Environment & Biodiversity MCQs

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The intentional release or dissemination of biological agents is known as Bio-terrorism. These agents of bio-terrorism  include bacteria, viruses, or toxins, and may be in a naturally occurring or a human-modified form.

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The Ozone-Depleting Substances are Chlorofluorocarbons, HCFCs and Halons which are responsible for the depletion of ozone layer. These substances when transferred to Stratosphere cause the depletion of ozone layer.

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Basel Convention is an international treaty that was designed to reduce the movements of hazardous waste between nations, and specifically to prevent transfer of hazardous waste from developed to less developed countries (LDCs). It ultimately aims at biodiversity conservation.

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Biotic resources describe living or once living resources of a community; for example organisms, such as plants and animals wood, alkaloids, latex obtained from plant are also biotic resources. They are obtained from the biosphere and have life. The resources which are composed of non-living things are called Abiotic Resources. For example, water, minerals, metals, wind, solar energy etc.

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An air pollutant is a substance in the air that can have adverse effects on humans and the ecosystem. Because of its role as a greenhouse gas Carbon dioxide (CO2) has been described as “the leading pollutant” and “the worst climate pollution”. Other examples include carbon monoxide gas from motor vehicle exhaust, or the Sulphur dioxide released from factories.

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The Taj Mahal, is slowly turning brownish-yellow because of air pollution, also called “Marble cancer”. The Industries located in and around Agra especially the Mathura oil refinery have been responsible for producing pollutants. Emissions of sulphur dioxide around the Taj Mahal are twice the permissible levels. Now, researchers found 3% of the deposits to be black carbon, around 30% organic carbon (or brown carbon) and most of the rest dust. Black carbon is emitted by vehicles and other machines that burn fossil fuels.

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The Mudumalai National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, now also declared a Tiger Reserve, lies on the northwestern side of the Nilgiri Hills, in Nilgiri District, about 150 km north-west of Coimbatore city in the westernmost part of Tamil Nadu, on the interstate boundaries with Karnataka and Kerala states in South India. The sanctuary is a haven for Bengal Tigers and Indian Leopards and other threatened species.

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Guru Ghasidas National Park, formerly known as Sanjay National Park, is situated in Koriya district of Chhattisgarh. It has been named after the state’s Satnami reformist hero, Guru Ghasidas. A part of the Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve, it is located in the Narmada Valley dry deciduous forests ecoregion.

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The Goldman Environmental Prize is a prize awarded annually to grassroots environmental activists, one from each of the world’s six geographic regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Islands and Island Nations, North America, and South and Central America. It was created in 1990 by philanthropists Richard N. Goldman and his wife, Rhoda H. Goldman.

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Glover’s Reef is a part of The Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. This is the world’s second largest reef system, extending 300 km along the coast of Belize. It’s a host to seven protected areas inclusive of three atolls: Turneffe, Lighthouse, and Glover’s Reef. The complex supports 1,400 known species, among them 17 endangered ones such as the American crocodile, manatee, and different sea turtles. The system, notable for its pristine condition, was deemed by Charles Darwin as the “most remarkable reef in the West Indies”.