2023 GS Paper I, all questions

UPSC Prelims 2023 · GS Paper I

Question 14: Environment and Ecology

Consider the following fauna :

  1. 1.Lion-tailed Macaque
  2. 2.Malabar Civet
  3. 3.Sambar Deer

How many of the above are generally nocturnal or most active after sunset?

aOnly one
bOnly two
cAll three
dNone

AnswerUPSC’s answer is (a).

Only the Malabar civet is clearly nocturnal: it forages after dark and rests by day. The lion-tailed macaque is a diurnal, tree-dwelling primate of the Western Ghats rainforests. UPSC does not count the sambar, a large deer most active around dawn and dusk that also feeds at night, as nocturnal. Remember civets, owls, bats, pangolins and slender lorises as the usual nocturnal examples.

  • 1. The lion-tailed macaque is diurnal.
  • 2. The Malabar civet is nocturnal.
  • 3. UPSC treats the sambar as mainly crepuscular, not nocturnal.

How you could have got this

No shortcut here: in a “how many” question, ruling out options doesn’t help. Every statement has to be judged.

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: only the Malabar civet is nocturnal.
  • (b) Two would need the sambar, which UPSC does not count as nocturnal.
  • (c) The lion-tailed macaque is active by day, so not all three.
  • (d) The Malabar civet is nocturnal, so not none.

Worth knowing: Many sources describe the sambar as largely nocturnal or crepuscular, so the key's treatment of it as not nocturnal is open to dispute.

Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2023, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.