ANSWERS WITH EXPLANATION

ENVIRONMENT, RESOURCES
& BIODIVERSITY

1. (b) 11. (c)

Exp.: Municipal bodies shall develop the necessary
infrastructure development for collection,
storage, segregation, transportation,
processing and disposal of municipal solid
waste directly or by engaging agencies or
groups as per the rules.
2. (d)
3. (a)
Exp.: They shed their leaves in the dry season.
The common trees are oak, ash, beech, etc.
4. (c)
Exp.: China is the largest producer of gold in the
world.
5. (a)
Exp.: Hotspots are not formally recognised or
governed areas. However, the identification
of these areas as hotspots increases the
likelihood of conservation investment. In
addition, other designations for biodiversity
conservation are likely to be present within
these broad areas which may have more
formal management structures. For
example, the average protected area
coverage of hotspots, based on IUCN
protected area categories I-VI, is 10% of their
original extent.
6. (a)
Exp.: It does not, however, address the movement
of radioactive waste.
Exp.: United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) has defined POPs, as "chemical
substances that persist in the environment,
bio-accumulate through the food web, and
pose a risk of causing adverse effects to
human health and the environment".
12. (a)
Exp.: The Bachat Lamp Yojana under the Clean
Development Mechanism (CDM) of the
United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) was launched
on 28th May, 2008. It is a public-private
partnership programme.
13. (b)
Exp.: Kaziranga National Park has the largest
number of one horned rhinos in the world
whereas Pabitora National Park has the
highest density of rhinos in the world.
14. (d)
15. (d)
16. (a)
17. (a)
Exp.: The nation with the highest number of sites
is the United Kingdom at 169; the nation
with the greatest area of listed wetlands is
Canada, with over 130,000 km2.
18. (b)
19. (d)

7. (d) 20. (d)

8. (c) 21. (a)

9. (c) 22. (a)

10. (c) 23. (b)

 24. (c) 37. (d)
25. (a) Exp.: Currently there are 5 exchanges trading in
carbon allowances:
26. (c)
1. The European Climate Exchange
27. (d)
2. NASDAQ OMX Commodities Europe
28. (a)
3. PowerNext
29. (d)
4. Commodity Exchange Bratislava
30. (c)
5. The European Energy Exchange
Exp.: The Ganges shark is largely restricted to the
rivers of eastern and northeastern India, 38. (c)

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particularly the Hooghly River of West Exp.: GRIHA rating system consists of 34 criteria
Bengal, and the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and categorized under various sections such as
Mahanadi in Bihar, Assam, and Odisha, Site Selection and Site Planning,

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respectively. It is typically found in the Conservation and Efficient Utilization of
middle to lower reaches of a river. Resources, Building Operation and
Maintenance, and Innovation points.
31. (d)
39. (a)
32. (d)
Exp.: Leadership in Energy and Environmental
33. (c) Design (LEED) is a set of rating systems for
Exp.: MFF embraces all coastal ecosystems, the design, construction, operation, and
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including coral reefs, estuaries, lagoons, maintenance of green buildings, homes and
wetlands, beaches and sea grass beds. neighbourhoods.

34. (a) 40. (d)

Exp.: EIA has now been made mandatory under
the Environmental Protection Act, 1986 for
29 categories of developmental activities
involving investments of Rs. 50 crores and
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41. (c)
Exp.: The National Green Tribunal has been
established on 18.10.2010 under the
National Green Tribunal Act 2010 for

above. effective and expeditious disposal of cases

35. (a)
Exp. The National Afforestation and Eco-
Development Board (NAEB), set up in
August 1992 is responsible for promoting
afforestation, tree planting, ecological
restoration and eco-development activities
in the country, with special attention to the
degraded forest areas and lands adjoining
the forest areas, national parks, sanctuaries
and other protected areas as well as the
ecologically fragile areas like the Western
Himalayas, Aravallis, Western Ghats, etc.
36. (d)
Exp.: As at September 2011 there were 34 nations
participating in CMS Agreements or MoU
that are not yet Parties to the Convention
including China, USA, and Russia.
2 ENVIRONMENT, RESOURCES & BIODIVERSITY
relating to environmental protection and
conservation of forests and other natural
resources including enforcement of any legal
right relating to environment and giving
relief and compensation for damages to
persons and property and for matters
connected therewith or incidental thereto.
It is a specialized body equipped with the
necessary expertise to handle environmental
disputes involving multi-disciplinary issues.
The Tribunal shall not be bound by the
procedure laid down under the Code of
Civil Procedure, 1908, but shall be guided
by principles of natural justice.
42. (d)
43. (a)
Exp.: Minus 4 C (25 F) is a physiological
temperature limit of mangrove survival.
 44. (d) 59. (d)
45. (a) 60. (a)
Exp.: Tropical Andes is a hotspot. There are some Exp.: The trees found in the western section are
countries which are situated in the tropical broad-leaved oak, brown oak, walnut,
region; they possess a large number of the rhododendron, etc. The forests in the
world's species diversity.
northern region are denser than in the
46. (d) South.
47. (c) 61. (d)
Exp.: Biomes are climatically and geographically 62. (d)
defined as contiguous areas with similar

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climatic conditions on the Earth. 63. (d)
48. (a) 64. (c)
49. (a) 65. (b)

OR
50. (d) 66. (d)
51. (d) 67. (a)
52. (c)
Exp.: Thorium is more abundant in nature than
53. (b) uranium. It is fertile rather than fissile, and
54. (c) can only be used as a fuel in conjunction
with a fissile material such as recycled
Exp.: Rights to all activities like hunting, grazing,
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etc. in reserved forests are banned unless plutonium. Two-thirds of monazite is found
specific orders are issued otherwise. The first in heavy mineral sands deposits on the south
Reserve Forest Of India was Satpura and east coasts of India.
National Park. 68. (a)
55. (b)
69. (c)
56. (c)
70. (d)
Exp.: The properties are:
71. (d)
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• Water insoluble and relatively resistant to

hydrolytic degradation. 72. (c)
• Good oxygen permeability. 73. (d)
• Good ultra-violet resistance but poor Exp.: There are various factors which affects the
resistance to acids and bases. size, location, and character of a biome.
• Soluble in chloroform and other chlorinated Important factors are as follow:
hydrocarbons. (i) Length of day light and darkness. This is
• Nontoxic. mainly responsible for duration of
• Less 'sticky' when melted, making it a photosynthesis.
potentially good material for clothing in the (ii) Mean temperature as well as difference in
future. temperature. Differences (both diurnal and
57. (b) annual) to find out extreme conditions.
58. (a) (iii) Length of growing season.
Exp.: CGWB has prepared a Master Plan for (iv) Precipitation which includes total amount,
artificial recharge to ground water in the variations over time and intensity.
Country. National Water Mission has been
set up with the objective of, inter-alia, (v) Wind flow that include speed, direction,
conservation of water resources. duration and frequency.
ENVIRONMENT, RESOURCES & BIODIVERSITY 3
 (vi) Soil types 78. (a)
(vii) Slope Exp.: The objectives of the mission are:
(viii) Drainage • To increase forest cover on 5 million
(ix) Other plant and animal species. hectares (ha) of forest/non-forest land.
74. (d) • To improve the quality of forest cover on
another 5 million hectare.
Exp.: The changes are:
(i) Majority of the grasslands have been • To enhance annual CO2 sequestration.
converted into agricultural lands which • To improve the livelihoods of about 3 million
have now become famous 'granaries of the households living in and around forest
world' areas.

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(ii) Pastoralism or domestication of animals.
• To respond to climate change by a
(iii) Large scale hunting of animals has resulted combination of adaptation and mitigation
into extinction of some animals. measures.

OR
(iv) The introduction of new animal and plant • To improve entire ecosystem and increase
species has altogether changed the forest-based livelihood income for 30 lakh
composition of native vegetation.
forest dependent households.
75. (c)
79. (b)
Exp.: Green House effect leads to acidification of
oceans. It also reduces the transport of Exp.: Climate Risk Index data related to climate
nutrients from deeper layers to the surface change:
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by vertical circulation. a) The countries affected most in 2012 were
76. (d) Haiti, the Philippines and Pakistan. For the
77. (a) period from 1993 to 2012 Honduras,
Myanmar and Haiti ranked highest.
Exp.: Monitorable targets for the 12th Plan:
b) From the ten most affected countries (1993-
a) To increase forest and tree cover by 5
2012) eight were developing countries in the
percentage points.
low-income or lower-middle income country
b) To reclaim wetlands/inland lakes /ponds group, while two belong to the upper-
by 2017.
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middle income countries.

c) To identify, assess and remediate
contaminated sites (hazardous chemicals
and wastes) with potential for ground water
contamination.
d) To improve forest production and maintain
biodiversity.
e) To establish continuous on-line monitoring
systems using GIS & GPS for air and water
pollution.
f) To create Common Infrastructure for
Environment Protection viz; CETP, TSDF,
etc.
g) To clean all critically polluted rivers by 2020.
h) To reduce 20-25 percent energy use per unit
of GDP by 2020.
i) Epidemiological studies to assess
improvement in health status due to better
management of Environment and ecology.
c) Altogether more than 530,000 people died
as a direct result of approx. 15,000 extreme
weather events, and losses between 1993
and 2012 amounted to more than 2.5 trillion
USD (in PPP;1 USD 1.75 trillion overall
losses in original values).
d) The 2012 droughts and floods in large areas
of the Balkan, eastern Europe and southern
Russia in the aftermath of the unparalleled
2010 wildfires. This should serve as a wake-
up call for the region to ramp up its
domestic and international climate policy
positions.
e) India was ranked 46 in the Climate Risk
Index (CRI) table for 2012, a position
definitely better than 18, the rank that it
had in the period between 1993 and
2012.

4 ENVIRONMENT, RESOURCES & BIODIVERSITY

 80. (c)
Exp.: The advantages of crop rotation are:
• Crop rotation helps to create a biodiversity
soil which reduces the chance of soil bound
organisms to get a pest and reducing the
use of pesticides.
• Crop rotation helps to minimise the growth
of weeds that needs to be eradicated and so
reducing the use of pesticides
• Crop rotation helps getting a good soil
structure (alternatively shallow and deep
rooting roots), high organic matter, good
water provision, especially in combination
with conservation tillage, resulting in a
OR
higher yield
• Crop rotation, especially performed with
nitrogen-fixating rotation crops, will reduce
the input of fertilizers and so reduce the
pollution by nitrogen; a high nitrogen-
supply will even contribute to soil organic
matter depletion.
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• Crop rotation, especially combined with
conservation tillage, will lead to higher soil-
carbon content and so contribute to
combating climate change.
81. (b)
82. (c)
Exp.: Enhances germination, plant growth, and
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crop yield.
83. (a)
Exp.: The areas of Western Ghats and Sri Lanka;
Eastern Himalayas and Indo-Burma region
are considered as Biodiversity hotspots in
India.
84. (a)
Exp.: The reasons for low productivity are (i)
minimum sunlight and insolation (ii)
absence or scarcity of nutrients such as
nitrogen and phosphorous in the soils, (iii)
poorly developed soils (iv) scarcity of
moisture in the soils, (v) permanently frozen
ground and (vi) very short growing period.
85. (a)
Exp.: IUCN classification- Residential &
Commercial Development, Agriculture &
Aquaculture, Energy Production & Mining,
ENVIRONMENT, RESOURCES & BIODIVERSITY
Transportation & Service Corridors,
Biological Resource Use, Human Intrusions
& Disturbance, Natural System
Modifications(Threats from actions that
convert or degrade habitat in service of
"managing" natural or semi-natural systems,
often to improve human welfare),Invasive
& Other Problematic Species & Genes,
Pollution, Geological Events, Climate
Change & Severe Weather.
86. (a)
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87. (a)
Exp.: The Convention includes regulations aimed
at preventing and minimizing pollution from
ships - both accidental pollution and that
from routine operations.
88. (d)
89. (b)
Exp. Interspecific competition, in ecology, is a
form of competition in which individuals of
different species compete for the same
resource in an ecosystem (e.g. food or living
space). The other form of competition is
intraspecific competition, which involves
organisms of the same species.
90. (b)
Exp.: The blue carbon denotes the carbon captured
by living organisms in oceans stored in the
form of biomass and sediments.
91. (d)
92. (b)
Exp.: Heat islands occur on the surface and in
the atmosphere. The temperature difference
between the urban heat island and its
surroundings is usually larger at night than
during the day.
93. (c)
Exp.: Sasan- Gir or Gir National Park is only home
of pure Asiatic Lion Panthera leon persica.
These lions were once found across northern
Africa, south west Asia and northern
Greece.
94. (a)
Exp.: The objectives of the programme are:
• Afforestation in lands outside forest areas.
• Increasing the number of trees in India.
• Promoting the participation of institutions
and people in the field of growing of trees.
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 • Increasing the yield of timber and other non-
timber forest produce like fruit, firewood,
fodder, etc to ensure easy supply to people.
• Putting less fertile and unproductive land
to productive use
• Augmenting the income of people by tree
planting.
• Increasing the employment opportunities of
rural poor.
95. (d)
99. (a)
Exp.: In a collaborative effort World Wide Fund
for Nature (WWF)-India and the Uttar
Pradesh forest department with the support
of HSBC Bank held a programme "My
Ganga, My Dolphin" to count the number
of river dolphins in the Ganges River in and
around Uttar Pradesh.
100. (b)
Exp.: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also
known as the Eastern Pacific Garbage Patch

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96. (b)
and the Pacific Trash Vortex, lies in a high-
97. (c) pressure area between the U.S. states of
98. (b) Hawaii and California. A similar garbage

OR
patch exists in the Atlantic Ocean, in the
Exp.: Carbon monoxide releases due to incomplete
North Atlantic Gyre.
combustion of the fuel in car engines.
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6 ENVIRONMENT, RESOURCES & BIODIVERSITY