Nature's Treasures MCQs for UPSC Prelims

115 practice questions covering Nature's Treasures, organised into 1 topics. 115 questions include a written explanation. Pick a topic below, or try the samples first.

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Sample questions

Q1
medium

A news report says that the oil wells of a certain country may run dry in about forty years. This is possible because petroleum is

  1. A formed afresh in the ground every rainy season
  2. B a non-renewable resource present in a limited amount
  3. C a renewable resource that returns with every monsoon
  4. D made in refineries out of ordinary air
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - a non-renewable resource present in a limited amount

An oil field holds a fixed store of petroleum that took millions of years to form, so steady pumping can empty it. Rain has nothing to do with refilling it. A refinery only separates petroleum that has already been pumped up; it cannot make oil from air, and no fresh oil forms each season.

Q2
easy

Soil is formed mainly from

  1. A plastic waste that breaks down within a week
  2. B air that settles down on the ground
  3. C water that freezes into ice during winter
  4. D rocks that slowly break into tiny pieces over a very long time
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D - rocks that slowly break into tiny pieces over a very long time

Wind, water and changes of temperature break rock into smaller and smaller pieces over hundreds of years, and these pieces mix with the remains of plants and animals to make soil. Ice, air and plastic waste do not build soil. Plastic stays in the ground for years without breaking down at all.

Q3
hard

Consider these statements. (i) A row of trees planted along the edge of a field slows the wind and protects the soil. (ii) Leaving land completely bare through the dry season makes its soil richer. Which of them is correct?

  1. A Both (i) and (ii)
  2. B Only (i)
  3. C Only (ii)
  4. D Neither (i) nor (ii)
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - Only (i)

Statement (i) is correct, because a line of trees breaks the force of the wind and stops it from carrying away dry topsoil. Statement (ii) is wrong, since bare land loses soil to wind and rain and gains no humus. Hence only the first statement is correct.

Q4
medium

Consider these statements. (i) Oxygen is the most plentiful gas in air. (ii) Carbon dioxide forms only a very small part of air. Which of them is correct?

  1. A Both (i) and (ii)
  2. B Neither (i) nor (ii)
  3. C Only (ii)
  4. D Only (i)
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C - Only (ii)

Statement (ii) is correct, as carbon dioxide is a tiny fraction of air even though plants need it to make food. Statement (i) is wrong because nitrogen, not oxygen, is the most plentiful gas in air. Choosing (i) or choosing both repeats that mistake, and rejecting both throws away a true statement.

Q5
easy

Which gas makes up the largest part of the air around us?

  1. A Carbon dioxide
  2. B Nitrogen
  3. C Oxygen
  4. D Water vapour
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - Nitrogen

Nitrogen is about $78\%$ of air by volume, far more than any other gas. Oxygen comes next at about $21\%$, so it is not the largest part. Carbon dioxide is a very tiny share of air even though plants depend on it. Water vapour changes from place to place and is always a small share.

Q6
medium

The dark upper layer of soil is rich in humus. Humus is made of

  1. A small chips of hard, unbroken rock
  2. B salt left behind by rainwater
  3. C the rotted remains of plants and animals
  4. D fine sand carried in by the wind
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C - the rotted remains of plants and animals

Humus is the dark, crumbly material formed when dead leaves, roots and animal remains rot in the soil, and it makes the topsoil fertile. Rock chips, salt and blown sand may all be present in soil, but none of them is humus, and none of them supplies the nutrients that humus does.

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Other subjects

Environment & Ecology 1200 Economy 1075 Logical Reasoning 1013 Quantitative Aptitude 916 Polity & Governance 897 Geography 885 Science & Technology 830 Ancient & Medieval History 737 Art & Culture 711 Modern History 589 International Relations 582 Data Interpretation 515 Reading Comprehension 408 Number Play 317 Fractions 142 A Peek Beyond the Point 125 Light: Shadows and Reflections 120 Quadrilaterals 120 Changes Around Us: Physical and Chemical 120 Proportional Reasoning-1 120 Measurement of Length and Motion 116 Exploring Substances: Acidic, Basic, and Neutral 116 Prime Time 116 Light: Mirrors and Lenses 116 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body 115 Exploring Forces 115 Lines and Angles 115 Measurement of Time and Motion 115 Parallel and Intersecting Lines 115 Pressure, Winds, Storms, and Cyclones 115 Power Play 114 The Invisible Living World: Beyond Our Naked Eye 112 Working with Fractions 110 Diversity in the Living World 110 A Journey through States of Water 110 A Tale of Three Intersecting Lines 110 The Amazing World of Solutes, Solvents, and Solutions 110 Electricity: Circuits and their Components 110 How Nature Works in Harmony 110 Large Numbers Around Us 110 Nature of Matter: Elements, Compounds, and Mixtures 110 The World of Metals and Non-metals 110 Electricity: Magnetic and Heating Effects 110 We Distribute, Yet Things Multiply 110 A Square and A Cube 109 The Other Side of Zero 106 Heat Transfer in Nature 105 Living Creatures: Exploring their Characteristics 105 Health: The Ultimate Treasure 105 Expressions using Letter-Numbers 105 Methods of Separation in Everyday Life 105 Exploring Magnets 105 Our Home: Earth, a Unique Life Sustaining Planet 105 Beyond Earth 105 Life Processes in Animals 105 Life Processes in Plants 105 Patterns in Mathematics 103 Perimeter and Area 100 Particulate Nature of Matter 100 Materials Around Us 100 A Story of Numbers 100 Earth, Moon, and the Sun 100