2010 General Studies, all questions

UPSC Prelims 2010 · General Studies

Question 20: Environment and Ecology

Consider the following statements :

  1. 1.Biodiversity hotspots are located only in tropical regions.
  2. 2.India has four biodiversity hotspots i.e., Eastern Himalayas, Western Himalayas, Western Ghats and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

a1 only
b2 only
cBoth 1 and 2
dNeither 1 nor 2

AnswerThe answer is (d).

Biodiversity hotspots are regions with at least 1,500 endemic vascular plant species that have lost 70 per cent or more of their original habitat. Some are in temperate zones, such as the Mediterranean Basin and the California Floristic Province, so statement 1 is false. India's hotspots at the time were the Himalaya, Indo-Burma (north-east India), the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka, and Sundaland (Nicobar Islands). 'Western Himalayas' is not a separate hotspot and the list given is not India's, so statement 2 is false.

  • 1. Temperate hotspots exist, for example the Mediterranean Basin and California.
  • 2. India's hotspots are the Himalaya, Indo-Burma, Western Ghats (with Sri Lanka) and Sundaland (Nicobar); Western Himalayas is not listed separately.

How you could have got this

  1. If you were sure statement 1 is not correct, (a) and (c) go: each of them includes 1.

    What you needed to know: Temperate hotspots exist, for example the Mediterranean Basin and California.

    The red flag in statement 1 is “only”. In UPSC’s papers, statements with “only” were true 27% of the time (82 statements). A hint, not a rule.

  2. Then, if you were sure statement 2 is not correct, (b) goes: it includes 2.

    What you needed to know: India's hotspots are the Himalaya, Indo-Burma, Western Ghats (with Sri Lanka) and Sundaland (Nicobar); Western Himalayas is not listed separately.

Only (d) is left. This one needs every statement.

This follows an unofficial answer: UPSC has not published its key for this year, and if that answer is wrong, so is this path.

Which options go is worked out from UPSC’s key and the options, not by a model.

Why each option is right or wrong
  • (a) Hotspots also occur in temperate regions, such as the Mediterranean Basin.
  • (b) India's four are not the ones named; 'Western Himalayas' is not a separate hotspot.
  • (c) Both statements are wrong.
  • (d) Right: neither statement is correct.

Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2010, General Studies, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.