Q1. Which of the following species are naturally found in India:
1 – Red-headed vulture
2 – Flying Squirrel
3 – Koala
4 – Golden Langur
Select the correct answer code:
A. 1, 4
B. 2, 3
C. 1, 2, 4
D. 1, 2, 3, 4
Solution:
(C)
The red-headed vulture also known as the Asian king vulture, Indian black vulture or Pondicherry vulture, is an Old World vulture mainly found in the Indian subcontinent, with small disjunct populations in some parts of Southeast Asia.
Flying squirrel, (tribe Pteromyini), any of more than 50 species of gliding squirrels.
Three species are North American, two live in northern Eurasia, and all others are found in the temperate and tropical forests of India and other parts of Asia.
Gee’s golden langur (Trachypithecusgeei), also known as simply the golden langur, is an Old World monkey found in a small region of western Assam, India and in the neighbouring foothills of the Black Mountains of Bhutan.
The Koala is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia.
Q2. In dry areas of low rainfall, thorny shrubs and scrubs grow. How do such plants adapt to the low level of moisture:
1 – Such plants generally have shallow roots to utilize water more efficiently.
2 – Some plant leaves have thorny and waxy surface to reduce loss of moisture by transpiration.
Which of the above statements is/are correct:
A. 1 only
B. 2 only
C. Both 1 and 2
D. Neither 1 nor 2
Solution:
(B)
Statement 1: They have adapted to desert conditions by developing extremely long root systems to draw water from deep underground near the water table.
The mesquite’s roots are considered the longest of any desert plant and have been recorded as long as 80 feet.
Statement 2: Some have succulent leaves to store moisture.
Some have thorny leaves to reduce water loss by transpiration.
Waxy leaves protect soil moisture beneath the coating.
Q3. Which of the following is a National Park, a UNESCO world heritage site and a Ramsar site in India:
A. Sundarbans national park
B. Manas national park
C. Keoladeo national park
D. Both a) and c)
Solution:
(D)
Both Sunderbans National Park, Assam and Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan are both UNESCO World Heritage Sites and Ramsar Sites.
Q4. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) test is commonly used to measure which of the
Following:
A. Measuring oxygen levels in blood
B. Computing oxygen levels in forest ecosystems
C. Oxygen required to decompose organic constituents present in the wastewater
D. Amount of oxygen used in an oxygenation process.
Solution:
(C)
The amount of oxygen that is required for the chemical oxidation of the organic and inorganic chemicals present in the wastewater by utilising oxidising agents like Potassium permanganate, Potassium dichromate etc. is called as chemical oxygen demand (COD).
COD is the oxygen demand that is consumed by both inorganic and organic matter present in the wastewater sample.
Q5. Mosses is a bioindicator. What do you understand by this statement:
1. It reflects changes to ecosystems such as pollution.
2. It cannot be cloned or genetically engineered.
3. It does not contain mRNA.
Select the correct answer code:
A. 1 only
B. 2, 3
C. 3 only
D. 1, 2
Solution:
(A)
Mosses are a common flowerless plant found in all cities especially in damp (humid) or shady locations.
It generally absorbs water and nutrients from their immediate environments.
So, according to scientists, delicate mosses found on rocks and trees in cities around the world can be used as low-cost bio indicator to monitor urban pollution and to measure the impact of atmospheric change.
As a bio indicator, mosses respond to pollution or drought- stress by changing its shape, density or disappearing.
This characteristic will allow scientists to calculate atmospheric alterations and air pollution.
