UPSC Prelims 1999 · General Studies
Question 54: Environment and Ecology
"India has the largest population of the Asian X. Today, there are just about 20,000 to 25,000 X in their natural habitat spreading across the evergreen forests, dry thorn forests, swamps and grasslands. Their prime habitats are, however, the moist deciduous forests. The X population in India ranges from Northwest India where they are found in the forest divisions of Dehradun, Bijnor and Nainital districts of UP to the Western Ghats in the states of Karnataka and Kerala and in Tamil Nadu. In Central India, their population is distributed in southern Bihar and Orissa. In the East, they are seen in North Bengal, Assam and a few other states." The animal 'X' referred to in this quotation is
AnswerThe answer is (b).
The animal is the Asian elephant. India has the world's largest population of it, about 20,000 to 25,000 in the wild at the time, ranging from the foothills near Dehradun and Nainital through the Western Ghats and central India to North Bengal and Assam. The lion survives only in Gir, the one-horned rhinoceros only in a few places in Assam and North Bengal, and the tiger's numbers were far lower. Remember: Asian elephant, India holds the most.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Wrong. The Asiatic lion survives only in the Gir forest.
- (b) Right. The range and numbers described are those of the Asian elephant.
- (c) Wrong. The tiger's population was far smaller than this figure.
- (d) Wrong. The one-horned rhinoceros is confined to a few places in Assam and North Bengal.
Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 1999, General Studies. UPSC's own paper isn't online; the words are from a published compilation. The paper on upsc.gov.in.