Home › UPPSC › 2015 › Environment
UPPSC 2015 — Environment Questions with Answers
All 15 Environment previous-year questions from UPPSC 2015, each with the correct answer and a full explanation. Practise them as a free, timed mock test with instant scoring.
Practice Environment as a timed test →- Q1.Biodiversity
Which of the following National Parks is unique in being a swamp with floating vegetation that supports a rich biodiversity?
- a)Bhitarkanika National Park
- b)Keibul Lamjao National Park
- c)Keoladeo Ghana National Park
- d)Sultanpur National Park
Explanation: Keibul Lamjao in Manipur, part of Loktak Lake, is the world's only floating national park, with phumdis (floating biomass) that shelter the endangered Sangai deer.
- Q2.Agriculture
What can be the impact of excessive/inappropriate use of nitrogenous fertilizers in agriculture?
- a)1 and 3 only
- b)2 only
- c)2 and 3 only
- d)1, 2 and 3
Explanation: Excess nitrogenous fertilizer makes soil acidic and leads to nitrate leaching into groundwater, but it suppresses rather than proliferates natural nitrogen-fixing microbes.
- Q3.International Conventions
With reference to IUCN and CITES, which of the following statements is/are correct?
- a)1 only
- b)2 and 3 only
- c)1 and 3 only
- d)1, 2 and 3
Explanation: IUCN is not a UN organ but an independent union of governments and NGOs; it runs many field projects, and CITES is legally binding on parties without replacing national legislation.
- Q4.Pollution
With reference to 'fly ash' produced by power plants using coal as fuel, which of the following statements is/are correct?
- a)1 and 2
- b)2 only
- c)1 and 3
- d)3 only
Explanation: Fly ash is widely used for bricks and as a partial cement substitute in concrete, but it contains toxic heavy metals and is not made up of only silica and calcium oxide.
- Q5.Biodiversity
With reference to 'dugong', a mammal found in India, which of the following statements is/are correct?
- a)1 and 2
- b)2 only
- c)1 and 3
- d)3 only
Explanation: The dugong is a herbivorous (sea-grass eating) marine mammal protected under Schedule I, but it is restricted to specific coasts (Gulf of Mannar, Gulf of Kutch, Andaman & Nicobar), not the entire coast.
- Q6.Biodiversity
Which one of the following is the national aquatic animal of India?
- a)Saltwater crocodile
- b)Olive ridley turtle
- c)Ganges river dolphin
- d)Gharial
Explanation: The Gangetic river dolphin was declared India's national aquatic animal in 2009.
- Q7.International Conventions
Which one of the following is associated with the issue of control and phasing out of the use of ozone-depleting substances?
- a)Bretton Woods Conference
- b)Montreal Protocol
- c)Kyoto Protocol
- d)Nagoya Protocol
Explanation: The Montreal Protocol (1987) governs the phasing out of ozone-depleting substances like CFCs.
- Q8.International Conventions
What is Rio+20 Conference, often mentioned in the news?
- a)It is the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.
- b)It is a ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization.
- c)It is a conference of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change.
- d)It is a conference of the member countries of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Explanation: Rio+20 (2012) was the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, held twenty years after the 1992 Earth Summit.
- Q9.Climate Finance
Which of the following statements regarding 'Green Climate Fund' is/are correct?
- a)1 only
- b)2 only
- c)Both 1 and 2
- d)Neither 1 nor 2
Explanation: The Green Climate Fund helps developing countries with adaptation and mitigation, but it was established under the UNFCCC, not UNEP/OECD/ADB/World Bank.
- Q10.Biodiversity
Which one of the following National Parks has a climate that varies from tropical to subtropical, temperate and arctic?
- a)Khangchendzonga National Park
- b)Nanda Devi National Park
- c)Neora Valley National Park
- d)Namdapha National Park
Explanation: Namdapha National Park in Arunachal Pradesh spans a huge altitudinal range, giving it climates from tropical up to arctic/alpine.
- Q11.Climate Finance
'BioCarbon Fund Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes' is managed by the
- a)Asian Development Bank
- b)International Monetary Fund
- c)United Nations Environment Programme
- d)World Bank
Explanation: The BioCarbon Fund Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes is managed by the World Bank.
- Q12.Biotechnology Regulation
The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee is constituted under the
- a)Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006
- b)Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999
- c)Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
- d)Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
Explanation: The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), which approves GM products, functions under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
- Q13.Climate Finance
With reference to 'Forest Carbon Partnership Facility', which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. It is a global partnership of governments, businesses, civil society and indigenous peoples. 2. It provides financial aid to universities, individual scientists and institutions involved in scientific forestry research to develop eco-friendly and climate adaptation technologies for sustainable forest management. 3. It assists the countries in their 'REDD+' efforts by providing them with financial and technical assistance.
- a)1 only
- b)2 and 3 only
- c)1 and 3 only
- d)1, 2 and 3
Explanation: The FCPF is a global partnership of governments, businesses, civil society and indigenous peoples that supports countries' REDD+ efforts; it does not fund universities or individual scientists for research.
- Q14.Biodiversity
With reference to an organization known as 'BirdLife International', which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. It is a Global Partnership of Conservation Organizations. 2. The concept of 'biodiversity hotspots' originated from this organization. 3. It identifies the sites known/referred to as 'Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas'.
- a)1 only
- b)2 and 3 only
- c)1 and 3 only
- d)1, 2 and 3
Explanation: BirdLife International is a global partnership of conservation organizations that identifies Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas; the official key marks all three statements correct.
- Q15.Ecology
Which one of the following is the best description of the term 'ecosystem'?
- a)A community of organisms interacting with one another
- b)That part of the Earth which is inhabited by living organisms
- c)A community of organisms together with the environment in which they live
- d)The flora and fauna of a geographical area
Explanation: An ecosystem is a community of living organisms together with the non-living environment with which they interact.
UPPSC 2015 — other subjects
Environment — other years
Ready to test yourself on UPPSC 2015?
Start the timed mock free →