Natural Resources Questions and Answers

Answer: C

The Lisbon Declaration concerns oceans.

The second UN Ocean Conference, held in Lisbon in June-July 2022 and co-hosted by Portugal and Kenya, adopted the Lisbon Declaration, 'Our ocean, our future, our responsibility', committing countries to science-based action to protect the ocean, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life below water).

It is not about air, mountains or glaciers.

Answer: C

The correct match is a-iii, b-i, c-iv, d-ii.

• IWST, the Institute of Wood Science and Technology: Bengaluru.
• IFB, the Institute of Forest Biodiversity: Hyderabad.
• RFRI, the Rain Forest Research Institute: Jorhat, Assam.
• That leaves IFR, the ICFRE institute at Ranchi.

Only option C puts IWST at Bengaluru, IFB at Hyderabad and RFRI at Jorhat together.

Answer: D

The recommended minimum is 33%.

India's National Forest Policy of 1952, and again the policy of 1988, set the goal of keeping one-third of the country's geographical area under forest or tree cover to maintain ecological balance, with a higher target of two-thirds in hills and mountains.

India's actual forest cover is about 21 to 22 percent of its area (around 24 to 25 percent with tree cover added), which is why figures like 25 and 27 percent are tempting, but they are measurements, not the recommended target. 30 percent is not the policy figure.

Answer: C

The Blue Economy refers to the sustainable use of ocean resources.

The World Bank defines the blue economy as the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, better livelihoods and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystems. It covers fisheries, shipping, ports, coastal tourism, marine energy and seabed resources.

Water conservation in agriculture, general infrastructure and heritage tourism are not what the term means.

Answer: C

The correct answer is Assertion is true, but Reason is false.

The Assertion is true: tropical rain forests, including India's in the Western Ghats and the north-east, are being cleared and degraded fast for agriculture, plantations, mining and infrastructure.

The Reason is false on both counts. Tropical rain forests are the richest ecosystems on land in biodiversity, holding more than half of all known species, and they are highly valued, for timber, medicines, water regulation and carbon storage. They are lost because short-term economic gains are put ahead of those values, not because they have none. Since the Reason is false, the options that call it true are wrong, and the Assertion is not false either.

Answer: C

Primary energy resources are conventional as well as non-conventional.

Primary energy is energy as it is found in nature, before any conversion: coal, crude oil and natural gas, which are conventional, and sunlight, wind, flowing water, biomass and geothermal heat, many of which are counted as non-conventional. Electricity and petrol are secondary forms made from them.

Since both groups are found in nature, saying primary resources are only conventional or only non-conventional is wrong, and 'None of the above' is ruled out.

Answer: C

Energy is released when fossil fuels are burned.

Coal, oil and natural gas store chemical energy derived from ancient plants and animals. Burning (combustion) combines their carbon and hydrogen with oxygen, releasing that energy as heat, with carbon dioxide and water as products.

Pumping only moves the fuel, cooling removes heat, and pressurising compresses it. None of these releases the stored chemical energy.

Answer: B

The pyne system is popular in Bihar.

The ahar-pyne system of south Bihar is a traditional method of floodwater harvesting. Pynes are artificial channels that divert water from rivers to fields and to ahars, embanked catchment basins, where it is stored for irrigation.

Rajasthan's traditional systems are kunds, johads and baoris, and Assam's include the dong channels; the pyne is not a system of Assam, Rajasthan or Punjab.

Answer: D

Conservation means the suitable and well managed use of resources.

Conservation is the wise, planned use of natural resources so that they meet present needs while remaining available for future generations, which is the idea behind sustainable development.

It is not the same as not using resources at all, nor simply using them miserly. 'Use as per need' says nothing about management or renewal, so the fullest description is D.