UPSC Prelims 2013 · GS Paper I
Question 10: Environment and Ecology
Consider the following animals :
- 1.Sea cow
- 2.Sea horse
- 3.Sea lion
Which of the above is/are mammal/mammals?
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (b).
A mammal breathes with lungs and feeds its young on milk. The sea cow (dugong or manatee) and the sea lion both do, so both are mammals. The sea horse, despite its name, is a bony fish that breathes through gills; the male carries the eggs in a brood pouch.
- 1. Sea cow (dugong, manatee) is a marine mammal.
- 2. Sea horse is a bony fish.
- 3. Sea lion is a marine mammal.
How you could have got this
- If you were sure statement 2 is not correct, (c) and (d) go: each of them includes 2.
What you needed to know: Sea horse is a bony fish.
- Then, if you were sure statement 3 is correct, (a) goes: it leaves 3 out.
What you needed to know: Sea lion is a marine mammal.
Only (b) is left. You didn’t need statement 1.
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) Wrong. The sea lion is also a mammal, a seal-like animal that suckles its pups.
- (b) Correct. Sea cow and sea lion are mammals.
- (c) Wrong. The sea horse is a fish, not a mammal.
- (d) Wrong. The sea horse is a fish and cannot be included.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2013, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.