UPSC Prelims 2013 · GS Paper I
Question 7: Environment and Ecology
Consider the following :
- 1.Star tortoise
- 2.Monitor lizard
- 3.Pygmy hog
- 4.Spider monkey
Which of the above are naturally found in India?
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (a).
The Indian star tortoise lives in the dry scrub and grasslands of peninsular India; monitor lizards (such as the Bengal monitor) are widespread across India; and the pygmy hog is a rare, threatened pig confined to the grasslands of Assam. The spider monkey is a New World primate of Central and South America and is not found in India's wild.
- 1. Star tortoise lives in dry parts of peninsular India.
- 2. Monitor lizards are widespread in India.
- 3. Pygmy hog is found in the grasslands of Assam.
- 4. Spider monkeys are native to Central and South America.
How you could have got this
- If you were sure statement 1 is correct, (b) goes: it leaves 1 out.
What you needed to know: Star tortoise lives in dry parts of peninsular India.
- Then, if you were sure statement 4 is not correct, (c) and (d) go: each of them includes 4.
What you needed to know: Spider monkeys are native to Central and South America.
Only (a) is left. You didn’t need statements 2 or 3.
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) Correct. Star tortoise, monitor lizard and pygmy hog are all native to India.
- (b) Wrong. This leaves out the star tortoise, which is found in India.
- (c) Wrong. It includes the spider monkey, which is native to the Americas, and omits the monitor lizard and pygmy hog.
- (d) Wrong. The spider monkey is not naturally found in India.
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.