UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : Environment and Geography MCQs on Miyawaki technique, faecal coliform and more (Week 96, 97 and 98)

QUESTION 1

What are the consequences of the increase in temperatures in the Arctic more than the global average?

1. Rise in the sea levels

2. Warming of planet

3. Lower albedo effect

4. Disruption of weather patterns

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1, 3 and 4 only

(c) 2 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Explanation

— At the north pole, temperatures rose by more than 20 degrees Celsius above usual, causing ice to melt. In the north of Svalbard, Norway, temperatures rose to 18 degrees Celsius over the 1991-2020 average.

— Since 1979, the Arctic has warmed four times faster than the world average. This is a problem since the region serves as a refrigerator for the rest of the world, cooling the planet. If temperatures continue to rise at this rate, it could have serious global consequences such as increasing sea levels and disruption of weather patterns.

— The region’s present relatively mild temperatures throughout the depths of the polar winter (November to February) are the result of a deep low-pressure system over Iceland. The system allowed warmer air from lower latitudes to enter the region, bringing heat with it. Another component was extremely high sea surface temperatures in the northeast Atlantic, which exacerbated the wind-driven warming.

— There are several reasons contributing to the Arctic’s rapid warming. One of the most noticeable factors is the albedo effect, or how much sunlight a surface reflects. Sea ice keeps temperatures low in the polar areas because its brilliant, white surface reflects more sunlight back into space than liquid water. As the Arctic ice cover melts, more land or water is exposed to the sun and absorbs more heat, causing temperatures to rise.

— Another reason is the lack of convection at higher latitudes, such as the Arctic. Convection happens when the warm surface of the Earth heats the air near the ground. In the tropics, where more sunlight reaches the surface than in the Arctic, considerable convection occurs, causing warm air to rise. This vertical mixing disperses heat throughout the atmosphere.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 2

With reference to the faecal coliform, consider the following statements:

1. Faecal coliform bacteria are a kind of coliform associated with human or animal wastes.

2. Escherichia coli (E. coli) is not a part of the group of faecal coliforms.

3. These bacteria directly pose a danger to people or animals.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 2 only

(d) 2 and 3 only

Explanation

— The National Green Tribunal Wednesday rapped the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) and the Uttar Pradesh government for not submitting adequate details on faecal coliform and other water quality parameters, such as oxygen levels, in the river Ganga in Prayagraj.

What is faecal coliform?

— Coliforms are bacteria found in the intestines of warm-blooded animals (including humans, pets, agricultural animals, and wildlife).

— Faecal coliform bacteria are a type of coliform found in human or animal excrement. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— Faecal coliforms include Escherichia coli (E. coli). Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— Coliforms are normally harmless to humans and animals, but they suggest the presence of other disease-causing bacteria, such as those responsible for typhoid, dysentery, hepatitis A, and cholera. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

— Faecal contamination can occur as a result of combined sewer overflows, leaking septic tanks, sewer malfunctions, contaminated storm drains, livestock feedlots, and other causes.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

(Other Source: archive.epa.gov)

QUESTION 3

With reference to the glacier retreat in Arunachal Pradesh, consider the following statements:

1. There is a sharp decline in glacier coverage, with the number of glaciers decreasing around 15 per cent from 1988 to 2020.

2. Large glaciers are retreating at a faster pace as compared to smaller glaciers.

3. The shrinking of glaciers may lead to short-term flooding and unstable river flows.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Explanation

— Researchers from Nagaland University and Cotton University, Guwahati, have documented significant glacier loss in Arunachal Pradesh during the last 30 years.

— The study used Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to examine glacier changes between 1988 and 2020.

— The data show a significant loss in glacier coverage, with the number of glaciers falling from 756 in 1988 to 646 by 2020. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— The entire glacier area decreased by almost 300 square kilometres, with smaller glaciers retreating at a faster rate. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— The implications of glacial retreat go well beyond the region. Communities that rely on glacier meltwater for agriculture and drinking water may experience severe water shortages in the future. Melting glaciers may cause flooding and unstable river flows at first, but as glacial mass declines, so does water availability. Furthermore, increasing glacial lakes pose a risk since abrupt floods from glacial lake outbursts (GLOFs) can be extremely devastating.

— This retreat creates long-term concerns regarding the availability of freshwater for the Himalayan region’s 1.3 billion people. Glaciers that are melting may potentially cause short-term flooding and unstable river flows. Despite these issues, research into the Eastern Himalayas remains restricted. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 4

Consider the following materials:

1. Agricultural residues

2. Corn grains

3. Wastewater treatment sludge

4. Wood mill waste

Which of the above can be used as feedstock for producing Sustainable Aviation Fuel? (UPSC 2024)

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 4 only

(c) 1, 2, 3 and 4

(d) 1, 3 and 4 only

Explanation

— The National Biofuel Coordination Committee (NBCC) has set the initial indicative targets for blending of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) with aviation turbine fuel (ATF), potentially setting the ball rolling for introduction of compulsory blending mandates in the future.

— The decision is consistent with the required phase of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), which will take effect in 2027.

— CORSIA, which applies to international flights, would mandate airlines worldwide to offset any increase in CO2 emissions above 2020 levels.

— SAF is derived from renewable resources such as agricultural waste, municipal solid waste, and forestry leftovers. This means that SAF has the potential to cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% when compared to traditional jet fuel.”

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

(Other Source: pib.gov.in)

QUESTION 5

More than 7,500 lakes in this country have turned brown, begun emitting carbon, and suffered a drop in water quality due to extreme weather events that took place in 2022. These lakes, which were once crystal blue, provide drinking water to locals, feature rich biodiversity, and sequester atmospheric carbon. The study revealed that the lakes underwent the transformation at a breakneck speed. Typically, such changes take place over centuries, but in this case, they happened within months after the extreme weather events occurred.

The above mentioned lines refer to the lakes of which country?

(a) United States

(b) Russia

(c) Canada

(d) Denmark

Explanation

— According to a new study, more than 7,500 lakes in western Greenland have gone brown, begun to leak carbon, and experienced a reduction in water quality as a result of extreme weather events in 2022.

— These once-clear blue lakes now offer drinking water to communities, support a diverse ecosystem, and trap carbon from the atmosphere.

— The study, ‘Abrupt alteration of west Greenland lakes following compound climate extremes linked with atmospheric rivers’, was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study also revealed that the lakes went through the transition at breakneck speed. Such changes often take centuries, but in this case, they occurred within months after the intense weather events.

— Snowfall often occurs in Greenland during the autumn season, which lasts from late August until late September. However, higher temperatures in 2022 caused the snow to melt and turn into rain. The heat also caused permafrost, which is frozen earth that holds a lot of organic carbon, to thaw, releasing carbon, iron, magnesium, and other components. As the region saw record-breaking rainfall, these components were carried into the lakes, causing them to change.

— Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 6

Umrangso coal reserves were recently in the news. These reserves are located in:

(a) Odisha

(b) Assam

(c) Andhra Pradesh

(d) Meghalaya

Explanation

— The bodies of five miners who had been trapped and killed in a flooded coal mine in Assam’s Dima Hasao in early January were recovered, bringing an end to a 44-day long recovery operation.

— On January 6, nine miners operating in a rat-hole mine in Dima Hasao’s Umrangso coal deposits became trapped when the pit flooded while they were working.

— The biggest problem was the volume of water that had entered the mine and continued to flow into it via the interconnected network of rat-hole mines nearby, despite efforts to dewater the shaft using pumps. The mine features a central pit with a depth of 310 feet and numerous low and narrow tunnels – known as rat-holes – branching off of it, where the workers operate and dig for coal.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 7

Which of the following forms part of the coastal ecosystems?

1. Rocky Headlands

2. Lagoons

3. Salt marshes

4. Sand dunes

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1, 2 and 3

(b) 1 and 4 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Explanation

— In a study published in the journal Nature, researchers looked at how coastal habitats like mangroves, marshes and coral reefs retreated and adapted at the end of the last Ice Age and how they could cope with predicted sea level rises in this century.

— Coastal areas have become increasingly important in recent years as a result of rising human populations and rapid development near coasts.

— Beaches are found between the lowest low tide level and a landward limit, which is typically defined by a coastal cliff or dune with permanent vegetation or a man-made structure.

— The coastal ecosystem includes a diverse range of coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, coral reefs, seagrasses, salt marshes, and sand dunes. The coastline includes rocky headlands, sandy beaches, estuaries, lagoons, and so on.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

(Other Source: irrigation.kerala.gov.in)

QUESTION 8

Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is associated with:

(a) United Nations Environment Programme

(b) Greenpeace

(c) European Union

(d) Global Environment Facility

Explanation

— The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is a world first that will affect imported goods from industries with high emissions, such as steel, cement, aluminium, fertilisers, and energy generation.

— It means that if a firm in the European Union (EU) wants to sell steel but does not meet EU environmental requirements — or does not compensate for the associated emissions in some way — the importer must purchase CO2 pollution certificates proportional to the level of climate damage.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 9

Which of the following countries are well known as the two largest cocoa producers in the world? (UPSC 2024)

(a) Algeria and Morocco

(b) Botswana and Namibia

(c) Cote d’ Ivoire Coast and Ghana

(d) Madagascar and Mozambique

Explanation

— The price of cocoa beans, the most important raw material in chocolates, has skyrocketed, hitting a record $12,000 a tonne in April, 2024,  around four times last year’s price.

— Cocoa processors — who turn the beans into butter and liquor that are then converted to chocolate by companies — have thus reduced production because they cannot afford the beans.

— The direct cause of the ongoing issue is a terrible harvest season in West African countries Ghana and Ivory Coast, which produce 60% of the world’s cocoa beans.

— Due to the development of El Nino — a weather pattern, which refers to an abnormal warming of surface waters in the equatorial Pacific Ocean — in 2023, West Africa experienced heavier-than-usual rainfalls. This created an ideal ground for the spread of black pod disease, which causes cocoa pods (a case that holds a plant’s seeds) to rot on the branches of cocoa trees.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 10

The ‘foot rot’ or ‘bakanae’ disease is associated with:

(a) Maize

(b) Cotton

(c) Wheat

(d) Rice

Explanation

— Foot rot is a fungal disease that affects Basmati rice crops particularly at the seedling stage, though it might also cause infection after transplantation in case infected seedlings are transplanted.

— It is caused by the fungus Fusarium verticillioides, a soil-seed borne pathogen which spreads the infection through the root of the plant, and eventually leads to the colonisation of the stem base.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 11

With reference to World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) biennial living planet report 2024, consider the following statements:

1. Monitored global wildlife populations have declined by 73 per cent in the last 50 years, owing to habitat loss, degradation, impacts of climate change and invasive species.

2. The decline is in terms of the number of populations lost and among the different ecosystems, the freshwater populations saw the highest decline.

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

— Monitored global wildlife populations have declined by 73 per cent in the last 50 years, owing to habitat loss, degradation, impacts of climate change and invasive species, the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) biennial living planet report said. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— In India, the decline of three vulture species – white-rumped vulture, Indian vulture, and slender-billed vulture, has been alarming, WWF said.

— The report’s conclusions were based on tracking 35,000 population trends and 5,495 species of amphibians, mammals, birds, fish and reptiles. To be sure, the decline is not in terms of the number of populations lost but the average changes in monitored animal populations around the world. Among the different ecosystems, the freshwater populations saw the highest decline with their populations falling by 85 per cent, followed by terrestrial populations, which saw a 69 per cent decline and a 56 per cent decline in marine populations, according to the report. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 12

What is the Government of India’s Green Credit Program (GCP)?

(a) It is a loyalty program for frequent travelers to eco tourism destinations.

(b) It is a market-based mechanism designed to incentivize voluntary environmental actions.

(c) It allows individuals to trade cryptocurrency for carbon credits.

(d) It provides direct cash payments to anyone planting trees.

Explanation

— The Centre has approved many greening projects under the Green Credit Program (GCP), which was notified in 2023 as a market-based mechanism designed to incentivize voluntary environmental actions across diverse sectors.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 13

They belong to a South American group that switched from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to subsistence farming of fungi that grew on decomposing, woody plant matter some 55 to 60 million years ago, shortly after the dinosaurs died out. Identify the subject.

(a) Rodents

(b) Woodpeckers

(c) Honey bees

(d) Ants

Explanation

— Ants belonging to a South American group switched from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to subsistence farming of fungi that grew on decomposing, woody plant matter some 55 to 60 million years ago, shortly after the dinosaurs died out, new research has found.

— By contrast, humans began subsistence farming around 10,000 years ago, progressing to industrialised agriculture only in the past century.

— The genes of the ant farmers and their fungal crops revealed a surprisingly ancient history of mutual adaptations, said the study published in the journal Nature Communications.

— This evolutionary give-and-take led to some species — the leafcutter ants, for example — developing industrial-scale farming that surpasses human agriculture in its efficiency, the researchers said.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 14

These are sunken steel frames connected to a low voltage current to help in the regrowth of broken fragments of live coral, which are manually attached by scuba divers on the frame.Thus the latest technique used for coral conservation is named after them which are also called mineral accretion technology.

What is referred to in the above extract?

(a) Asbestos

(b) Biorock

(c) Louvered Screens

(d) Electrostatic precipitators

Explanation

— The latest technique used for coral conservation is called ‘biorock’ or mineral accretion technology. “Biorocks are sunken steel frames connected to a low voltage current to help in the regrowth of broken fragments of live coral, which are manually attached by divers on the frame,” Harianawala, a PADI scuba instructor described, stressing that due to electric currents, coral reefs are able to grow faster than their actual growth.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 15

The Miyawaki technique is primarily used in the field of:

(a) Agriculture

(b) Afforestation and urban forestry

(c) Water conservation

(d) Renewable energy

Explanation

— Prime Minister Narendra Modi during one of his ‘Mann ki baat’ episodes spoke about Miyawaki plantation, the Japanese method of creating dense urban forests in a small area. The PM also cited the example of a Kerala-based teacher, Raafi Ramnath, who used the Miyawaki technique to transform a barren land into a mini forest called Vidyavanam by planting 115 varieties of trees.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 98)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 98)

Daily subject-wise quiz —  Science and Technology (Week 96, 97 and 98)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 96, 97 and 98)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment and Geography (Week 95)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 95)

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