Environmental Studies PYQs

Explanation:

Star: It is a big ball of fire and emits its own light. Sun is also a star. Stars are generally very distinct from earth, therefore, appears very small.

Important Points

Earth is rotating around its axis continuously and If there were a star located where the axis of rotation of the Earth meets the sky, that star appears to be stationary.

Key Points

Pole Star:

• There is a star called a pole star, which is situated in the direction of the earth’s axis.
• Pole star is always situated in the North direction of the earth’s axis.
• It does not appear to move as it is located on the axis of the earth.

Thus, the correct position of the pole star.

Additional Information

Other famous stars which are visible from Earth are as follows:

1. Polaris- Also known as the Northern Star, Pole star, lodestar and guiding Star.
2. Sirius- Also known as the dog Star, big dog.
3. Alpha Centauri system- Also known as Rigel Kent, Toilman and is the brightest star in the southern constellation.
4. Vega- It is a bright blue star in the northern hemisphere.
5. Pleiades- Also known as the seven sisters.

Key Points

Project Tiger:

• The Government of India launched “Project Tiger” on 1^st April 1973 to promote the conservation of the tigers only.
• ‘Project Tiger’ is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
• Project Tiger has been converted into a statutory authority i.e: National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) through Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2006.
• It was started during the tenure of prime minister Indira Gandhi.
• NTCA, being the nodal agency, addresses the ecological as well as administrative concerns for conserving tigers.
• The objectives of NTCA are:
• Fostering accountability of Center-State in management of Tiger Reserves.
• Addressing livelihood interests of local people in areas surrounding Tiger Reserves.
• It conducts the country level assessment of the status of the tiger, co-predators, prey and habitat once in four years, using the refined methodology, as approved by the Tiger Task Force.

Thus, ‘Project Tiger’ was started in India in 1973.

Additional Information

1. Bengal Tiger is also the national animal of India.
2. Ganga River dolphin is the National aquatic animal of India.

Key PointsKanha:

• The Kanha National Park is located in Madhya Pradesh and is famous for the Tigers.
• It was created in 1955 and forms the core of the Kanha Tiger Reserve, created in 1974 under Project Tiger
• The park is also known for its evergreen Sal forests.
• It is also home to about 300 species of birds, 43 species of mammals, 26 species of reptiles, and more than 500 species of Insects.
• The Major species found are hard ground Barasingha, Tiger, Leopard, Dhole, Bear, Gaur, and Indian Python, etc.

Thus, Kanha National Park is located in Madhya Pradesh.

Key Points

• The Lucknow Pact was an agreement between the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League at a joint session of both the parties held in Lucknow in December 1916.
• The Lucknow Pact of 1916 is signed between Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
• As a result of this agreement, The Muslim League leaders agreed to join the Congress movement demanding Indian independence.
• The Lucknow Pact was seen as a beacon of hope to Hindu–Muslim unity.
• Some common demands presented by both parties to the British are:

1. The number of elected seats on the councils should be increased.
2. Minorities in the provinces should be protected.
3. All provinces should be granted autonomy.
4. Separating the executive from the judiciary.

Thus, the Lucknow Pact of 1916 was made between the Congress and the Muslim League.

The correct answer is Gujarat

Key Points 

• The entire Little Rann of Kutch known as the "Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary is a featureless expanse of flat land the sea bed - dotted with islands known as "Baits which form the core for the flora and fauna.
• This is the largest wildlife sanctuary.
• It is located in Gujarat.
• In the Little Rann of Kutch, the asses are attracted by the flat grass-covered expanses known as bets or islands where coarse grasses spring up in the monsoon.

Important Points 

• In 1972, a comprehensive Wildlife Act was enacted, which provides the main legal framework for the conservation and protection of wildlife in India.
• The two main objectives of the Act are
• To provide protection to the endangered species listed in the schedule of the Act.
• To provide legal support to the conservation areas of the country classified as National parks, sanctuaries, and closed areas.
• This Act has been comprehensively amended in 1991, making punishments more stringent, and has also made provisions for the protection of specified plant species and conservation of endangered species of wild animals.
• There are 106 National parks and 535 wildlife sanctuaries in the country.

The correct answer is the measurement of the age of bones or materials in ancient sites.

Key PointsCarbon dating:

• Carbon dating is a technique used to determine the approximate age of once-living materials.
• It is also referred to as Radiocarbon dating.
• Radiocarbon dating is a method of estimating the age of an artefact or biological vestige based on the relative amount of various isotopes of carbon present in a sample.
• Age can be estimated by measuring the amount of carbon-14 present in the sample and comparing this against an internationally used reference standard.
• Radiocarbon decays slowly in a living organism but once the organism dies, it ceases to absorb Carbon-14 so that the amount of the radiocarbon in the tissues steadily decreases.
• Because carbon-14 decays at a constant rate, an estimate of the date at which an organism dies can be made by measuring the amount of its residual radiocarbon.
• It was developed in the late 1940s by Williard Libby.
• Carbon dating is one of the most effective tools in the archaeologist's kit.
• It is a vital part of the investigation and preservation of our past.
• The oldest dates that can be reliably measured by this process date to approximately 50,000 years.
• Histories of archaeology often refer to its impact as the "radiocarbon revolution".
• Radiocarbon dating has allowed key transitions in prehistory to be dated, such as the end of the last Ice Age, and the beginning of the Neolithic and Bronze Age in different regions.

Thus, we can say that Carbon dating refers to the measurement of the age of bones or materials in ancient sites.

• The National Anthem of India was adopted by the constituent assembly on 24^th January 1950.
• It was first sung on 27 December 1911 in the Kolkata session of INC( Indian National Congress).
• Composed by: Poet Rabindranath Tagore.

Key Points

• The National Flag of the Indian Union was adopted on 22 July 1947.
• The National Anthem of the Indian Union was adopted on 24 January 1950.
• The Constitution was passed and adopted by the assembly on 26 November 1949.

Additional Information 

Important facts about the Constituent Assembly

• In 1934, M N Roy first proposed the idea of a constituent assembly.
• The demand was taken up by the Congress Party in 1935 as an official demand.
• The British accepted this in the August Offer of 1940.
• Under the Cabinet Mission plan of 1946, elections were held for the formation of the constituent assembly.
• The members of this assembly were elected indirectly, that is by the members of the provincial assemblies by the method of a single transferable vote of proportional representation
• The constituent assembly was formed for the purpose of writing a constitution for independent India
• Initially, the number of members was 389.
• After partition, some of the members went to Pakistan and the number came down to 299.
• Out of this, 229 were from the British provinces and 70 were nominated from the princely states.
• Dr Sachchidananda Sinha was the first temporary chairman of the Constituent Assembly.
• Later, Dr Rajendra Prasad was elected as the President and its Vice President was Harendra Coomar Mookerjee.
• The assembly first met on 9 December 1946.
• On 13 December 1946, Jawaharlal Nehru moved the ‘Objective Resolution.
• The National Flag of the Union was adopted on 22 July 1947
• On 24 January 1950, ‘Jana Gana Mana’ was adopted as the national anthem
• The final document had 22 parts, 395 articles and 8 schedules.
• The assembly had met for 11 sessions
• The last session was held during 14 – 26 November 1949.
• The constitution was passed and adopted by the assembly on 26 November 1949.
• The constitution came into force on 26 January 1950 (which is celebrated as Republic Day).

Biomagnification:

• Biomagnification, also known as bio-amplification or biological magnification.
• It means the increase of contaminated substances or toxic chemicals that take place in the food chains.
• These substances often arise from intoxicated or contaminated environments.
• The contaminants include heavy metals namely mercury, arsenic, pesticides such as DDT, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) compounds.
• These are then taken up by organisms because of the food they consume or the intoxication of their environment.
• These materials are highly present in a variety of household and industrial chemicals.

Key Points

Biomagnification process: 

• The harmful substances build up inside the organism’s cells.
• The organisms in the higher food chain consume the organisms containing the toxins below their trophic levels.
• The toxins gradually become concentrated in the higher food chain.
• This is a repetitive process in the ecosystem and occurs throughout the entire food chain.
• The higher organisms are the ones that will accumulate most of the toxins.
• For example:
• Spraying a marsh to control mosquitoes was done using DDT (an insecticide).
• This DDT contaminated the nearby water bodies.
• The zooplankton in the water bodies uses this water, thereby increasing in concentration of 0.003 ppb to 0.04 ppm.
• These planktons are then eaten by small fishes which are then in turn eaten by big fishes.
• Thus increasing the DDT concentration in each trophic level to 0.5 ppm and 2 ppm respectively.
• These big fishes then in turn are eaten by birds or hawks increasing DDT concentration to up to 25 ppm.

Thus, biomagnification is increasing the concentration of a toxic substance in the tissues over time.

Additional Information

ppm:

• This is an abbreviation for "parts per million" and it also can be expressed as milligrams per litre (mg/L).
• This measurement is the mass of a chemical or contaminate per unit volume of water.

• Biosphere refers to the narrow zone between the lithosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere where life exists.
• The biosphere consists of living organisms both plants and animals.
• Here, the physical environment (lithosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere) interacts with each other and supports life.
• It is also known as the ecosphere

Key Points

Components of an ecosystem:

Biotic Components: 

• It includes producers, consumers and decomposers.
• All living things have a direct or indirect influence on other organisms in an environment.
• Example: plants, animals, humans, fungi, microorganisms etc.

Abiotic components: 

• All the inorganic components of the ecosystem, non-living physical and chemical composition of nature are abiotic components.
• Example: land, stones, soil, phosphorus, protein, water, humus (organic waste), air etc.

The abiotic components of the biosphere include:

• Inorganic substances such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and water.
• Organic components like proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, which connect abiotic and biotic elements.
• Climatic factors, which are divided into atmospheric and edaphic factors.

In summary, the abiotic elements of the biosphere consist of inorganic substances, organic components, and climatic factors.

Important Points

• Fungi or fungus is a living organism which is found in the form of yeast moulds and mushrooms.
• It is a separate Kingdom of living things different from plants and animals. ​

 Thus, fungi is not an abiotic component of the biosphere.

The correct answer is Amsterdam.

Key Points

• Greenpeace is a global network of independent national and regional Greenpeace organizations (NROs) and Greenpeace International as a coordinating organization.
• It has its office in 39 countries.
• Headquarters- Amsterdam, Netherlands.
• Greenpeace International’s role within the Greenpeace network includes the following-
• Facilitating the setting of the long-term global campaign program at a strategic level.
• Coordinating the campaigns carried out by NROs to make sure they are consistent and contribute to the global campaign program etc.

Additional Information

Other important worldwide Environmental bodies:

The correct answer is Panchayati Raj Institutions.

Key Points

• Panchayati Raj is a system of rural local self-government.
• 73^rd and 74^th Amendment Acts added two new parts to the Constitution of India. Part IX was titled “The Panchayats” (added by 73^rd Amendment) and Part IXA was titled “The Municipalities” (added by 74^th Amendment).
• The Act provides for the reservation of not less than one-third of the total number of seats for women (including the number of seats reserved for the SCs and STs).

Important Points

• Please note that the 73^rd CAA mandates a 33.3% reservation for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions across the country.
• But, this has been increased to 50% reservation in Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Telangana.

Mistake Points

Women's Reservation Bill:

• The Women's Reservation Bill or The Constitution (108^th Amendment) Bill, 9^th March 2010, is a pending bill in the Parliament of India.
• It proposes to amend the Constitution of India to reserve 1/3^rd of all seats in the Lower house of Parliament of India, the Lok Sabha, and in all state legislative assemblies for women.
• The Rajya Sabha passed the bill on 9 March 2010.
• However, the Lok Sabha never voted on the bill.
• The bill is still pending as it never went to the Lok Sabha.

Additional Information

Article 243D

• It was also introduced through the 73^rd CAA.
• It provides that one-third of the total number of seats and offices of the Chairpersons in PRIs at each level shall be reserved for women to be allotted by rotation to different constituencies in a Panchayat.

Article 15 (3)

• It empowers the State to make special provisions for women.

The correct answer is 35 years.

Key Points

• The Governor of an Indian state generally holds office for a period of 5 years.
• The Governor of the state is similar (not the same) to the President of the Union.
• Article 157 and Article 158 of the Constitution of India specify eligibility requirements for the post of governor. They are as follows:

A governor must:

• be a citizen of India.
• be at least 35 years of age.
• not be a member of either house of the parliament or the house of the state legislature.
• not hold any office of profit.

Important Points

The correct answer is a-A, b-C, c-D, d-B.

Key Points

Prime Minister

• The prime minister of India is the head of the union government and has the responsibility for executive power.
• He is the chief adviser to the president of India and the head of the Union Council of Ministers.

Governor

• Article 154 states that the executive power of the State shall be vested in the Governor.
• He/She performs the same duties as of President, but for the state.
• He can promulgate ordinances, grant pardons, appoints Chief Ministers and other Ministers, among other functions.

Sarpanch

• He is the head of a panchayat.
• He is elected by the village-level constitutional body of local self-government called the Gram Sabha.

Mayor

• He is the head of a municipal corporation.
• He is also the chairman of the municipal council as well as of the council executive committee.

The correct answer is Kerala 1959.

Key Points

• Article 356 of the Indian Constitution includes provisions in case of failure of constitutional machinery in State.
• It is also known as President's Rule.
• It confers a power upon the President to be exercised only where he is satisfied that a situation has arisen where the government of a State cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.
• President’s Rule was imposed for the first time in Punjab in 1951.
• A proclamation imposing President’s Rule must be approved by both the Houses of Parliament by a simple majority within two months from the date of its issue.
• The President’s rule continues for six months and can be extended to for a maximum period of three years, with Parliamentary approval, every six months.

Important Points

• However, out of the given options, Kerala, 1959 is the correct option.
• The Vimochana Samaram was an anti-Communist backlash against the first elected state government in Kerala.
• It was led by E. M. S. Namboodiripad of the Communist Party of India.
• President’s Rule was imposed in Kerala in 1959.
• It remained for 206 days.

Additional Information

The Constitution of India gives President extraordinary power to deal with three types of emergency.

Article 352 deals with National Emergency.

• If the President is satisfied that an emergency exists due to the war, external aggression, or armed rebellion then he may declare a National Emergency in a whole country or any part of it.
• The National Emergency was first declared in 1962 during Chinese aggression on the northeast frontier agency, the second time it was declared in 1971 during India and Pakistan war and for the third time it was declared in 1975 due to internal disturbances, so far National Emergency has been declared three times in India.

Article 356 deals with State Emergency.

• It is Imposed when the President is satisfied that the State Government is not functioning properly i.e there is a failure of Constitutional machinery in a State.
• It is also known as President's Rule.
• The State Emergency was first imposed in Punjab in 1951 for the maximum number of days i.e more than three thousand days.
• It was imposed a maximum number of times in Uttar Pradesh i.e 10 times.
• When Congress was in power at the Center State Emergency was implemented 84 times which is more than 73 percent of all times.

Article 360 deals with Financial Emergency.

• If the President is satisfied with the financial stability and credit of the country or any part of the country is threatened then he may declare Financial Emergency.
• The Financial Emergency must be approved by the Parliament within one month of its proclamation and it will remain until the President revokes it.
• India never faced Financial Emergency to date.

The correct answer is All of the above.

Key Points

• Nagar Nigam is an Urban Local Body.
• The 74^th amendment made the provisions relating to urban local governments (Nagar palikas). The members of the Nagar Palika are elected representatives for a term of five years.

As per the Constitution of India, a Nagar Nigam or Municipal Corporation has the powers to impose the following taxes:

1. House Tax (Property Tax): Article 243W read with 12^th Schedule of the Constitution provides taxation on lands and buildings within the jurisdiction of the municipality as a function to be devolved to the municipalities. This allows municipal corporations to impose house tax or property tax.
2. Toll Tax:

Article 243W read with Article 243X empowers municipalities to levy taxes on vehicles (other than motor vehicles) and boats. This provision allows municipal corporations to impose toll taxes within their jurisdictions. 3. Entertainment Tax: Article 243W read with Article 243X empowers municipalities to levy taxes on entertainments and amusements. This provision grants the power to municipal corporations to impose entertainment tax on things like movie tickets.

So in summary, as per the Constitution of India, a Nagar Nigam or Municipal Corporation can impose house tax, toll tax as well as entertainment tax.

All the above mentioned taxes can be levied by a municipal body. This distribution of fiscal powers allows local governments to raise revenues to discharge functions entrusted to them under the Constitution.

The correct answer is Rural. 

• Hamlet is associated with the rural settlement.

Key Points

• Rural settlements in India can broadly be put into four types:
• Clustered, agglomerated, or nucleated
• Semi-clustered or fragmented
• Hamleted
• Dispersed or isolated.

Important Points

• A hamlet is made up of several dispersed homesteads occupied by people (generally hundreds in number) who are engaged in primary activities like farming, hunting, and fishing.
• Usually, all settlers in a hamlet are centred around a single economic activity.
• In the hamleted settlement, the hamlets are spread over the area with intervening fields and the main or central settlement is either absent or has a weak influence on adjoining areas.
• Hamelted settlement is fragmented into several units physically separated from each other.
• Generally, a large village is segmented by social and ethnic factors.
• In India, such segmented villages are more frequently found in the middle and lower Ganga plain, Chhattisgarh, and lower valleys of the Himalayas.

The correct answer is Kilimanjaro.

• **Volcanic Mountains are formed when molten rock (magma) deep within the earth, erupts, and piles upon the surface.**​

Key Points

Kilimanjaro

• It is a dormant volcano in Tanzania.
• It is Africa’s tallest mountain at about 5,895 meters.
• This mountain once had three volcanic cones – Kibo, Shira, and Mawenzi.
• In 1973, Mount Kilimanjaro National Park was established to protect the mountain above the tree line as well as the six forest corridors that extend downslope through the montane forest belt.
• The park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.

Additional Information

Aravali 

• It is a mountain range in Northwestern India.
• The highest peak is Guru Shikhar at 1,722 meters.
• The Aravallis act as a barrier between the fertile plains in the east and the sandy desert in the west.
• The Aravalli is rich in biodiversity and provides habitat to 300 native plant species, 120 bird species, and many exclusive animals like the jackal and mongoose.

Appalachian

• These are a system of mountains in eastern North America.
• A distinctive feature of the system is the Great Appalachian Valley.

Ural

• These are a mountain range in Russia.
• The Urals are rich deposits oil and natural gas.
• They also provide coal, iron, silver, gold, platinum, lead, etc.
• It also represents the border between Europe and Asia.

The correct answer is Mumbai Coast.

• Elephanta Island is located at Mumbai Coast.
• It is an island of Mumbai, Maharastra.

Key Points

• The island is mostly forest-covered and hosts Elephanta Caves which is a UNESCO Heritage site declared in 1987.
• The caves were constructed about the mid-5^th to 6^th centuries AD. It contains rock cut stone sculptures that show a coalition of Hindu and Buddhist ideas and iconography.
• The main cave is famous for its carvings to the glory of Shiva.
• The Archaeological Survey of India, Aurangabad Circle maintains and manages the Elephanta Caves.
• ASI is responsible for monitoring and stabilization of the rock face, construction of supports to the cave structures where pillars have collapsed, and consolidation of cave floors and construction of a parapet wall surrounding the site.

The correct answer is 70 - 200 cm.

• Monsoon forests are found where rainfall is 70 -200 cm.
• These are also called a tropical deciduous forest.

Key Points

Tropical Deciduous:

• These are the most widespread forests in India.
• They are also called the monsoon forests.
• They spread over regions that receive rainfall between 70-200 cm.
• On the basis of the availability of water, these forests are further divided into moist and dry deciduous.
• The Moist deciduous forests are more pronounced in the regions which record rainfall between 100-200 cm.
• Dry deciduous forest covers vast areas of the country, where rainfall ranges between 70 -100 cm.
• As the dry season begins, the trees shed their leaves completely and the forest appears like a vast grassland with naked trees all around.
• Tendu, palas, amaltas, bel, khair, axlewood, etc. are the common trees of these forests.

Additional Information

The correct answer is Peninsular plateau.

Key Points

• Karbi Anglong Plateau is an extension of the Peninsular plateau.
• It is an extension of the Deccan plateau and thus a part of the Meghalaya plateau.
• A plateau is a flat, elevated landform that rises sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side.
• The relief pattern of the Karbi plateau widely varies from denuded plains to hills. Thus it can be divided into the following relief types:
• Hills
• Plateau
• High plains
• Foothills
• Low plains and valleys
• The Chenge-Arnam Plateau covers around 60% of Eastern Karbi Anglong and most of this part lies at a height of 450 m and 751m above the sea level.
• The three tributaries of the river Brahmaputra i.e. Kalong, Kopili, and Dhansiri along with their feeder streams form the most important river system of Karbi Anglong.