1) Consider the following statements with respect to Black Bucks
Normally, female blackbucks do not possess horns.
It has been listed as least concerned in IUCN Red list.
Stray dogs and barbed wires are threatening its survival.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : d
Blackbuck hunting and poaching are prohibited in India as per Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
Blackbucks used to cover the entire subcontinent of India except for the Western coast, but as the human population kept growing, their numbers began plummeting.
The most striking feature of blackbucks is the long, spiralling horns of the adult male which have ridges from the base to almost the tips. Females do not possess horns.
Stray cattle and dogs, barbed ‘cobra’ wire and changed land use patterns spell trouble for the majestic Punjab’s State animal: Black Buck, which has been listed as least concern under the IUCN Red list.
2) Which of the following is/are not the causal factor(s) of glacial melting in Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH) glaciers?
Air Pollution
Deforestation
Global Warming
Land-use changes
Increase in Snow fall
Select the correct answer using the code given below
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : a
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), an intergovernmental organisation focussed on environmental and social change in Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), released the findings of a report.
It suggests Global warming as the primary reason for glacial melt in the HKH region.
It also says the melting could accelerate because of increased air pollution.
Air pollution from the Indo-Gangetic Plains also deposits black carbon and dust on the glaciers, hastening the thaw.
In general, deforestation, land-use changes, changes in precipitation and decrease in snowfall could also impact the rate of glacial retreat.
3) Which one of the following best describes the term “Glacial Lakes” sometimes seen in news recently?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : a
The most worrying outcome of glacial shrinking and retreat is the increase in the formation and size of glacial lakes.
Glacial lakes are formed when a glacier erodes the land, and then melts within the hole it has created.
This in turn could lead to glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) when there is an avalanche or an earthquake.
Satellite data shows that the number of such lakes in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region grew to 4,260 in a decade from 3,350 in 1990.
4) SPHEREx mission sometimes seen in the news recently is _______
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : a
NASA will launch a new space telescope in 2023 that could provide a glimpse of the first moments in the history of the universe, and explore how common are the ingredients for life in our galaxy’s planetary systems.
The Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx) mission is a planned two-year mission funded at USD 242 million, according to NASA.
SPHEREx will survey the sky in optical as well as near-infrared light which, though not visible to the human eye, serves as a powerful tool for answering cosmic questions.
5) Consider the following statements
The United Nations General Assembly and UNESCO have decided to celebrate 2019 as the “International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements (IYPT2019)”.
It has been proclaimed so, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the discovery of periodic system by Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : c
1869 is considered as the year of discovery of the Periodic System by Dmitri Mendeleev.
2019 will be the 150th anniversary of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements and has therefore been proclaimed the "International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements (IYPT2019)" by the United Nations General Assembly and UNESCO.
6) Abohar Wildlife Sanctuary (AWS) sometimes seen in the news recently is located in which of the following states?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : a
In 2019, so far, as many as eight blackbucks have died in the Abohar Wildlife Sanctuary (AWS), and a majority of them succumbed to their injuries, caused by barbed wires while trying to escape from stray dogs.
7) Consider the following statements with respect to Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH)
It is one of the greatest mountain systems in the world covered across eight countries including China and Thailand.
The glaciers of HKH feed 10 of the world's most important river systems, including the Yellow and Mekong.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : b
The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) spread over 3,500 kilometres from Afghanistan in the west to Myanmar in the east.
The HKH is one of the greatest mountain systems in the world, covering eight countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan.
The glaciers feed 10 of the world's most important river systems, including the Ganges, Indus, Yellow, Mekong and the Irrawaddy.
8) Consider the following statements with respect to Kelps
Kelps are plants that look similar to brown algae.
They thrive in cold, nutrient-rich waters.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : b
Kelp Forests are underwater ecosystems formed in shallow water by the dense growth of several different species known as kelps.
Kelps are actually extremely large brown algae, although they look like plants.
They thrive in cold, nutrient-rich waters.
Kelp attaches to the seafloor and eventually grows to the water’s surface and relies on sunlight to generate food and energy.
Kelps live further from the tropics than coral reefs, mangrove forests, and warm-water seagrass beds, so kelp forests do not overlap with those systems.
Climate change could lead to declines of underwater kelp forests through impacts on their micro biome.
It was predicted that ocean warming and acidification can change microbes on the kelp surface, leading to disease and potentially putting fisheries at risk.
9) Consider the following statements with respect to Pangolin
It is the most trafficked reptiles in the world.
Indian Pangolin – one among the eight pangolin species found across the world is listed as critically endangered under the IUCN Red list.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : d
Though many think of them as reptiles, pangolins are actually mammals.
They are the most trafficked mammal in the world.
There are eight pangolin species – four each in Africa and Asia (two of them are in India).
Indian Pangolin one among the eight pangolin species is listed under the endangered category of IUCN Red list.
Obsession for its supposedly medicinal scales in China is believed to have made the ant-eating Chinese Pangolin, one of the two species found in South Asia, extinct in India.
10) Through which of the following processes energy can be extracted from wastes?
Incineration
Gasification
Pyrolysis
Anaerobic digestion
Select the correct answer using the code given below
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : d
Waste to Energy (WTE), is a term that is used to describe various technologies that convert non-recyclable waste into usable forms of energy including heat, fuels and electricity.
WTE can occur through a number of processes such as incineration, gasification, pyrolysis, anaerobic digestion, and landfill gas recovery.
