Hard Level – GK Questions

Answer: Tropical wet evergreen forests

Tropical wet evergreen forests of the Western Ghats and Northeast India harbor exceptional biodiversity with numerous endemic flora and fauna.

Answer: Nitrogen

Nitrogen constitutes about 78% of Earth's atmosphere by volume, followed by oxygen at 21%, with other gases making up the remainder.

Answer: Understanding disaster risk, strengthening governance, and investing in resilience

The Sendai Framework emphasizes proactive risk reduction, multi-hazard approaches, and building back better to minimize disaster losses.

Answer: High cost, limited lifespan, and resource constraints for materials like lithium

Battery storage faces challenges of cost, degradation over cycles, and supply chain issues for critical minerals, driving research into alternatives.

Answer: Precautionary Principle and Polluter Pays Principle as part of Indian environmental law

The Court held that these international environmental principles are part of customary international law and applicable in India.

Answer: Requires large land area and long-term monitoring for leachate and methane

Landfills need significant space, liners, leachate collection, and gas management for decades after closure to prevent environmental contamination.

Answer: Malaria

Climate change affects temperature and rainfall patterns, altering the geographic range and seasonality of malaria-transmitting mosquitoes.

Answer: Prohibiting new construction except for specific public utilities

CRZ-I includes ecologically sensitive areas where development is highly restricted to protect biodiversity and natural processes.

Answer: Detailed financial projections of the project

EIA reports focus on environmental, social, and health impacts; financial analysis is part of project feasibility studies, not EIA.

Answer: Crop rotation

Crop rotation improves soil fertility, breaks pest cycles, and reduces erosion by alternating crops with different nutrient needs and root structures.

Answer: Yamuna

The Indus Water Treaty (1960) covers the Indus, Jhelum, Chenab (to Pakistan) and Ravi, Beas, Sutlej (to India); Yamuna is not part of this treaty.

Answer: Respiration, decomposition, and combustion

Carbon returns to the atmosphere through respiration by organisms, decomposition of organic matter, and burning of fossil fuels or biomass.

Answer: People, Planet, Profit

The Triple Bottom Line framework evaluates organizational success based on social (people), environmental (planet), and economic (profit) performance.

Answer: Intermittency and variability of wind

Wind speed fluctuations cause variable power output, requiring grid management strategies like storage, forecasting, and backup generation.

Answer: Nilgiri

The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve spans parts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka, encompassing diverse ecosystems of the Western Ghats.

Answer: Kyoto Protocol

The Kyoto Protocol (1997) assigned binding emission reduction targets to Annex I (developed) countries for 2008-2012.

Answer: Mercury

The Minamata Convention addresses mercury pollution from sources like coal plants, mining, and products, named after the Japanese city affected by mercury poisoning.

Answer: Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for plastic packaging

EPR makes producers, importers, and brand owners responsible for collecting and managing plastic packaging waste they introduce to the market.

Answer: Melting of Arctic sea ice reducing albedo

As ice melts, darker ocean water absorbs more solar radiation, causing further warming—a positive feedback loop.

Answer: Cadmium

Itai-Itai disease, first identified in Japan, is caused by cadmium poisoning from contaminated water, leading to severe bone and kidney damage.