IAS Prelims Exam: NIOS DEFORESTATION Questions Set I

Environment and Ecology has become indispensable for IAS Prelims Exam. Candidates cannot dispense with this section. In future also Importance of Environment and Ecology cannot be underestimated. Following are some MCQs that would help candidates to understand the kinds of questions they are going to face from Environment and Ecology section in IAS Prelims Exam:

Q1. Which of the following is/ are true about forest?
1. Forest protect wildlife species against extremes of climate
2. Forests have great biological importance as reservoirs of genetic diversity
3. Forests are renewable resources

Select the correct answer from the following codes
a. Only 1
b. Only 1 and 2
c. Only 2 and 3
d. 1,2 and 3

Answer: d

Explanation: Forests are renewable resources which provide a wide variety of commodities. Forests provide habitat and food as well as protection to wildlife species against extremes of climate. Forests have great biological importance as reservoirs of genetic diversity apart from playing an important role in regulating earth’s climate.

Q2. Forest functions as “shelter against wind and radiation “is which of the following function?
a. Productive function
b. Regulative function
c. Protective function
d. None

Answer: c

Explanation: As protective functions forest provide shelter against wind, cold, radiation, noise, sounds, smells and sights.

Q3. which of the following is/are not protective function?
1. Prevention of drought
2. Conservation of soil, air and water
3. Absorption, storage and release of gases

Select the correct answer from the following codes
a.    Only 1
b.    Only 1 and 2
c.    Only 2 and 3
d.    1,2 and 3

Answer: b

Explanation: Provides habitats for various organisms, conservation of soil and water, prevention of drought, shelter against wind, cold, radiation, noise, sounds, smells and sights. Absorption, storage and release of gases are regulative function.

Q4. Which of the following is/are produced by forest?
1. resins
2. alkaloids
3. latex

Select the correct answer from the following codes
a. Only 1
b. Only 1 and 2
c. Only 2 and 3
d. 1,2 and 3

Answer: d

Explanation: Production of various types of wood, fruits and a wide range of compounds such as resins, alkaloids, essential oil, latex and pharmaceutical substances.

Q5. With reference to functions of forest, which of the following are regulative nature?
1. Absorption, storage and release of radiant energy
2. Absorption, storage and release of minerals
3. Role in biogeochemical cycles

Select the correct answer from the following codes
a. Only 1
b. Only 1 and 2
c. Only 2 and 3
d. 1,2 and 3

Answer: d

Explanation: Forests also effectively regulate floods and drought and all the biogeochemical Cycles like absorption, storage and release of gases (most importantly carbon dioxide and oxygen), water, minerals, elements and radiant energy.

Q6. Forest provides protection against which of the following?
1. sounds
2. sights
3. radiation

Select the correct answer from the following codes
a. Only 1
b. Only 1 and 2
c. Only 2 and 3
d. 1,2 and 3

Answer: d

Explanation: plantation forest on the roads in national highways help in protecting eyes from lights of vehicles from opposites. By absorbing CO2 forest protect land from harmful radiations.

Q7. Which of the following pairs are correctly matched?
    Medicinal plants            Diseases
1. Quinine                    -    to treat malaria
2. Digitalis                   -    to reduce pain
3. Morphine and cocaine        -    to treat chronic heart trouble

Select the correct answer from the following codes
a. Only 1
b. Only 1 and 2
c. Only 2 and 3
d. 1,2 and 3

Answer: a

Explanation: Digitalis is used to treat chronic heart trouble; morphine and cocaine are used to reduce pain.

Q8. which of the following pairs are correctly matched?
        Medicinal Extract                Plants
1.    Taxol            -            Taxus Brevifolia
2.    Quinine        -            cinchona tree
3.    Digitalis       -            foxglove Plant

Select the correct answer from the following codes
a. Only 1
b. Only 1 and 2
c. Only 2 and 3
d. 1,2 and 3

Answer: d

Explanation: Quinine is used to treat malaria (from the cinchona tree); Digitalis is used to treat chronic heart trouble (from the foxglove plant, Cinchona officinalis); and morphine and cocaine are used to reduce pain; drug for leukemia from Vinca rosea, taxol from Taxus brevifolia etc;

Q9. Consider the following statements regarding Aspirin
1. It is most widely used drug.
2. It is was extracted from leaves of willow trees

Select the correct answer from the following codes
a. Only 1
b. Only 2
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: c

Explanation:  Asprin, which is probably the world’s most widely used drug, was developed according to a chemical “blueprint”, from a compound extracted from the leaves of tropical willow trees.

Q10. Deforestation includes which of the following?
1. Felling, and removal of forest litter
2. Browsing,
3. Grazing and trampling of seedlings
4. Repeated lopping

Select the correct answer from the following codes
a. Only 1
b. Only 1 and 3
c. Only 3 and 4
d. 1,2,3 and 4

Answer: d

Explanation: Deforestation is the removal of vegetation in a forest to the extent that it no longer supports its natural flora and fauna. Deforestation is a very broad term, which consists of cutting of trees including repeated lopping, felling, and removal of forest litter, browsing, grazing and trampling of seedlings.

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