10. Which one is not an officially designated Indian biosphere reserve?
[UPSC CSE Prelims – 2005]
(A) Agasthyamalai
(B) Nallamalai
(C) Nilgiri
(D) Pachmarhi
Answer: (B) Nallamalai
Explanation: Nilgiri, Agasthyamalai and Pachmarhi are designated biosphere reserves. Nallamalai is a forested hill region of the Eastern Ghats, associated with tiger landscapes, but not the named biosphere reserve in this list.
9. Match Bondla Sanctuary, Kanger Ghati Park, Orang Sanctuary and Ushakothi Sanctuary to their states. Which mapping is correct?
[UPSC CSE Prelims – 2005]
(A) Assam, Goa, Tripura, Odisha
(B) Goa, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Odisha
(C) Assam, Chhattisgarh, Tripura, Goa
(D) Goa, Odisha, Assam, Chhattisgarh
Answer: (B) Goa, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Odisha
Explanation: Bondla is in Goa, Kanger Ghati in Chhattisgarh, Orang in Assam and Ushakothi in Odisha. Memorising the regional distribution of protected areas is particularly useful because similar names occur across different conservation designations.
8. Which statement is correct?
1. Pangolins, often called toothless mammals, are absent from India.
2. The gibbon is India’s only native ape.
[UPSC CSE Prelims – 2004]
(A) 1 only
(B) 2 only
(C) Both
(D) Neither
Answer: (B) 2 only
Explanation: India has pangolins, including the Indian and Chinese pangolins, so the first statement is false. Hoolock gibbons are the only native apes in India, making the second true. Both are affected by forest loss and illegal wildlife trade.
7. Match these parks to states: Kanger Ghati, Nagarhole, Kugti Sanctuary and Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary. Which sequence is correct?
[UPSC CSE Prelims – 2004]
(A) Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka
(B) Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana
(C) Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Haryana
(D) Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka
Answer: (B) Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana
Explanation: Kanger Ghati lies in Chhattisgarh, Nagarhole in Karnataka, Kugti in Himachal Pradesh and Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary in Haryana. The original match-the-list question depends on accurately linking four protected areas to their states.
6. Match Similipal, Dihang–Dibang, Nokrek and Khangchendzonga biosphere reserves to their states.
[UPSC CSE Prelims – 2004]
(A) Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Odisha
(B) Odisha, Meghalaya, Uttarakhand, Sikkim
(C) Sikkim, Meghalaya, Uttarakhand, Odisha
(D) Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Sikkim
Answer: (D) Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Sikkim
Explanation: Similipal is in Odisha; Dihang–Dibang in Arunachal Pradesh; Nokrek in Meghalaya; and Khangchendzonga in Sikkim. They represent very different environments, from central Indian forests to the northeastern and high Himalayan mountain systems.
5. In the context of Indian wildlife, a flying fox is which kind of animal?
[UPSC CSE Prelims – 2001]
(A) Bat
(B) Kite
(C) Stork
(D) Vulture
Answer: (A) Bat
Explanation: A flying fox is a large fruit-eating bat, not a bird. Indian flying foxes disperse seeds and pollinate flowering plants, making them useful to forest ecosystems. Their name comes from the foxlike appearance of their faces.
4. An Asian animal numbering roughly 20,000–25,000 in the question’s era inhabited moist deciduous forests and ranged from the Himalayan foothills through central and northeastern India to the Western Ghats. Identify it.
[UPSC CSE Prelims – 1999]
(A) Lion
(B) Elephant
(C) Tiger
(D) One-horned rhinoceros
Answer: (B) Elephant
Explanation: The description refers to the Asian elephant, whose Indian range includes northeastern, central and southern forests. The numerical estimate belongs to the period of the original examination rather than the latest census. Elephants depend on connected habitats and seasonal movement.
3. India’s first marine sanctuary containing coral reefs, dolphins, molluscs, turtles and seabirds was established where?
[UPSC CSE Prelims – 1999]
(A) Sundarbans
(B) Chilika Lake
(C) Gulf of Kachchh
(D) Lakshadweep
Answer: (C) Gulf of Kachchh
Explanation: The Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf of Kachchh, Gujarat, was India’s first marine sanctuary. Its coral reefs, intertidal areas and rich marine fauna demonstrate why conserving coastal waters requires different measures from inland forest protection.
2. Which Indian region was identified as an ecological hotspot?
[UPSC CSE Prelims – 1996]
(A) Western Himalayas
(B) Eastern Himalayas
(C) Western Ghats
(D) Eastern Ghats
Answer: (C) Western Ghats
Explanation: The Western Ghats are a recognised biodiversity hotspot because of exceptional plant and animal endemism combined with serious habitat loss. Their moist forests shelter rare amphibians, mammals and birds, demonstrating the need to protect fragmented landscapes.
1. Which was NOT among India’s designated biosphere reserves by 1995?
[UPSC CSE Prelims – 1995]
(A) Great Nicobar
(B) Sundarbans
(C) Nanda Devi
(D) Gulf of Kachchh
Answer: (D) Gulf of Kachchh
Explanation: Great Nicobar, Sundarbans and Nanda Devi had biosphere reserve status by 1995. The Gulf of Kachchh was not part of that notified list; its marine sanctuary and national park designations should not be confused with biosphere-reserve status.100 previously asked examination questions · Numbered from 100 to 1 without altering the newest-to-oldest order
