Question 1

With respect to the Western Hoolock Gibbons, which of the following statements is/are correct?
1. A Sanctuary in North-east India is home to this ape species listed as Endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
2. They have specialized brachiation and can easily swing between trees.
3. They possess a strong and heavy build like gorillas, yet are remarkably agile tree climbers.

Accepted Answer

1 only. * Statement 1 is correct: The Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary in Assam (Northeast India) houses the Western Hoolock Gibbon, which is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List and represents India's only ape species. * Statement 2 is correct: Gibbons move primarily by swinging from branch to branch (brachiation) using their long arms, living almost entirely in tree canopies. * Statement 3 is incorrect: Gibbons are light, slender, and small (weighing only 6–9 kg), which is the exact polar opposite of heavily muscled, knuckle-walking ground dwellers like gorillas (100–200 kg).

Question 2

Which of the following statements with regard to the arrival of Amur Falcons at Doyang Lake in Nagaland each year from Mongolia is/are correct?
1. It showcases how sustained local conservation efforts can contribute to the arrival and protection of international migratory birds.
2. It reflects the global success of advanced tracking technologies that guide migratory birds back to their stopover sites.
3. It confirms that Amur Falcons have adapted to permanent residency in India due to favourable habitat changes.
Select the answer using the code given below:

Accepted Answer

1 only. * Statement 1 is correct: In Nagaland's Pangti village near the Doyang valley, successful local conservation community efforts transformed local hunters into protectors of the Amur falcon (locally called eninum), creating a safe international stopover. * Statement 2 is incorrect: Although satellite-tagging technology tracks their cross-continental migrations, these tools do not "guide" or navigate the birds back to their stopover sites. * Statement 3 is incorrect: Doyang valley acts merely as a temporary winter stopover point for a few weeks where the falcons gather to feed on insects and roost before flight; they have not adapted to permanent residency in India.

Question 3

Consider the following statements about Rhynchostylis retusa (Foxtail orchid):
1. It is an epiphytic orchid.
2. The species is endemic to North-east India.
3. It is the State flower of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

1 only. * Statement 1 is correct: Rhynchostylis retusa is an epiphytic orchid commonly known as the "foxtail orchid" because its pendant inflorescence resembles a fox's tail. * Statement 2 is incorrect: The species is not endemic to Northeast India; it is widely distributed across the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia (including Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, China, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines). * Statement 3 is correct: Rhynchostylis retusa is recognized as the official state flower of both Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

Question 4

Regarding Peacock tarantula (Gooty tarantula), consider the following statements:
I. It is an omnivorous crustacean.
II. Its natural habitat in India is only limited to some forest areas.
III. In its natural habitat, it is an arboreal species.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

II only. * Statement I is incorrect: The Peacock tarantula (Gooty tarantula) is a critically endangered, carnivorous spider (arachnid), not an omnivorous crustacean; it feeds primarily on insects. * Statement 2 is correct: Its primary natural habitat in India is endemic and limited to a highly disturbed, small reserve forest tract under 100 square kilometers in Andhra Pradesh. * Statement III is correct: It is an arboreal species that lives inside the natural hollows and holes of tall trees.

Question 5

With reference to the planet Earth, consider the following statements:
1. Rain forests produce more oxygen than that produced by oceans.
II. Marine phytoplankton and photosynthetic bacteria produce about 50% of world's oxygen.
III. Well-oxygenated surface water contains several folds higher oxygen than that in atmospheric air.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

I and II. * Statement I is incorrect: Oceanic photosynthesizers produce more oxygen than terrestrial tropical rainforests. For instance, Prochlorococcus bacteria alone produce up to 20% of the biosphere's oxygen. * Statement II is correct: Roughly 50% (half) of the global oxygen supply is produced in the oceans by marine photosynthesizers like phytoplankton, drifting algae, and photosynthetic bacteria. * Statement III is incorrect: Water holds far less oxygen than atmospheric air. Well-oxygenated surface water contains only about 8 mg of dissolved $O_2$ per liter, compared to atmospheric air which holds about 210 mg of $O_2$ per liter.

Question 6

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?

Accepted Answer

Only two. * In evolutionary biology, a parasitoid lives in close, destructive association with a host, ultimately killing it. * Item 1 contains parasitoid species: Several specialized genera of carabid beetles (such as Brachinus or Lebia) have larvae that develop as extreme ectoparasitoids. * Items 3 and 5 contain parasitoid species: The vast majority of documented insect parasitoids belong either to the Hymenoptera order (wasps and bees) or the Diptera order (flies). * Items 2 (centipedes, which are generalist macroscopic predators) and 4 (termites, which are herbivorous detritivores) do not contain parasitoid species. * Therefore, parasitoid species are found in exactly three of the listed groups.

Question 7

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?

Accepted Answer

Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I. * Statement I is correct: The Indian Flying Fox (Pteropus giganteus), a large fruit-eating bat, was historically placed under the "vermin" category in Schedule V of the original Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, due to its tendency to raid commercial fruit orchards. (Note: Recent amendments shifted it to Schedule II to confer a higher degree of protection). * Statement II is incorrect: The Indian Flying Fox is frugivorous and nectarivorous; it feeds exclusively on ripe fruits (such as mangoes and guavas) and floral nectar, not on the blood of other animals.

Question 8

The organisms "Cicada, Froghopper and Pond skater" are:

Accepted Answer

Fish. * (c) Insects is correct: All three specified organisms are invertebrates belonging to the insect class. * Cicadas are robust-bodied hemipteran insects famous for spending extended multi-year life stages feeding underground before emerging to molt and mate. * Froghoppers are jumping, plant-sucking insects whose larvae build frothy foam shelters on stalks. * Pond skaters are specialized predatory water bugs configured to slide rapidly across water surfaces to prey on falling organisms.

Question 9

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?

Accepted Answer

1 and 2 only. * Statement 1 is correct: Lions do not possess a specific or fixed seasonal breeding calendar and often synchronize reproduction within the pride. * Statement 2 is correct: Unlike lions, tigers, or leopards, a cheetah's vocal anatomy features a fixed voice box structure that allows continuous purring but physically prevents them from roaring. * Statement 3 is incorrect: Male leopards are highly territorial and actively proclaim and defend their home range boundaries using scent marking methods like spraying urine, scattering feces, and rubbing their cheeks against tree trunks.

Question 10

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?

Accepted Answer

Fig. * (a) Fig is correct: Fig trees exhibit an absolute, obligate mutualistic relationship with their unique pollinator wasp species. This tightly coevolved relationship ensures that a specific species of fig can only be pollinated by its specific partner wasp, which enters the internal inflorescence to lay eggs, receiving developing seeds as food for its larvae in return.

Question 11

Consider the following:
1. Butterflies
2. Fish
3. Frogs

How many of the above have poisonous species among them?

Accepted Answer

Only two. * Item 1 is correct: The African giant swallowtail (Papilio antimachus) is a highly poisonous butterfly whose tissues hold high levels of toxic cardiac steroid cardenolides. * Item 2 is correct: Numerous marine fish synthesize or deliver potent toxins; the Reef Stonefish is highly venomous, using dorsal spines to inject fatal mixtures. * Item 3 is correct: Many amphibians carry chemical skin defenses (e.g., poison dart frogs); furthermore, species like Bruno's casque-headed frog use bony spines to inject venom. * Therefore, all three categories contain toxic or poisonous species.

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