UPSC Prelims 2012 · GS Paper I
Question 41: Environment and Ecology
Government of India encourages the cultivation of 'sea buckthorn'. What is the importance of this plant?
- 1.It helps in controlling soil erosion and in preventing desertification.
- 2.It is a rich source of biodiesel.
- 3.It has nutritional value and is well-adapted to live in cold areas of high altitudes.
- 4.Its timber is of great commercial value.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (c).
Sea buckthorn is a hardy thorny shrub of cold, high-altitude deserts such as Ladakh and Lahaul-Spiti. Its dense roots bind the soil and check erosion and desertification, and its berries are rich in vitamins, giving it nutritional value. It is not a notable source of biodiesel and is not a commercial timber tree.
- 1. Its roots bind soil and help check erosion and desertification.
- 2. It is not recognised as a rich biodiesel source.
- 3. Its berries are nutritious and it thrives in cold, high-altitude areas.
- 4. It is a shrub and its timber has no great commercial value.
How you could have got this
- If you were sure statement 2 is not correct, (b) and (d) go: each of them includes 2.
What you needed to know: It is not recognised as a rich biodiesel source.
- Then, if you were sure statement 3 is correct, (a) goes: it leaves 3 out.
What you needed to know: Its berries are nutritious and it thrives in cold, high-altitude areas.
Only (c) is left. You didn’t need statements 1 or 4.
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) Incomplete: its nutritional value and adaptation to cold high altitudes are also correct.
- (b) Wrong: it is not a biodiesel source or a commercial timber tree.
- (c) Correct: it checks erosion and desertification, and is nutritious and adapted to cold highlands.
- (d) Wrong: statements 2 and 4, on biodiesel and timber, are false.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2012, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.