Environment and Ecology MCQs for UPSC Prelims with Answers

This Environment and Ecology MCQ practice paper for UPSC has 15 questions on biodiversity, protected areas, climate change, pollution, laws and international conventions. Answers come with simple explanations, so you can learn the logic behind every fact. Environment is one of the highest-scoring areas in the UPSC Prelims, and steady practice brings very good results.

Why Environment MCQs Are Important

In recent years the Prelims has asked many questions from Environment and Ecology. The questions are often a mix of basic concepts, species and places in the news, and international agreements. Because the subject is very current-affairs-friendly, MCQ practice helps you remember species, conventions and terms with their context.

Instructions

• Total questions: 15. Suggested time: 15 minutes.
• Each correct answer gives 2 marks and each wrong answer deducts 0.66 marks.
• Check the explanations after the test and update your notes with the new points you learned.

Practice Questions

Q1. Which group of chemicals is mainly responsible for the depletion of the ozone layer?
(a) Carbon dioxide
(b) Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
(c) Methane
(d) Nitrogen oxides from fertilisers only

Q2. The Montreal Protocol (1987) deals with:
(a) Control of hazardous waste
(b) Protection of wetlands
(c) Phasing out substances that deplete the ozone layer
(d) Trade in endangered species

Q3. Which was the first national park established in India?
(a) Kaziranga National Park
(b) Jim Corbett National Park
(c) Gir National Park
(d) Ranthambore National Park

Q4. Project Tiger was launched in India in the year:
(a) 1952
(b) 1973
(c) 1986
(d) 2002

Q5. Which of the following is a Biosphere Reserve?
(a) Kaziranga
(b) Nilgiri
(c) Gir
(d) Ranthambore

Q6. How many biodiversity hotspots are found in India?
(a) 2
(b) 3
(c) 4
(d) 6

Q7. In the IUCN Red List, which category among these shows the highest risk of extinction in the wild?
(a) Vulnerable
(b) Near Threatened
(c) Endangered
(d) Critically Endangered

Q8. Which greenhouse gas is mainly released by burning fossil fuels?
(a) Carbon dioxide
(b) Ozone
(c) Argon
(d) Helium

Q9. The Paris Agreement on climate change was adopted in the year:
(a) 1992
(b) 1997
(c) 2009
(d) 2015

Q10. The Biological Diversity Act of India was passed in:
(a) 1972
(b) 1986
(c) 2002
(d) 2010

Q11. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) was established in:
(a) 1986
(b) 2002
(c) 2010
(d) 2015

Q12. Which of the following is an example of in-situ conservation?
(a) Zoo
(b) Botanical garden
(c) National park
(d) Seed bank

Q13. Eutrophication in a water body is mainly caused by:
(a) Excess nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus
(b) Lack of sunlight
(c) Excess oxygen
(d) Low temperature

Q14. In the wild, the Asiatic lion is found only in:
(a) Jim Corbett National Park
(b) Gir forest, Gujarat
(c) Sundarbans
(d) Kaziranga

Q15. The Chipko Movement, which began in the 1970s, was associated with:
(a) Protecting trees from felling
(b) Saving rivers from dams
(c) Preventing air pollution
(d) Protecting tigers

Answer Key with Explanations

1. Q1: (b) CFCs release chlorine in the stratosphere, which breaks down ozone. The Montreal Protocol was made to phase them out.
2. Q2: (c) The Montreal Protocol is the international treaty to phase out ozone-depleting substances. Basel deals with hazardous waste and CITES with trade in endangered species.
3. Q3: (b) Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand was established in 1936 and was originally called Hailey National Park.
4. Q4: (b) Project Tiger was launched in 1973 to protect the tiger and its habitat through tiger reserves.
5. Q5: (b) The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (1986) was the first biosphere reserve in India. The others in the options are known mainly as national parks or tiger reserves.
6. Q6: (c) India has four biodiversity hotspots: the Himalayas, the Western Ghats, Indo-Burma and Sundaland (Nicobar Islands).
7. Q7: (d) The order of risk from low to high is Vulnerable, Endangered and Critically Endangered, so Critically Endangered shows the highest risk among the options.
8. Q8: (a) Burning coal, oil and gas releases large amounts of carbon dioxide, the main cause of human-made global warming.
9. Q9: (d) The Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015 and aims to keep global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius. The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 1997.
10. Q10: (c) The Biological Diversity Act, 2002 protects biological resources and traditional knowledge and regulates access to them.
11. Q11: (c) The NGT was set up in 2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act to handle environmental cases quickly.
12. Q12: (c) In-situ conservation protects species in their natural habitat, such as national parks and sanctuaries. Zoos, botanical gardens and seed banks are ex-situ methods.
13. Q13: (a) Excess nutrients from fertilisers and sewage cause algal blooms. When the algae die and decay, oxygen in the water falls and aquatic life suffers.
14. Q14: (b) The only wild population of Asiatic lions is in and around the Gir forest in Gujarat.
15. Q15: (a) The Chipko Movement in present-day Uttarakhand involved villagers hugging trees to stop commercial felling.

Protected Areas: Know the Difference

Important International Conventions

• Ramsar Convention (1971): wetlands.
• CITES (1973): controls trade in endangered wild animals and plants.
• Montreal Protocol (1987): ozone-depleting substances.
• Convention on Biological Diversity (1992): conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
• UNFCCC (1992) and Paris Agreement (2015): climate change.
• Basel Convention (1989): hazardous waste movement.

Indian Environmental Laws at a Glance

Climate Change Terms You Must Know

The greenhouse effect keeps the Earth warm by trapping heat, but extra gases like carbon dioxide and methane make the planet warmer. A carbon sink such as a forest or an ocean absorbs more carbon than it releases. Carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases produced by a person or an activity. Net zero means balancing the greenhouse gases we emit with the amount we remove from the air. India has announced a target of net-zero emissions by 2070.

Pollution at a Glance

Air pollution comes from vehicles, factories, burning of crop residue and construction dust, and it is measured with the Air Quality Index (AQI). Water pollution comes from sewage, industrial waste and farm chemicals, and programmes like Namami Gange try to clean major rivers. Soil pollution is caused by excess chemicals and waste. Noise pollution comes from traffic, loudspeakers and machines. Understand ideas such as biomagnification, where toxic substances become more concentrated at higher levels of a food chain, and bioaccumulation, where a substance builds up inside one living being over time.

Quick Revision Points

• CFCs damage the ozone layer; the Montreal Protocol controls them.
• Jim Corbett is India's first national park (1936); Project Tiger started in 1973.
• India has four biodiversity hotspots and the Nilgiri was the first biosphere reserve (1986).
• In-situ means inside the natural habitat; ex-situ means outside it.

How to Prepare Environment for the Prelims

1. Build the basics. Study ecosystems, food chains, biodiversity and pollution from NCERT biology and geography books.
2. Use one standard book and one reliable source for current affairs.
3. Make species tables. Note the species, its IUCN status, habitat and the protected area where it lives.
4. Use maps. Mark national parks, Ramsar sites and hotspots.
5. Revise news. Track conventions, reports and species in the news every month.

Tricks for Environment Questions

• Read species-based questions with the IUCN status in mind, because the Prelims often asks which species is more endangered.
• For convention questions, match the convention with its one-line purpose and year. This removes confusion between Ramsar, CITES, Basel and Montreal.
• When a question mentions a place, think about the state and the animal that is linked with it, such as Gir with the Asiatic lion or Kaziranga with the one-horned rhino.
• Relate each term to a daily-life example, such as plastic waste in a river for pollution or fertiliser runoff for eutrophication.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Learning species names without their habitat or status.
• Mixing up national parks, sanctuaries and biosphere reserves.
• Ignoring conventions, laws and international reports.
• Skipping current affairs revision before the exam.

Practise a short environment quiz every day, keep a small notebook of species and conventions and revise it each weekend. With this simple habit, Environment can become the most rewarding part of your Prelims preparation.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How many questions come from Environment in UPSC Prelims?

There is no fixed number, but Environment and Ecology has often carried a large number of questions in recent Prelims papers, so it is a priority subject.

Which books are best for Environment MCQ practice?

Read basic NCERT chapters on ecology and geography, then use one standard environment book and a good current affairs source, and practise MCQs regularly.

How can I remember species and protected areas?

Make a table with the species, its IUCN status, habitat and protected area, mark places on a map and revise the table every week.

What is the difference between in-situ and ex-situ conservation?

In-situ conservation protects species in their natural habitat, like national parks. Ex-situ conservation protects them outside their habitat, like zoos, botanical gardens and seed banks.

What is the Paris Agreement?

It is a 2015 global agreement in which countries promise to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to keep global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius and try to limit it to 1.5 degrees.

How do I connect current affairs with Environment?

Note news on species, reports, summits, schemes and court decisions, and add them under topics like biodiversity, climate change or pollution in your notes.

How often should I solve Environment MCQs?

Solve a small set every day and take a longer test every week. Review wrong answers and update your notes with the correct concept.