Environment & Ecology Expected Question Set-2 - Static GK

Table of Contents

Q) Consider the following statements:

Kelps are a type of marine animal.
Kelps are found in paciﬁc ocean.
Kelps are brown in colour.

Options :

A & B are correct
Only B is correct
Only C is correct
None of the options is correct

Underwater Arctic forests are expanding thanks to global warming.
Kelps are large brown algae seaweeds.
Kelps have adapted to the severe conditions.
These cool water species have special strategies to survive freezing temperatures and long periods of darkness, and even grow under sea ice.

Why are kelps important?

Kelps function underwater in the same way trees do on land.
They create habitat and modify the physical environment by shading light and softening waves.
The underwater forests that kelps create are used by many animals for shelter and food.
More than 350 di”erent species – up to 100,000 small invertebrates – can live on a single kelp plant, and many ﬁsh, birds and mammals depend on the whole forest.
Kelp forests also help protect coastlines by decreasing the power of waves during storms and reducing coastal erosion.
Kelp forests throughout the world play an important role in coastal economies, supporting a broad range of tourism, recreational and commercial activities.
Kelp is a coveted food source in many countries, full of potassium, iron, calcium, ﬁbre and iodine.

How climate change is leading to expansion of Kelps?

Genetic evidence reveals that most kelps reinvaded the Arctic from the Atlantic Ocean quite recently (approximately 8,000 years ago, following the last Ice Age). As a result, most kelps in the Arctic are living in waters colder than their optimal temperature.
As waters warm and sea ice retreats, more light will reach the seaﬂoor, which will beneﬁt marine plants. Researchers predict a northern shift of kelp forests as ice retreats.

Q)A new vine snake species named ‘Ahaetulla laudankia‘ discovered in which state?

Karnataka
Kerala
Odisha
Andhra Pradesh

Ahaetulla laudankia from Odisha State.

Vine snake is a slender rear-fanged snake with narrow heads, and pointed snouts.
It is distributed through India and Southeast Asia.
Seven vine snake species are found in India.

Q) Consider the following statements about National Rural Drinking Water Programme

It is a central sector scheme.
It aimed to provide 35% of rural households with water connections and 40 litre of water per person per day.
‘Har Ghar Nal Se Jal’ is an upgraded version of the National Rural Drinking Water Programme

Options :

i)A & C are correct

ii)Only A is correct

iii)Only C is correct

iv)B & C are correct

National Rural Drinking Water Programme :-

Despite spending 90% of the Rs 89,956 crore budget over ﬁve years to 2017, has “failed” its targets, according to an August 2018 report from the government’s auditor.
The programme’s target: providing 35% of rural households with water connections and 40 litre – about two buckets – of water per person per day. Less than half that target was achieved, thanks to “poor execution” and “weak contract management.
National Rural Drinking Water Programme is a centrally sponsored scheme aimed at providing every person in rural India with “adequate, safe water” for drinking, cooking and other domestic basic needs in a “sustainable manner”.
The scheme provides ﬁnancial and technical assistance to state governments to install rural drinking water connections.
Water falls under the state list of the Constitution and participation of states is crucial to make the mission of providing clean drinking water a success.

India was chosen as the Co-chair of the Consultative Group (CG) of Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) for the ﬁscal year 2020 :-

Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery a global partnership that helps developing countries better understand and reduce their vulnerability to natural hazards and climate change.
It is a grant-funding mechanism, managed by the World Bank
GFDRR contributes to the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk.
India became a member of CG of GFDRR in 2015.

Q) Consider the following statements about Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

The framework’s duration is for 15-years.
It is a voluntary and non-binding agreement.
It succeeded Hyogo Framework for Action.

Options :

A & C are correct
Only A is correct
B & C are correct
All are correct

Q) In the context of environment, the term “dirty dozen” refers to what?

A) 12 most harmful greenhouse gases

B) 12 ozone depleting substances

C) 12 persistent organic pollutants

D) 12 monitored air pollutants

Q) Which of these pairs are correctly matched?

Minamata convention : Mercury
Stockholm convention : Persistent Organic Pollutants
Basel convention : lead

Select the correct answer

1 and 2 only
1 and 3 only
2 and 3 only
1, 2 and 3

Geneva 2019 :-

Conference of the Parties (COP) meetings of Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions were held in
- Basel conventions – COP 14
- Rotterdam Convention – COP 9
- Stockholm Convention – COP 9
Rotterdam Convention is about Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade.
The Basel Convention is about the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their disposal and it is speciﬁcally to prevent transfer of hazardous waste from developed to developing
The theme of the meetings in 2019 was :-

“Clean Planet, Healthy People: Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste”.

In Basel Convention COP 14 , two important issues were discussed and decided, i.e. technical guidelines on e-waste and inclusion of plastic waste in the PIC procedure.
The draft technical guidelines stipulated the conditions when used electrical and electronic equipment destined for direct reuse, repair, refurbishment or failure analysis should be considered as non-waste. India had major reservations regarding these provisions as in the name of re-use, repair, refurbishment and failure analysis there was a possibility of dumping from the developed world to the developing countries including India in view of the growing consumption of electronic equipment and waste across the world. The Indian delegation strongly objected the proposed decision on these guidelines during plenary and did not allow it to be passed by the conference of the parties (COP).
Basel Convention :-
- Under the Basel Convention, another major achievement of COP 14 was the decision to amend the convention to include unsorted, mixed and contaminated plastic waste under PIC (Prior Informed Consent) procedure and improve the regulation of its transboundary movement. This is a signiﬁcant step taken towards addressing plastic pollution which has become a major environmental concern across the globe.
Under the Stockholm Convention the COP decided to list “Dicofol” in Annex A without any exemption.
- Perﬂuorooctanoic acid “PFOA” was also listed with some exemptions in the Annex A of the Stockholm
- Annex A (Elimination)
- Annex B (Restriction)
- Annex C (Unintentional production)
Under the Rotterdam Convention, two new chemicals (Phorate and HBCD) were added in the list for mandatory PIC procedure in international trade.

Q) An MoU has been signed to plant 10,000 Rudraksha Trees in which state?

Himachal Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttarakhand
Jammu And Kashmir

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), HCL Foundation and INTACH for taking up a project of ‘Plantation of Rudraksha Trees in Uttarakhand‘ under the ‘Namami Gange’ Programme
The project aims at planting Rudraksha trees in the catchment area of river Ganga in Uttarakhand in association with the local community and other stakeholders, it will also help in generating income for people residing in those areas.
Scientiﬁc Name: Elaeocarpus ganitrus
The term is derived from words Rudra which is one of Hindu Lord Shiva’s vedic names and Akṣa means ‘teardrops’.
It is the seeds of the tree which are known as Rudraksha.

Q) Consider the following statements about Fall Armyworm

In India it caused damage to mainly Paddy and mustard.
Its impact was more in the North-East India compared to other parts of India.

Options :

Both A & B are correct
Only A is correct
Only B is correct
Neither A nor B is correct

Q) Consider the following statements

The Government of India started Rhino Impact Bonds for rhino conservation.
The Union Environment Ministry has started a project to create DNA proﬁles of all rhinos in the

Options :

Both A & B are correct
Only A is correct
Only B is correct
Neither A nor B is correct

$50 million bond.
The ﬁrst ﬁnancial instrument for species conservation and it is being run by the Zoological Society of
The ﬁve-year bond will cover conservation e”orts at ﬁve sites in South Africa and Kenya where about 700 black rhinos.

Q)Which of these days is observed on the third Friday of May every year?

National Endangered Species Day
Darwin Day
International day to eradicate animal diseases
International day of wildlife conservation

Place in News :-

Karnataka state notiﬁed Bukkapatna as second Chinkara Wildlife Sanctuary
Bukkapatna happens to be only the second protected habitat for the rare antelope in the state after Yedehalli in Bagalkot district.
IUCN Status of Chinkara / Indian Gazelle – Least Concern
It is native to Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Around 60% of the global population of Indian gazelles is presently found in western Rajasthan.

‘Not All Animals Migrate by Choice’ Campaign :-

This awareness campaign was launched, Ahead of International Day of Biological Diversity (celebrated on 22 May).
The campaign was displayed at major airports across India.
Launched By: United Nation (UN) Environment India and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) of
Campaign was inaugurated by Dia Mirza, the UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador (and also UN Secretary-General’s SDG Advocate)
Tiger, Pangolin, Star Tortoise and Tokay Gecko featured in the campaign.
Tiger is tra cked for its skin, body parts and bones.
Pangolin is most illegally traded wild mammal on the planet. It is tra cked for its meat and scales which are used in traditional medicines.
Star Tortoise is tra cked for pet trade and meat.
Tokay Gecko is tra cked for its use in traditional medicine mostly into SouthEast Asia (SEA) but mainly Chinese Markets.

Q) Consider the following statements about Ongole breed of cattle

It is a pure breed
It has its origin in Andhra Pradesh
It has natural resistance to foot and mouth disease (FMD)

Options :

A & B are correct
B & C are correct
A & C are correct
All are correct

Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu called for protecting ONGOLE CATTLE
Brazil had imported these cattle and now produced hybrid Ongoles is gaining huge revenue through its
India do not focus enough attention on its own indigenous breed
Nomenclature: The breed derives its name from the name of a place called ‘Ongole’, It is also nicknamed as ‘Nellore cattle’ as Ongole was once part of the Nellore area.
Indigenous breed originates from Prakasam District of Andhra Pradesh.
The Ongole breed of cattle, Bos Indicus, has a great demand as it is said to possess resistance to both foot and mouth disease and mad cow disease. The Ongole is one of the heaviest breeds. These cattle are commonly used in bull ﬁghts in Mexico and some parts of East Africa due to their strength and They also participate in traditional bull ﬁghts in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.