UPSC IAS Prelims Exam : Environment and Ecology : MCQ Set 7

1.   Which of the following is a mixture of decomposed organic matter and is usually dark in colour?

a)    Clay
b)    Podzol
c)    Humus
d)    Loam

Ans.c

2.     Soil acidity is measured by the concentration of which cation?

a)    Calcium
b)    Hydrogen
c)    Magnesium
d)    Sodium

Ans. a

3.     Why is it important to apply nitrogen fertiliser at an appropriate time of year?

a)    Fertiliser requires a threshold level of soil water to work
b)    Fertiliser is more expensive during certain months of the year
c)    The fertiliser only works above 10oC
d)    During winter, nitrate is more easily leached from the soil when there is no vegetation cover

Ans. a

4.    Which of the following is not a major factor for producing regions in the Biospehere?

a)    Temperature regime
b)    Humans
c)    Moisture availability
d)    The concentration of soil organisms

Ans. b

5.    Which of the following is not a biogeographical realm?

a)    Paleotropic
b)    Chaparral
c)    Nearctic
d)    Palaearctic

Ans. b

6.    Under what temperature range do you find the Taiga?

a)    Where there is between 1 and 5 months with mean temperature above 20oC
b)    Where temperatures never exceed 10oC
c)    Where only 1 month of the year has a mean temperature above 10oC
d)    Where there is between 1 and 5 months with the mean temperature above 10oC

Ans. b

7.    Which Biome is often transitional between tropical rainforests and hot deserts?

a)    Deciduous
b)    Taiga
c)    Chaparral
d)    Savanna

Ans. d

8.    What climatic condition are xerophytic plants specifically adapted to?

a)    Cold temperatures
b)    Saline conditions
c)    Extreme pH levels
d)    Limited moisture availability

Ans. d

9.    Which of the following species characteristics is not associated with fire-prone savanna areas?

a)    Large above ground biomass storage
b)    Burrowing animals
c)    Rapid shoot growth
d)    Large below ground biomass storage

Ans. a

10.    Why are using rainforest biomes for large scale agriculture unsustainable?

a)    Because it is too wet
b)    Because soils are nutrient poor
c)    Because temperatures are too warm
d)    Because the soils are too thin

Ans. b