UPSC Prelims 2022 · GS Paper I
Question 45: Environment and Ecology
With reference to “Gucchi” sometimes mentioned in the news, consider the following statements :
- 1.It is a fungus.
- 2.It grows in some Himalayan forest areas.
- 3.It is commercially cultivated in the Himalayan foothills of north-eastern India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (c).
Gucchi is the Indian name for morel mushrooms, genus Morchella, which are fungi. They grow wild in Himalayan forests of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and fetch very high prices. Gucchi is mainly gathered from the wild, so the claim that it is commercially cultivated in the Himalayan foothills of north-eastern India is wrong.
- 1. Gucchi is a morel mushroom, a fungus.
- 2. It grows wild in some Himalayan forest areas.
- 3. It is mainly collected from the wild, not commercially cultivated in the north-east foothills.
How you could have got this
- If you were sure statement 1 is correct, (b) and (d) go: each of them leaves 1 out.
What you needed to know: Gucchi is a morel mushroom, a fungus.
- Then, if you were sure statement 2 is correct, (a) goes: it leaves 2 out.
What you needed to know: It grows wild in some Himalayan forest areas.
Only (c) is left. You didn’t need statement 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) Wrong. Statement 2 is also correct.
- (b) Wrong. Statement 3 is not correct.
- (c) Correct. It is a fungus found in Himalayan forests.
- (d) Wrong. Statement 3 is false.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2022, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.