habitats-and-adaptation MCQs for UPSC Prelims

25 practice questions on habitats-and-adaptation from the Diversity in the Living World section of the UPSC Prelims syllabus. 25 come with a written explanation. Try the sample set below - the answer stays hidden until you ask for it.

8 Easy 12 Medium 5 Hard

Sample questions

Q1
hard

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?

  1. A Both of them are forests
  2. B The first is a grassland and the second is a desert
  3. C The first is a forest and the second is a mountain
  4. D The 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
easy

When we say that the desert is the habitat of the camel, we mean that

  1. A the desert is the surroundings in which a camel naturally lives
  2. B the camel was born inside a zoo built in a desert
  3. C a camel can survive in the desert for only one day
  4. D the camel feeds on sand
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - 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.

Q3
medium

In a pond, water hyacinth floats on the surface while hydrilla stays fully under the water. What does this show about the pond?

  1. A Every plant of a pond floats on the surface
  2. B Different plants live at different levels within the same aquatic habitat
  3. C Plants are not able to grow in a pond at all
  4. D A pond can support only one kind of plant
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - Different plants live at different levels within the same aquatic habitat

One plant floating and another growing beneath the surface shows that a single pond offers several levels for plants to live at. The pond clearly supports more than one kind, plants do grow there, and hydrilla shows that not every pond plant floats.

Q4
easy

Which of these is a terrestrial habitat?

  1. A The sea
  2. B A desert
  3. C A river
  4. D A pond
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - A desert

Terrestrial habitats are those on land, and a desert is one of them, along with forests, grasslands and mountains. A pond, a river and the sea are all bodies of water, so they are aquatic habitats.

Q5
easy

What is meant by the habitat of a plant or an animal?

  1. A The name that people give to it
  2. B The food that it eats
  3. C The season in which it is born
  4. D The surroundings in which it lives
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D - The surroundings in which it lives

A habitat is the surroundings in which an organism lives and from which it gets food, water and shelter. Food is one thing a habitat supplies, not the habitat itself, while the name and the season of birth are separate matters altogether.

Q6
medium

High up on a mountain the air is cold, the wind is strong and snow falls in winter. Which kind of tree is most likely to grow well there?

  1. A A plant that floats freely on the surface of water
  2. B A tree with wide flat branches that hold heavy snow for days
  3. C A cone shaped tree with sloping branches, from which snow slides off easily
  4. D A cactus with a thick stem that stores water
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C - A cone shaped tree with sloping branches, from which snow slides off easily

A cone shape with sloping branches lets snow slide off, so the branches do not break under its weight, which suits a snowy mountain. Flat branches would collect snow and snap. A cactus suits a hot dry desert, and a floating plant belongs to a pond.

Q7
medium

Assertion (A): A polar bear has a thick coat of fur and a layer of fat under its skin. Reason (R): These features slow the loss of heat from the body in a very cold habitat.

  1. A Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
  2. B Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
  3. C A is true, but R is false
  4. D A is false, but R is true
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A

Both statements are true, and R gives the reason for A. Thick fur and a fat layer both hold in body heat, which is exactly what an animal in a freezing habitat needs. Neither statement is false, so the last two choices do not apply.

Q8
medium

A fish has a streamlined body and gills. How do these features help it?

  1. A The shape keeps its body warm, and the gills help it walk on the pond floor
  2. B The shape helps it hide in sand, and the gills help it dig into the soil
  3. C The shape lets it move easily through water, and the gills take in the air dissolved in water
  4. D The shape lets it fly, and the gills take in air from above the water surface
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C - The shape lets it move easily through water, and the gills take in the air dissolved in water

A streamlined body slips through water with little resistance, and gills take in the air dissolved in the water, so the two features suit life in a pond or a river. A fish does not fly, its gills do not work in open air, and it neither walks nor digs.

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