Wildlife & Species MCQs for UPSC Prelims

Correct answer: A - 1, 2 and 3 only

The lion-tailed macaque is an endemic primate of the Western Ghats and is found only in the rainforest pockets of the southern Western Ghats, which fall in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, so option (a) is correct. Andhra Pradesh lies on the eastern side of the peninsula and has no Western Ghats rainforest habitat, which rules out statement 4 and therefore options (c) and (d). Option (b) is too restrictive because the species is not confined to Kerala alone but ranges across all three western coastal states named.

Correct answer: C - 1 and 3 only

The Desert National Park in Rajasthan is spread across the Jaisalmer and Barmer districts, so statement 1 is correct, and it is one of the last strongholds of the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard, so statement 3 is correct. Statement 2 is wrong because several villages and human settlements exist within and around the park, making it an inhabited protected area unlike many wildlife reserves. Hence only statements 1 and 3 are correct.

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.

Correct answer: D - II and III

The Peacock or Gooty tarantula is a spider, an arachnid and a carnivore, not an omnivorous crustacean, so statement I is wrong. Its natural range in India is restricted to a small patch of forest in Andhra Pradesh, validating statement II, and in the wild it is an arboreal, tree-dwelling species, validating statement III. Hence only II and III are correct.

Correct answer: C - Lemongrass

Lemongrass yields citronella oil, a well-known natural mosquito repellent, making it the correct choice. Congress grass (Parthenium) is an invasive weed that causes allergies and is not a repellent. Elephant grass is a tall fodder grass with no repellent use. Nut grass is a common sedge weed. Hence lemongrass is used to prepare natural mosquito repellent.

Correct answer: B - 2 only

TRAFFIC is a wildlife trade monitoring network established jointly by WWF and IUCN, not a bureau under UNEP, so statement 1 is wrong. Its stated mission is to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals does not threaten the conservation of nature, making statement 2 correct. Thus only statement 2 is correct.

Correct answer: A - Golden Mahseer

The Golden Mahseer is a large freshwater game fish found in Himalayan rivers, not a bird. The Indian Nightjar, the Spoonbill and the White Ibis are all bird species. Hence the Golden Mahseer is the correct answer to a question asking which is not a bird.

Correct answer: C - Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam

Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana is the largest tiger reserve in India, and it accordingly has the largest notified Critical Tiger Habitat (core area) among the options, exceeding 2,500 sq km. Corbett, Ranthambore and the Sundarbans are significant reserves but each has a smaller core habitat. Hence Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam has the largest area under Critical Tiger Habitat.