Quiz 650: Environment GK for SSC-CGL & UPSC Examinations 2016

1. Which of the following was India’s First Biosphere Reserves?
[A]Sunderbans
[B]Nanda Devi
[C]Nilgiri
[D]Pachmarhi
Answer: Nilgiri
Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve located in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka was the first biosphere reserve established in 1986.
2. India’s Valley of Flowers is a part of which of the following Biosphere Reserves?
[A]Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve
[B]Jim Corbett Biosphere Reserve
[C]Gangotri Biosphere Reserve
[D]None of them
Answer: Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve
Nanda Devi National Park is situated in three districts of Uttarakhand (Chamoli in Garhwal, Pithoragarh in Kumaon and Bageshwar). Nanda Devi National Park together with Valley of Flowers is encompassed in the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve. This reserve is part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves since 2004.
3. Contamination of drinking water with which of the following causes Blackfoot disease (BFD)?
[A]Nitrates
[B]Arsenic
[C]Mercury
[D]Cadmium
Answer: Arsenic
Arsenicosis or Black foot is caused by exposure over a period of time to Arsenic in drinking water. It may also be due to intake of arsenic via food or air. Kindly note that Itai-itai disease is caused by Cadmium poisoning.
4. The Pygmy Hog Research and Breeding Centre, is located in which of the following states of India?
[A]Meghalaya
[B]Odisha
[C]Kerala
[D]Assam
Answer: Assam
Pygmy Hog (Porcula salvania) is the rarest and smallest wild pig in the world. It is critically endangered animal and is currently found only in Indian state of Assam. The Pygmy Hog Research and Breeding Centre is located in Basistha, Assam, which along with Assam State Zoo is endeavouring captive breeding of this hog.
5. The Great Smog of 1952 took place in which of the following cities?
[A]London
[B]New York
[C]Tokyo
[D]Berlin
Answer: London
The Great Smog of 1952, also known as the Killer Fog, took place in London. On 5 December 1952, a thick yellow smog brought the London city to a standstill for four days and it is estimated to have killed more than 4,000 people. Coal combustion was considered as the main reason for the formation of smog.
6. The Red List of IUCN provides the list of which of the following?
[A]GM plants
[B]Dangerous plant species
[C]Threatened species
[D]Dangerous animal species
Answer: Threatened species
The Red List of IUCN provides the list of threatened species. It is recognized as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species. It was founded in 1964 by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which is the world’s main authority on the conservation status of species.
7. The Environment (Protection) Act of India was enacted in which of the following year?
[A]1974
[B]1977
[C]1980
[D]1986
Answer: 1986
The Environment (Protection) Act of India was enacted in 1986 with the objective of providing for the protection and improvement of the environment. The act was enacted by Parliament of India under Article 253 of the Indian Constitution. The act empowers the Central Government to establish authorities with the mandate of preventing environmental pollution in all its forms.
8. Which of the following is considered as the secondary pollutant?
[A]Ozone
[B]Benzene
[C]Sulphur dioxide
[D]Carbon monoxide
Answer: Ozone
Primary pollutants are directly emitted from the sources. Examples of primary pollutants are carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and benzene etc. Secondary pollutants are not emitted directly. They are formed from the combination of primary pollutants with some other compound. Examples of secondary pollutants are Ozone, Formaldehyde, PAN (peroxy acetyl nitrate) and Smog etc.
9. What is the direction of flow of energy in an ecosystem?
[A]Unidirectional
[B]Bidirectional
[C]Multidirectional
[D]Cyclic
Answer: Unidirectional
The energy enters the plants from the sun through the photosynthesis process. This energy is then passed on from one organism to another in a food chain. The flow of energy in the ecosystem is unidirectional because the energy lost as heat from the living organisms of a food chain cannot be reused by plants in photosynthesis. During the transfer of energy through successive trophic levels in an ecosystem, there is a loss of energy all along the path.
10. In which of the following ecosystems, the pyramid of biomass is ‘inverted’ in shape?
[A]Pond ecosystem
[B]Grassland ecosystem
[C]Forest ecosystem
[D]None of the above
Answer: Pond ecosystem
Biomass is the amount of living material in an organism. The pyramids of biomass represent the relationship between different trophic levels in terms of biomass. In grassland and forest ecosystems, there is generally a gradual decrease in biomass of organisms at successive trophic levels from the producers to the consumers. Their pyramid of biomass is upright. In aquatic ecosystem the producers are small organisms with least biomass and the biomass gradually increase towards the apex of the pyramid. Thus the pyramid of biomass of aquatic ecosystems is inverted in shape.