UPSC Essentials brings to you its initiative of subject-wise quizzes. These quizzes are designed to help you revise some of the most important topics from the static part of the syllabus. Attempt today’s subject quiz on Environment and Geography to check your progress.
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QUESTION 1
With reference to the vulture in India, consider the following statements:
1. India has more than five species of vultures in the wild.
2. All the vulture species are listed as Critically Endangered by IUCN.
3. The decline in vulture populations is primarily due to the use of the veterinary drug Diclofenac.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
Explanation
— A GPS-tagged white-rumped vulture named N-11 completed an extensive 4,000 km journey from Maharashtra’s Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve to Tamil Nadu, highlighting the progress of India’s vulture conservation efforts under the Jatayu Conservation Project. This bird, tagged in August 2024, flew through Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, making it easy to understand the movement and behaviour of vultures.
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— India has nine species of vultures in the wild. These are the Oriental White-backed Vulture (Gyps bengalensis), Slender billed Vulture (Gyps tenuirostris), Long billed Vulture (Gyps indicus), Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus), Red Headed Vulture (Sarcogyps calvus), Indian Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus), Himalayan Griffon (Gyps himalayensis), Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus) and Bearded Vulture or Lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus). Hence, statement 1 is correct.
— The population of three species i.e. White-backed Vulture, Slender billed Vulture and Long billed Vulture in the wild has declined drastically over the past decade. All three vulture species were listed by IUCN, the World Conservation Union, in 2000 as ‘Critically Endangered’. Not all vulture species are classified as critically endangered. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
— The decline in vulture populations, primarily due to the use of veterinary drugs like Diclofenac, was catastrophic. While the drug was banned in 2006, its effects still linger. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.
QUESTION 2
A tributary of the Kugaaruk River in northern Alaska turned orange due to:
(a) Heavy metal concentrations
(b) Coral bleaching
(c) Oil tanker spill in a marine environment
(d) Thermal discharge from a nuclear power plant
Explanation
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— Record-setting temperatures and rainfall in the Arctic over the past year sped up the melting of permafrost and washed toxic minerals into more than 200 rivers across northern Alaska, threatening vital salmon runs, according to a report card issued by federal scientists.
— The report, compiled by dozens of academic and government scientists and coordinated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, documented rapid environmental changes from Norway’s Svalbard Island to the Greenland ice sheet and the tundra of northern Canada and Alaska.
— Between October 2024 and September 2025, the period from when the ground begins to freeze until the end of summer, surface air temperatures were the warmest on record dating back 125 years, the report found.
(Image: The New York Times)
— A tributary of the Kugaaruk River in northern Alaska turning orange from elevated heavy metal concentrations. Record-setting temperatures and rainfall in the Arctic over 2025 sped up the melting of permafrost and washed toxic minerals into more than 200 rivers across northern Alaska, threatening vital salmon runs, according to a report card issued by federal scientists.
Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.
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QUESTION 3
The Aravalli Ranges pass through:
1. Rajasthan
2. Haryana
3. Delhi
4. Gujarat
5. Madhya Pradesh
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
(a) 1, 3 and 5
(b) 1, 2 and 3
(c) 1, 3, 4 and 5
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Explanation
— The new definition of the Aravallis, proposed by the Centre on October 13 and accepted by the Supreme Court on November 20, effectively excludes almost 90% of the range from protections against mining and other development activities, as per an internal assessment of the Forest Survey of India.
— At over a billion years old, the Aravallis are one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world, formed during the Precambrian Era due to the collision of tectonic plates of the earth’s crust. The 700-odd-km range stretches across four states (Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi) and 37 districts, with 560 km lying in Rajasthan.
— The present-day range, however, is much eroded compared to what the Aravallis were at their birth. Their degradation is due to both natural factors and human activities.
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— The Aravallis provide priceless ecological services. If the Western Ghats are considered the water tower and climate regulator of peninsular India, the Aravalli range is an ecological shield for the plains of Northwest and North India.
Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.
QUESTION 4
“Tsunami-ready” is a:
(a) binding international treaty administered by the United Nations
(b) voluntary community-based programme that facilitates tsunami preparedness
(c) satellite-based early warning system operated exclusively by space agencies
(d) post-disaster compensation mechanism under the Sendai Framework
Explanation
— India would soon have over 100 tsunami-ready villages among the Indian Ocean region. India will be the first country with as many villages in this region with this distinction.
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— Tsunami-ready village is certified to the ones that have high awareness about tsunami, hazard preparedness and mapping, public display of evacuation maps, 24-hour warning systems, participation in mock drills among others. The certification is awarded by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC).
— Tsunami-ready is a voluntary community-based programme that facilitates tsunami preparedness by actively collaborating with the public, community leaders, local and national emergency management agencies.
Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.
QUESTION 5
Which of the following species has caused disruptions across the world by clogging up the nuclear plant’s cooling system?
(a) Arctic lemming
(b) Desert locust
(c) Alpine ibex
(d) Jellyfish
Explanation
— A few months back, the largest nuclear power plant in France was forced to temporarily shut down due to a slimy and spineless adversary: jellyfish.
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— This is not the first time that jellyfish have thwarted nuclear plants. Swarms of these invertebrates have caused such disruptions across the world since at least the 1990s — Gravelines itself was disrupted in 1993.
How do jellyfish thwart nuclear plants?
— Nuclear power plants require a constant flow of water to cool their reactors and turbine systems, which is why many plants are typically built near large bodies of water. The plants’ intake pipes have screening areas that have grated barrier systems to remove solid materials and aquatic life, and allow the inflow of water, sometimes millions of gallons every minute.
— However, jellyfish pose a unique problem to this system. When a large volume of jellyfish — around a million individuals — gets pulled in by the intake pipes, they entirely cover and clog the screening areas within minutes. As a result, the flow of water is interrupted. This risks overheating and damage to the major plant constituents, such as the turbines, condensers, and boilers, forcing the reactors to shut down.
— Such a large number of jellyfish are typically pulled in when these creatures bloom — a rapid, temporary increase in jellyfish reproduction rates — near coastal nuclear power plants. During this process, millions of separate jellyfish clump together into dense groups.
Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.
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Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz
Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 136-137)
Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 142)
Daily subject-wise quiz — Science and Technology (Week 142)
Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 141)
Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment and Geography (Week 141)
Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 141)
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