Environmental Studies PYQs

The correct answer is Dehradun.

Key Points

• Wildlife Institute of India is located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
• It was established in 1982 as an autonomous institute of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
• It is an international institution that offers a training program and academic courses in wildlife research, wildlife forensics, climate change, habitat ecology, etc.

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Additional Information

• It is chaired by the Union Minister for Environment & Forests, Government of India.
• There are 49 members in the body.

Key Points

• Plants prepare their food by the process called photosynthesis.
• During photosynthesis, plants trap solar energy or light energy with the help of chloroplast present in the green leaves and convert it into Chemical energy
• A pigment called chlorophyll is present in the chloroplasts which is required in trapping sunlight
• Plants utilize Carbon dioxide and Water for the synthesis of carbohydrates during photosynthesis, oxygen is liberated as a side product
• This gaseous exchange occurs through the stomata present on the leaf surface

These events can be demonstrated by the following equation:

\(\rm \underset{(Carbon\ dioxide)}{6CO_2} + \underset{(Water)}{6H_2 O} \xrightarrow[Chlorophyll]{Sunlight} \underset{(Carbohydrates)}{C_6H_{12}O_6} + \underset{(Oxygen)}{6O_2} \)

Thus, during photosynthesis, carbon dioxide is absorbed by green plants.

Additional Information

The correct answer is Detritivores.

• Detritus food chain is the type of food chain that starts with dead organic matter.

Two types of food chains are found in nature-

1. Grazing Food Chain -

• The consumers start with the food chain, utilising the plant as their food, which constitutes the grazing food chain.

2. Detritus Food Chain - 

• It starts from dead organic matter of decaying animals and plant bodies consumed by the microorganisms and then to detritus feeding organisms called detritivores or decomposers and to other predators.

Key Points

• This dead organic matter gets decomposed by microorganisms.
• The organisms which feed on dead organic matter are known as detritivores as well as decomposers which in turn are eaten by the predators.
• Example-
• Dead organic wastes → Microorganisms → Decomposers
• In this representation, the food chain starts with the dead organic wastes.
• These wastes are consumed by microorganisms.
• These microorganisms are consumed by other detritivore organisms like snails, earthworms, etc.

Additional Information

The two major sources of energy can be classified under:

• Conventional Sources
• Non-Conventional Sources

​

• Conventional sources of energy are those energies that have been predominantly in use for the better part of civilization.
• Non-conventional sources of energy are the up and coming energy sources.​

Key Points

• Geothermal energy is a type of energy that is derived from heated groundwater.
• It is produced by geothermal plants by using heat from deep inside the earth to generate steam that activates the generator by rotating the turbine to produce electricity.
• It’s a renewable energy source, meaning it’s inexhaustible to humans.
• It’s also a green source of energy, meaning it does not emit greenhouse gasses that are hazardous to humans and health.
• This thermal energy is contained in the rock and fluids beneath Earth’s crust.
• It can be found from the shallow ground to several miles below the surface, and even farther down to the extremely hot molten rock called magma.

Additional Information

• The Shola grasslands are tropical mountain forests found in the Southern part of Western Ghats of South India.
• Consists of dwarf trees growing 25-30 feet in high attitudes region.
• Provide shelter to endemic and endangered plants and animals.
• Important in keeping water cycles alive.
• Consume most of the rain throughout the monsoons and then release it slowly to meet the needs of the population of South India.

Key Points

• Shola forests are the local name for patches of stunted tropical mountain forest found in valleys amid rolling grassland in the higher mountain regions of South India, largely in Kerala.
• These patches of shola forest are found mainly in the valleys and are usually separated from one another by undulating montane grassland.
• The shola and grassland together form the shola-grassland complex or mosaic.

Key Points

• Pelican is a type of large waterbird with a long throat and a bag of skin under its long beak for storing food.
• Pelican are found in large colonies and breeds in southern Asia and across India.
• Assumed to the symbols of resourcefulness and social responsibility because they are highly social and reliant upon their groups.
• Spot-billed pelicans or grey pelican species to breed in Nelapattu, Kokre bellur, Koothankulam and Uppalapadu village of Andhra Pradesh.

​Thus, In India, pelicans breed in Nelapattu, Koonthankulam and Kokka Bellur.

Additional Information 

Kolleru Lake Bird Sanctuary

• Kolleru Bird Sanctuary is located in the state of Andhra Pradesh between Krishna and Godavari deltas.
• The lake is one of the largest freshwater lakes in India and listed under the Ramsar Convention wetland of international importance.
• Kolleru Lake was declared as a bird sanctuary and visited by two million birds including grey pelicans, glossy ibises, painted storks and Asian openbill.

Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary

• Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary at the border of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu state is most noted for the greater flamingos and spot-billed pelicans.
• The lake sanctuary is the second largest brackish water ecosystem in India after Chilka lake and attracts hundreds of thousands of birds every year.

The correct answer is Mercury poisoning.

Key Points

• Minamata disease, sometimes referred to as Chisso-Minamata disease, is a neurological syndrome caused by severe mercury poisoning.
• It is methylmercury (MeHg) poisoning that occurred in humans who ingested fish and shellfish contaminated by MeHg discharged in wastewater.
• Symptoms include ataxia, numbness in the hands and feet, general muscle weakness, narrowing of the field of vision, and damage to hearing and speech.

Additional Information

• Itai-Itai, which literally translates to ‘it hurts, it hurts’ is the name given to cadmium poisoning.
• The disease Itai-Itai is caused by Cadmium.
• This name was given to the disease by the locals of Toyama Prefecture of Japan in 1912.
• This disease was recognized as the Four Big Pollution Diseases of Japan.
• Cadmium is a naturally occurring toxic heavy metal.
• It is an extremely toxic industrial and environmental pollutant classified as a human carcinogen.
• It is used in the manufacturing of NiCd rechargeable batteries.

Concept:

Ozone Layer: 

• Ozone (O3) is a molecule formed by three atoms of oxygen. Ozone is a deadly poison.
• Ozone is found in the stratosphere layer of the atmosphere.
• However, at the higher levels of the atmosphere, ozone performs an essential function. It shields the surface of the earth from ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the Sun.
• This radiation is highly damaging to organisms, for example, it is known to cause skin cancer in human beings or can split the DNA.
• It is a pale blue gas with a distinctively pungent smell.
• Ozone is an excellent oxidizing agent as it breaks down into oxygen gas and nascent oxygen. { O3 → O2 + [O] }
• It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope O2, breaking down in the lower atmosphere to O2 or di-oxygen

Its depletion:

• The amount of ozone in the atmosphere began to drop sharply in the 1980s.
• This decrease has been linked to synthetic chemicals like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) which are used as refrigerants and in fire extinguishers.
• The government bans those products which contain CFCs.
• Ozone is thermodynamically unstable and decomposes to molecular oxygen. Thus, a dynamic equilibrium exists between the production and decomposition of ozone molecules

Explanation:​.

• In recent years, there have been reports of the depletion of this protective ozone layer because of the presence of certain chemicals in the stratosphere.
• The main reason for ozone layer depletion is believed to be the release of chlorofluorocarbon compounds (CFCs), also known as Freons.
• These compounds are non-reactive, non-flammable, non-toxic organic molecules and therefore used in refrigerators, air conditioners, in the production of plastic foam and by the electronic industry for cleaning computer parts etc.
• Once CFCs are released in the atmosphere, they mix with the normal atmospheric gases and eventually reach the stratosphere. Hence option 3 is correct.
• In the 1980s, for the first time, atmospheric scientists working in Antarctica reported about the depletion of the ozone layer commonly known as the ozone hole over the South Pole.

The Chief Justice refers to the head of the judiciary and the Supreme Court of India. Chief Justice heads administrative functions and sets the agenda for the court's meetings. Hiralal J. Kania had been appointed as the first Chief Justice of India in 1950.

Additional information:

• Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana (N.V. Ramana) 48^th and current Chief Justice of India.
• Sharad Arvind Bobde: 47^th and current Chief Justice of India.
• M. Patanjali Sastri: 2^nd Chief Justice of India.
• Mehr Chand Mahajan: 3^rd Chief Justice of India.
• S.R. Das: 5^th Chief Justice of India.

Additional Information

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

• First Chief Justice of India - Harilal J. Kania.
• Current Chief Justice of India - Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud
• First woman Judge of India - Fathima Beevi.
• Longest Serving Chief Justice of India - Y.

V. Chandrachood.

• Shortest Serving Chief Justice of India - Kamal Narain Singh.
• Supreme Court stands at the apex of the 'Judicial System of India'.
• It is the ultimate interpreter of the Constitution and the laws of the land.
• Supreme Court was inaugurated on 28^th January 1950.
• Article 124 - Establishment and Constitution of the Supreme Court.
• At present, the Supreme Court consists of 34 judges (one Chief Justice of India and 33 judges).
• The senior-most judge of the Supreme Court is appointed by the President as the Chief Justice of India.
• The judges of the Supreme Court are appointed by the President after consultation with the Chief Justice.
• The Oath of affirmation to the judges of the Supreme Court is administered by the President.
• A judge of the Supreme Court holds the office till he attains the age of 65 years.
• A judge of the Supreme Court may resign his office by writing to the President.
• The tenure of the Supreme court has not fixed.
• New Delhi is the permanent seat of the Supreme Court.

Important Points

• The Red Data Book is the state document established for documenting rare and endangered species of animals, plants.
• It also deals with fungi as well as some local subspecies that exist within the territory of the state or country.
• This book provides central information for studies and monitoring programs on rare and endangered species and their habits.
• The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List was founded in 1964.

Key Points

• The Green databook is a small pocket-sized book subjected to environmental data of more than 200 economies.
• It is based on world development indicators like agriculture, forestry, biodiversity, pollution, and sanitation.
• The Blue databook is related to species that are stabilized from endangered species to somewhat better.
• Carbon Black World Data Book is an essential resource for anyone involved in the carbon black industry.
• The Yellow data book extension of the Red book, Which provides the CD contains data.

Concept:

• Every food product in India has numerous logos and symbols on its packaging.
• These logo's and symbols help the user to identify the quality and composition of the product.
• In some cases, certain logos or marks are necessary for selling food products in India.

Explanation:

Agmark:

• It is a certification mark employed on agricultural products in India.
• It is the quality mark provided under The Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Act, 1937.
• The Act stipulates the conditions which govern the use of standards and lays down the procedure for grading, marking and packing of agricultural produce.
• AGMARK is the acronym for Agricultural Marketing.
• An Agmark symbol is usually found on the packets of rice, flour, pulses, biscuits, oil etc.

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ISI:

• It stands for the Indian Standards Institute.
• Indian Standards Institute, a body set up when India gained Independence.
• It creates standards needed for orderly commercial growth and maintaining quality in industrial production.
• The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), which then took over ISI.
• But the term “ISI mark" continues to be used to mean that a certain product conforms to the quality standards set up by the government.
• The ISI mark is found on products like electrical appliances like switches, electric motors, wiring cables, heaters, kitchen appliances, etc.

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Hallmark:

• BIS Hallmarks are official marks used in many countries.
• It is used as a guarantee of purity or fineness of precious metal articles.
• It provides a certificate of standardization in India for gold jewellery.
• The Indian government-enforced mandatory hallmarking of gold jewellery and artefacts from June 16, 2021.

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ISO:

• ISO stands for International Organization for Standardization.
• As the name implies it’s an independent international organisation that develops International Standards.
• There are various standards under ISO such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 etc.
• The aim of getting an ISO certification depends on the ISO standard.
• An ISO certification is usually issued to an institution, organisation or any registered body.​

Thus, one must look for the Agmark logo on a biscuit packet.

Key Points

• Water pollution is one of the most serious environmental problems.
• It occurs when water is contaminated by such substances as human and animal wastes, toxic industrial chemicals, agricultural residues, oil, and heat.
• One of the causes of water pollutions is groundwater contamination which poses a serious risk to human health.

Groundwater Contamination:

• It is caused by the introduction of chemicals to the ground all the way down into groundwater.
• Arsenic is a toxic element that has no apparent beneficial health effects for humans. Most waters in the world have natural arsenic concentrations of less than 0.01 mg/litre. It is introduced into soil and groundwater during weathering of rocks and minerals followed by subsequent leaching and runoff.
• Arsenic groundwater contamination has far-reaching consequences including its ingestion through the food chain. Arsenic poisoning leads to potentially fatal diseases like skin and internal cancers.

Hence, it can be concluded that in large parts of Eastern India, the groundwater is contaminated by Arsenic.

• Arsenic is a toxic chemical that contaminates groundwater.
• Arsenic contamination of groundwater has become a serious problem in 9 out of 20 districts of West Bengal.
• It causes skin cancer and other serious health issues.

The wildlife protection act was enacted on 9 September 1972 by the parliament of India to protect the animal from being hunted and for the protection of all species of plants.

Other important Environment and biodiversity act Passed by the Indian government:

1. Biological diversity act 2002
2. Environment protection act 1986
3. Air(prevention and control of pollution) Act 1981.
4. Forest conservation act 1980
5. Water prevention and control of pollution Act 1974.

Key PointsCurd:

• Milk is converted into curd or yoghurt by the process of fermentation.
• Milk consists of globular proteins called casein.
• The curd forms because of the chemical reaction between the lactic acid bacteria and casein.
• During fermentation, the bacteria use enzymes to produce energy (ATP) from lactose.
• The byproduct of ATP production is lactic acid. Acid has less pH value.
• Lactic acid acts on the globular proteins present in the milk and denatures them.
• Thus giving a thick texture to the milk due to the coagulation of the proteins.
• Curd may contain a wide variety of bacteria like Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactococcus lactis, Lactococcus lactis cremoris, etc.

Thus, the process of curd production from milk is known as fermentation.

Additional Information

Key Points

Fundamental Duties:

• The idea of Fundamental Duties is inspired by the Constitution of Russia.
• These were incorporated in Part IV-A of the Constitution by the 42^nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976 on the recommendations of the Swaran Singh Committee.

Important Points

The Soviet Constitution (USSR, now Russia) gave the idea of:

• Fundamental duties of all the citizens
• The ideal of justice on social, economic and political basics in the Preamble of the constitution.

Thus, Fundamental Duties are adopted from the Constitution of USSR.

Additional Information

Another part of the constitution is adopted from:

 US: Ideas taken from the US are:

• Written Constitution
• Impeachment of the President
• Supreme Court.
• Provision of States
• Functions of President and Vice-President
• Removal of Supreme Court and High Court judges
• Fundamental Rights
• Judicial review
• Independence of Judiciary
• The preamble of the Constitution

Ireland: Ideas taken from Ireland are:

• Concept of Directive Principles of State Policy (Ireland had borrowed it from Spain)
• The nomination of members to Rajya Sabha by the President
• Method of election of President

USSR: Ideas taken from USSR are:

• Fundamental duties
• The ideal of justice (social, economic, and political) in the Preamble
• Five-Year Plans

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.

The correct answer is Uttarakhand.

Explanation:

• The Valley of Flowers is situated in the Chamoli-Pithoragarh districts of Uttarakhand.
• It is known for the large meadows of alpine flora.
• It is a low lying Himalayan valley and has an alpine temperate climate
• The climate is favourable for the growth of a number of ornamental flowers, hence the name.
• This region got known to the world as late as the 1930s by the British.
• It is also home to a large number of wild animals such as Asiatic black bear, red fox etc
• It has been declared as a world heritage site by UNESCO.
• This region has a great degree of endemism and a large number of species are threatened due to ongoing human activities.

Additional Information

• Chamoli lies in an earthquake-prone zone in the Himalayan belt.
• Chief Minsiter of Uttrakahand: Pushkar Singh Dhami
• Governor: Gurmit Singh

The correct answer is 206.

 Key Points

• The body's internal structure is the Human skeleton.
• This is made up of 300 bones at birth-this number falls by adulthood to 206 bones as certain bones have fused. In the skeleton, the bone mass reaches maximum density around age 30.
• Bones are connected to other bones by long fibrous straps called ligaments.
• Tendons connect muscle to bone.
• Ligaments and Tendons both are made of collagen.
• Many factors work together to ensure the strength and health of bones. Bone density relies on:
• A steady supply of dietary calcium
• Adequate vitamin D from sunshine and food
• A healthy diet with plenty of vitamins and minerals
• Various hormones including parathyroid hormone, growth hormone, calcitonin, oestrogen, and testosterone
• Regular weight-bearing exercise.

Additional Information 

The human skeleton is made up of 206 bones, including bones of the:

• The femur (the thigh bone) is the largest bone in the human body whereas the stapes (bone of ear) is the smallest bone of the body.
• Skull: including the jaw bone
• Spine: cervical, thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, sacrum, and tailbone (coccyx)
• Chest: ribs and breastbone (sternum)
• Arms: the shoulder blade (scapula), collar bone (clavicle), humerus, radius, and ulna
• Hands: wrist bones (carpals), metacarpals, and phalanges
• Pelvis: hip bones
• Legs: the thigh bone (femur), the kneecap (patella), shin bone (tibia) and fibula
• Feet: tarsals, metatarsals, and phalanges.

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: