UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : Environment and Geography MCQs on climate engineering approaches, Darien Gap and more (Week 101)

4. Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary

5. Melghat Tiger Reserve

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 2 and 3 only

(b) 3, 4 and 5

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 3 and 5 only

Explanation

— Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the development of India, adding the 58th tiger reserve to its tally with Madhya Pradesh’s Madhav Tiger Reserve.

— A tiger reserve in India is a designated area established under the Project Tiger initiative to ensure the conservation of tigers and their habitats. These reserves are part of the government’s efforts to protect the tiger population, maintain biodiversity, and restore ecological balance.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 2

Darien Gap was recently in the news. It connects:

(a) Central America and South America

(b) North Korea and South Korea

(c) Germany and Poland

(d) Spain and Portugal

Explanation

— Migrants seeking to enter the United States continue to use the notorious Darien Gap, an inhospitable stretch of jungle between Panama and Colombia.

— For years, the Darien Gap, a 97-kilometer section, has been known for its dangerous conditions: heavy rain, swamps, snakes, fauna, high heat, and the continual threat of criminal gangs robbing and extorting tourists. Every day, hundreds of individuals cross the gap, with an appalling number of deaths along the way. In 2024 alone, three lakh migrants crossed it, a decrease from over half a million in 2023.

— The Darien Gap remains the only land-based route between South and Central America.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 3

Which of the following is/are geoengineering or climate engineering approaches?

1. Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS)

2. Solar Radiation Management

3. Carbon Capture and Utilisation

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1 and 3 only

(b) 1 only

(c) 1, 2 and 3

(d) 2 only

Explanation

— Geoengineering refers to any large-scale attempt to alter the Earth’s natural climate system to counter the adverse impacts of global warming.

Different methods of geoengineering

— Solar Radiation Management (SRM): In SRM, the materials are proposed to be deployed in Space to reflect incoming solar rays and prevent them from reaching Earth.

— Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technologies: These include Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS), Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU), and Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS).

— Direct Air Capture (DAC) method: In this method, carbon dioxide is sucked out through large “artificial trees” from ambient air and directed towards storage sites or utilisation.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 4

The Pantanal wetlands have been severely affected by fires in the region located in:

(a) North-western Africa

(b) South-eastern Australia

(c) South American region

(d) North American region

Explanation

— South America is witnessing its worst forest fire season in nearly two decades, breaking a previous record for the number of blazes seen in a year.

— Satellite data assessed by Brazil’s space research organisation INPE have identified 346,112 fire hotspots in all 13 South American countries this year.

— Brazil, the continent’s largest country, has been affected the worst, accounting for 60% of the region’s current fires.

— According to Grist magazine, three of the world’s six largest ecosystems—the Amazon, the Cerrado (the world’s most biodiverse savanna), and the Pantanal wetlands—have been badly impacted.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 5

The organic matter in soil:

1. Retain large amounts of water and nutrients, which helps to increase soil biodiversity.

2. Increases erosion and leaching.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

— Soil organic matter (SOM) refers to the organic remains in soil that are in various states of degradation. It only makes up a small portion of the soil matrix, SOM has a substantial impact on soil health.

— SOM retains a lot of water and nutrients, which helps to preserve and expand soil biodiversity, improve water and nutrient availability, and prevent erosion and leaching. Hence, statement 1 is correct and statement 2 is not correct.

— The primary component of SOM is carbon, also known as soil organic carbon (SOC). This carbon is the greatest terrestrial carbon reservoir, making soils critical to our planet’s carbon cycling.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 101)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 101)

Daily subject-wise quiz —  Science and Technology (Week 101)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 101)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment and Geography (Week 100)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 100)

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