UPSC Prelims 2020 · GS Paper I
Question 72: Environment and Ecology
With reference to Indian elephants, consider the following statements :
- 1.The leader of an elephant group is a female.
- 2.The maximum gestation period can be 22 months.
- 3.An elephant can normally go on calving till the age of 40 years only.
- 4.Among the States in India, the highest elephant population is in Kerala.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (a).
Elephant herds are matriarchal, led by an old female, so statement 1 is right. Gestation can last up to about 22 months, so statement 2 is right. Females go on calving later than 40 years of age, and the State with the highest elephant population is Karnataka, not Kerala, so statements 3 and 4 fail.
- 1. Herds are led by a female, usually the oldest.
- 2. Gestation can last up to about 22 months.
- 3. Females calve beyond 40 years of age.
- 4. Karnataka, not Kerala, has the largest population.
How you could have got this
- If you were sure statement 3 is not correct, (c) and (d) go: each of them includes 3.
What you needed to know: Females calve beyond 40 years of age.
The red flag in statement 3 is “only”. In UPSC’s papers, statements with “only” were true 27% of the time (82 statements). A hint, not a rule.
- Then, if you were sure statement 1 is correct, (b) goes: it leaves 1 out.
What you needed to know: Herds are led by a female, usually the oldest.
Only (a) is left. You didn’t need statements 2 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) Right: statements 1 and 2.
- (b) Wrong: statement 4 is false because Karnataka has the largest population.
- (c) Wrong: females calve beyond 40 years.
- (d) Wrong: statements 3 and 4 are false.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2020, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.