Q26hardDistractor Pairing
One of the following regions has the world's largest tropical peatland, which holds about three years worth of global carbon emissions from fossil fuels; and the possible destruction of which can exert detrimental effect on the global climate. Which one of the following denotes that region ?
(a) Amazon Basin
(b) Congo Basin
(c) Kikori Basin
(d) Rio de la Plata Basin
Answer: (b)
Trap: Distractor Pairing
Amazon Basin is the most famous tropical forest/carbon sink, making (a) the most tempting wrong answer. Students instinctively associate 'largest tropical carbon store' with the Amazon. The Congo Basin peatland was discovered relatively recently (2017) and stores ~30 billion tonnes of carbon. Kikori Basin (Papua New Guinea) is obscure.
Q27moderate
With reference to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that are used in making many consumer products, consider the following statements :
1. PFAS are found to be widespread in drinking water, food and food packaging materials.
2. PFAS are not easily degraded in the environment.
3. Persistent exposure to PFAS can lead to bioaccumulation in animal bodies.
Which of the statements given above are correct ?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (d)
Q28easyAbsolute Qualifier
Consider the following :
1. Carabid beetles
2. Centipedes
3. Flies
4. Termites
5. Wasps
Parasitoid species are found in how many of the above kind of organisms ?
(a) Only two
(b) Only three
(c) Only four
(d) All five
Answer: (b)
Trap: Absolute Qualifier
Parasitoid wasps are the most well-known, and parasitoid flies (tachinid flies) are also common. Carabid beetles include some parasitoid species. Students might incorrectly include centipedes (which are predators, not parasitoids) or termites (social insects, not parasitoids). The confusion between predator and parasitoid behavior is the key trap.
Q29easy
Consider the following plants :
1. Groundnut
2. Horse-gram
3. Soybean
How many of the above belong to the pea family ?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
Answer: (c)
Q30hardCommon Misconception
Consider the following statements :
Statement-I :
The Indian Flying Fox is placed under the "vermin" category in the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
Statement-II :
The Indian Flying Fox feeds on the blood of other animals.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements ?
(a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
(b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
(c) Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
(d) Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct
Answer: (x)
Trap: Common Misconception
This question was dropped by UPSC (answer 'x'). Statement-II is clearly wrong — Indian Flying Fox is a fruit bat (frugivore), not a vampire bat. It does NOT feed on blood. Statement-I about 'vermin' status was controversial and debatable — the Indian Flying Fox was listed under Schedule V (vermin) historically but its status has been debated. The ambiguity in Statement-I likely led to the question being dropped.
Q41easy
The organisms "Cicada, Froghopper and Pond skater" are :
(a) Birds
(b) Fish
(c) Insects
(d) Reptiles
Answer: (c)
Q42easy
Consider the following statements :
Statement-I :
Many chewing gums found in the market are considered a source of environmental pollution.
Statement-II :
Many chewing gums contain plastic as gum base.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements ?
(a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
(b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
(c) Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
(d) Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct
Answer: (a)
Q43moderateDistractor Pairing
Consider the following pairs :
Country | Animal found in its natural habitat
1. Brazil | Indri
2. Indonesia | Elk
3. Madagascar | Bonobo
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched ?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
Answer: (d)
Trap: Distractor Pairing
All three pairs are deliberately scrambled. Indri is found in Madagascar (not Brazil). Bonobo is found in Congo/Central Africa (not Madagascar). Elk is found in North America and East Asia (not Indonesia). Students who vaguely know these animals are 'exotic' might assume any tropical pairing works. Brazil has jaguars/macaws, Indonesia has orangutans/Komodo dragons.
Q45moderatePartial Truth
Consider the following statements :
1. Lions do not have a particular breeding season.
2. Unlike most other big cats, cheetahs do not roar.
3. Unlike male lions, male leopards do not proclaim their territory by scent marking.
Which of the statements given above are correct ?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (a)
Trap: Partial Truth
Statement 3 is the trap — male leopards DO scent mark their territory (through urine, claw marks, etc.), just like lions. The statement falsely claims they don't. Students unfamiliar with leopard behavior might accept this. Cheetahs indeed cannot roar (they chirp/purr) due to the structure of their hyoid bone — this is a well-known zoological fact.
Q46hardDistractor Pairing
Which one of the following is the correct description of "100 Million Farmers" ?
(a) It is a platform for accelerating the transition towards food and water systems that are net-zero (carbon), nature-positive and that aims to increase farmer resilience.
(b) It is an international alliance and a network of individuals and farming organisations interested in supporting and strengthening the development of the organic animal husbandry.
(c) It is a digital platform fully integrated with service providers and built on blockchain that lets buyers, sellers and third parties trade fertilizers quickly and securely.
(d) It is a platform with the mission of encouraging the farmers to form Farmer Product Organisations or Agribusiness Consortiums, thus facilitating the access to global open markets to sell their products.
Answer: (a)
Trap: Distractor Pairing
All four options sound plausible and use current buzzwords. Option (d) about FPOs and global market access sounds very relevant to Indian agricultural policy discussions. Option (b) about organic animal husbandry is a plausible international alliance. The correct answer involves net-zero food systems and farmer resilience — a World Economic Forum initiative.
Q48moderateDistractor Pairing
Which one of the following shows a unique relationship with an insect that has coevolved with it and that is the only insect that can pollinate this tree ?
(a) Fig
(b) Mahua
(c) Sandalwood
(d) Silk cotton
Answer: (a)
Trap: Distractor Pairing
The fig-wasp mutualism is one of the most famous examples of obligate mutualism in ecology. Each fig species has its own specific fig wasp species for pollination. Students unfamiliar with this might guess silk cotton (which has large showy flowers suggesting specialized pollination) or Mahua (important forest tree). Sandalwood is a parasitic plant, not known for insect coevolution.
Q49moderateCommon Misconception
Consider the following :
1. Butterflies
2. Fish
3. Frogs
How many of the above have poisonous species among them ?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
Answer: (c)
Trap: Common Misconception
While poison dart frogs and pufferfish are well-known, many well-prepared aspirants may not know that butterflies (specifically Monarchs) are poisonous through milkweed-derived cardenolides. Excluding butterflies leads to the trap answer (b). This is niche enough to catch even serious aspirants.
Q50easyCommon Misconception
Consider the following :
1. Cashew
2. Papaya
3. Red sanders
How many of the above trees are actually native to India ?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
Answer: (a)
Trap: Common Misconception
Cashew is native to Brazil (introduced by Portuguese to India). Papaya is native to Central America/Southern Mexico. Red sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus) IS native to India (endemic to Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh). Students may think cashew is Indian because Goa/Kerala are major producers, and papaya because it grows everywhere in India.
Q70easy
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which one of the following is the largest source of sulphur dioxide emissions ?
(a) Locomotives using fossil fuels
(b) Ships using fossil fuels
(c) Extraction of metals from ores
(d) Power plants using fossil fuels
Answer: (d)