111 practice questions on Wetlands & Marine Ecology from the Environment & Ecology section of the UPSC Prelims syllabus.
111 come with a written explanation and 23 are actual previous year questions.
Try the sample set below - the answer stays hidden until you ask for it.
18 Easy52 Medium41 Hard23 from past papers
Sample questions
Q1
Previous year questionhard
What is/are unique about 'Kharai camel', a breed found in India?
1. It is capable of swimming up to three kilometres in seawater.
2. It survives by grazing on mangroves.
3. It lives in the wild and cannot be domesticated.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
A1 and 2 only
B3 only
C1 and 3 only
D1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A - 1 and 2 only
The Kharai camel of the Kutch coast in Gujarat is famous for swimming up to about three kilometres through seawater to reach mangrove islands, so statement 1 is correct, and it feeds primarily on mangroves and saline coastal vegetation, making statement 2 correct. Statement 3 is wrong because the Kharai is very much a domesticated breed reared by Maldhari and Fakirani Jat pastoralists for milk and as a source of livelihood, so it neither lives in the wild nor is impossible to tame. The official UPSC key marks the answer as (a) 1 and 2 only; some coaching keys had initially circulated (d) before settling on (a), so the official answer is retained here.
Q2
Previous year questionmedium
With reference to the planet Earth, consider the following statements :
I. Rain forests produce more oxygen than that produced by oceans.
II. Marine phytoplankton and photosynthetic bacteria produce about 50% of world's oxygen.
III. Well-oxygenated surface water contains several folds higher oxygen than that in atmospheric air.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
AI and II
BII only
CI and III
DNone of the above statements is correct
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B - II only
Oceans, through phytoplankton and photosynthetic bacteria, generate roughly half of the world's oxygen, more than rainforests, so statement I is wrong while statement II is correct. Statement III is also wrong because the oxygen dissolved in even well-aerated surface water is far less than the oxygen content of atmospheric air. Hence only statement II is correct.
Q3
Previous year questionmedium
What would happen if phytoplankton of an ocean is completely destroyed for some reason?
1. The ocean as a carbon sink would be adversely affected.
2. The food chains in the ocean would be adversely affected.
3. The density of ocean water would drastically decrease.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
A1 and 2 only
B2 only
C3 only
D1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A - 1 and 2 only
Phytoplankton fix carbon dioxide through photosynthesis, so their loss would weaken the ocean as a carbon sink (statement 1), and as the base of marine food chains their destruction would disrupt those chains (statement 2). The density of ocean water depends on salinity and temperature, not on phytoplankton, so it would not drastically fall (statement 3 wrong). The answer is 1 and 2 only.
Q4
Previous year questionhard
With reference to the wetlands of India, consider the following statements:
1. The country's total geographical area under the category of wetlands is recorded more in Gujarat as compared to other States.
2. In India, the total geographical area of coastal wetlands is larger than that of inland wetlands.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A1 only
B2 only
CBoth 1 and 2
DNeither 1 nor 2
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A - 1 only
Gujarat, with its vast Rann of Kutch salt marshes, extensive coastline, creeks and lagoons, records the largest wetland area of any Indian State, so statement 1 is correct. Statement 2 is wrong: at the national level the area under inland wetlands (rivers, lakes, reservoirs, tanks, ponds) far exceeds that of coastal wetlands, so coastal wetlands are not larger. Therefore only statement 1 holds true.
Q5
Previous year questionmedium
With reference to 'dugong', a mammal found in India, which of the following statements is/are correct?
1. It is a herbivorous marine animal.
2. It is found along the entire coast of India.
3. It is given legal protection under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
A1 and 2
B2 only
C1 and 3
D3 only
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C - 1 and 3
The dugong, or sea cow, is a strictly herbivorous marine mammal that grazes on seagrass meadows, so statement 1 is correct. Statement 3 is also correct since the dugong enjoys the highest protection under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Statement 2 is wrong because the species survives only in a few isolated pockets of Indian waters, namely the Gulf of Mannar, Palk Bay, the Gulf of Kutch and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands; it is certainly not found along the entire coastline. Hence 1 and 3.
Q6
Previous year questionmedium
Ilmenite and rutile, abundantly available in certain coastal tracts of India, are rich sources of which one of the following?
AAluminium
BCopper
CIron
DTitanium
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D - Titanium
Titanium is correct because both ilmenite (iron titanium oxide) and rutile (titanium dioxide) are the principal ores of titanium and occur in India's coastal beach-sand mineral deposits. Although ilmenite contains iron, the economically important metal extracted from these minerals is titanium, not iron, ruling out that option. Aluminium comes mainly from bauxite and copper from sulphide ores like chalcopyrite, so neither is associated with ilmenite or rutile.
Q7
Previous year questionmedium
'If rainforests and tropical forests are the lungs of the Earth, then surely wetlands function as its kidneys.' Which one of the following functions of wetlands best reflects the above statement?
AThe water cycle in wetlands involves surface runoff, subsoil percolation and evaporation.
BAlgae form the nutrient base upon which fish, crustaceans, molluscs, birds, reptiles and mammals thrive.
CWetlands play a vital role in maintaining sedimentation balance and soil stabilization.
DAquatic plants absorb heavy metals and excess nutrients.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D - Aquatic plants absorb heavy metals and excess nutrients.
Kidneys filter waste, toxins and excess substances from the blood, so the analogy points to the purifying function of wetlands. Aquatic plants in wetlands absorb heavy metals and excess nutrients, cleansing the water just as kidneys cleanse blood, so option (d) best fits. The water cycle, food-web support and sediment balance described in the other options are real wetland functions but do not capture the filtering role implied by the kidney metaphor. Hence (d) is correct.
Q8
Previous year questionmedium
Consider the following statements :
1. The Global Ocean Commission grants licences for seabed exploration and mining in international waters.
2. India has received licences for seabed mineral exploration in international waters.
3. 'Rare earth minerals' are present on seafloor in international waters.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
A1 and 2 only
B2 and 3 only
C1 and 3 only
D1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B - 2 and 3 only
Licences for exploration and mining of the international seabed (the 'Area' beyond national jurisdiction) are granted by the International Seabed Authority, not the Global Ocean Commission, which was only an advisory body, so statement 1 is wrong. India has received such exploration licences, for instance for polymetallic nodules in the Central Indian Ocean Basin, so statement 2 is correct, and rare earth and other minerals do occur in seafloor deposits in international waters, so statement 3 is correct, giving 2 and 3 only.
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