UPSC Prelims 2016 · GS Paper I
Question 44: Environment and Ecology
What is/are unique about ‘Kharai camel’, a breed found in India?
- 1.It is capable of swimming up to three kilometres in seawater.
- 2.It survives by grazing on mangroves.
- 3.It lives in the wild and cannot be domesticated.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (a).
The Kharai camel, a breed of Kutch in Gujarat, is unusual in being able to swim in the sea, up to about three kilometres, to reach islands of mangroves, which it feeds on. It is a domesticated breed kept by pastoral communities of Kutch, so the claim that it lives in the wild and cannot be domesticated is wrong.
- 1. It can swim up to about three kilometres in seawater.
- 2. It feeds on mangroves.
- 3. It is a domesticated breed kept by herders.
How you could have got this
- If you were sure statement 3 is not correct, (b), (c) and (d) go: each of them includes 3.
What you needed to know: It is a domesticated breed kept by herders.
Only (a) is left. You didn’t need statements 1 or 2.
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) Right: it swims in seawater and feeds on mangroves.
- (b) Statement 3 is wrong: the breed is domesticated.
- (c) Statement 3 is wrong, and this leaves out statement 2.
- (d) Statement 3 is wrong, so 'all three' fails.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2016, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.