a camel lives its whole life in that habitat.
Q4
medium
A duck can walk on land, swim in a pond and also fly. What does this show about grouping animals by the way they move?
AOne animal may belong to more than one movement group
BSince a duck moves in only one way at a time, only one group can be correct
CAnimals can never be grouped by the way they move
DA duck should not be counted as an animal
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A - One animal may belong to more than one movement group
A duck really does walk, swim and fly, so it fits into three movement groups at once, and a grouping must allow for that. It is plainly an animal, movement remains a useful basis, and doing one thing at a time does not remove the other two abilities.
Q5
medium
Which of these animals live mainly on land? (i) Cow. (ii) Dolphin. (iii) Ant.
A(i) and (iii) only
B(ii) and (iii) only
C(i), (ii) and (iii)
D(i) and (ii) only
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A - (i) and (iii) only
A cow grazes on land and an ant moves over soil and plants, so both are land animals. A dolphin spends its whole life in the sea, so every option that includes (ii) is wrong.
Q6
medium
Why is the place where an animal lives a useful basis for grouping animals?
AAll the animals in one place belong to the same kind
BAnimals living in the same kind of place often share features that suit that place
CAnimals never move from one place to another
DThe place decides the name that people give to an animal
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B - Animals living in the same kind of place often share features that suit that place
Living in the same surroundings brings similar needs, so such animals often share useful features, which makes the grouping meaningful. Many different kinds share one place, animals do move about, and names are given by people rather than by the place.
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