Set 1 | Important Environment Issues MCQs

Correct Answer is A.

• Statement 1 (Correct): Carbon capture and storage (CCS) involves technologies to reduce global warming by capturing CO2 from power plants, industrial sites, or the air, and storing it underground. Carbon sequestration is the long-term storage of CO2 to mitigate global warming.
• Statement 2 (Incorrect): Carbon sequestration can involve pumping carbon into natural or artificial carbon sinks, like oceans, forests, and depleted oil reserves. The oil and gas industries have used carbon capture for enhanced recovery for years.
• Statement 3 (Incorrect): CO2 can be trapped as a gas under low-permeability rock, dissolved in liquids like water or oil, or react with minerals to form stable compounds, such as carbonates.

Correct Answer is C.

• Statement 1 (Incorrect): The Central Government launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) to reduce air pollution nationwide. The goal is to reduce Particulate Matter concentrations by 20% to 30% by 2024, with 2017 as the base year. It targets 122 non-attainment cities that have failed to meet air quality standards from 2014 to 2018. State Pollution Control Boards monitor and report air quality.
• Statement 2 (Incorrect): The Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change prepared the NCAP.

Correct Answer is B.

• Statement 1 (Correct): Aquatic species need oxygen for decomposition and consumption, and its demand depends on the organic and inorganic waste in the water. More waste decreases dissolved oxygen, increasing the demand for oxygen by aquatic species, known as Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD). Higher BOD indicates lower dissolved oxygen and poorer water quality.
• Statement 2 (Incorrect): Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) measures the oxygen needed to oxidize both biodegradable and non-biodegradable matter in water.
• Statement 3 (Correct): BOD specifically measures the oxygen required for the decomposition of organic matter, making it a better indicator of aquatic system health.

Correct Answer is D.

• Statement 1 (Correct): Waste generators must segregate waste into three categories: biodegradable (wet), non-biodegradable (dry), and domestic hazardous waste.
• Statement 2 (Correct): Local authorities and village panchayats are responsible for planning waste disposal according to state government policies.
• Statement 3 (Correct): Manufacturers must financially assist local authorities in setting up waste management facilities.
• Statement 4 (Incorrect): A Central Monitoring Committee under MoEF&CC monitors rule implementation. The rules apply to all local bodies and census towns, and landfills are prohibited in hilly areas.

Correct Answer is A.

• Statement 1 (Correct): Bioremediation involves microorganisms like bacteria or fungi breaking down environmental pollutants into less toxic forms, often using their enzymes.
• Statement 2 (Correct): The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) developed an eco-friendly crude oil bioremediation technology using consortia of marine microbes and wheat bran (WB) immobilized on agro-residue bacterial cells.
• Statement 3 (Incorrect): Hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria don’t rely on hydrocarbons for survival but use them as a carbon and energy source, aiding in oil spill cleanup.

Correct Answer is D.

• Statement 1 (Incorrect): A Rubber Board research farm near Guwahati has introduced the world’s first genetically modified (GM) rubber plant, designed for the Northeast’s climate. Natural rubber, native to the warm, humid Amazon forests, is not naturally suited for the colder conditions of the Northeast, a major rubber-producing region in India.
• Statement 2 (Correct): Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are organisms whose genetic material has been artificially manipulated in a lab through genetic engineering, creating gene combinations that do not occur naturally or through traditional crossbreeding.
• Statement 3 (Incorrect): The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), established under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, must approve the environmental release of GM crops. While GM organisms have mixed effects on the environment, biodiversity, and local communities, BT cotton is the only GM crop currently approved in India. It contains genes from Bacillus thuringiensis (BT), which produce a protein toxic to the pink bollworm pest.

Correct Answer is D.

• Statement 1 (Correct): Sand and boulders stabilize riverbeds and prevent rivers from changing course. Unregulated sand removal increases erosion, alters riverbeds, and can cause flooding.
• Statement 2 (Correct): Sand on riverbeds connects the river to the water table and is part of the aquifer. Excessive sand mining, such as in Karnataka’s Papagani catchment area, depletes groundwater and harms the environment.
• Statement 3 (Correct): Sand mining reduces agricultural productivity, depletes groundwater, and can dry out farmlands. Coastal sand mining causes coastal erosion, destroys fisheries, and threatens species like the gharial.
• Statement 4 (Correct): Sand dredging disrupts the habitat of essential microorganisms critical to soil structure and fertility.

Correct Answer is A.

• Statement 1 (Correct): Sand is essential for protecting the environment, buffering against tidal waves, providing habitat for marine life, and is used in construction, glass-making, and tourism.
• Statement 2 (Correct): Sand mining involves removing sand and gravel, leading to economic losses, such as an estimated Rs. 1,000 crore loss to the exchequer in Noida and Greater Noida.
• Statement 3 (Incorrect): Environmental consequences of sand mining include altering river courses, depleting groundwater, removing water along with sand, disrupting microorganism habitats, increasing river erosion, damaging roads, threatening agriculture, and harming coastal ecosystems. It can lead to coastal erosion, destroy fisheries, disturb coral and mangroves, and reduce storm surge protection, endangering species like the gharial.

Correct Answer is C.

Statement 1 and 2 (Correct)

• Phone tower radiation affects birds due to their larger surface area relative to body weight, causing them to absorb more radiation.
• Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) may cause cellular and psychological changes in humans due to thermal effects from microwave radiation.
• EMR exposure can lead to genetic defects, reproductive and developmental issues, and Central Nervous System effects. Non-thermal effects, caused by radiofrequency fields at low levels, can lead to fatigue, nausea, irritability, headaches, loss of appetite, and psychological disorders.

Correct Answer is A.

• Statement 1 (Correct): Landslides, a type of “mass wasting,” involve the down-slope movement of soil and rock due to gravity. They include falls, topples, slides, spreads, and flows.
• Statement 2 (Correct): According to the Geological Survey of India, about 0.42 million sq. km (12.6% of land area, excluding snow) is prone to landslides, with 42% of this area in the North East Himalaya, including Darjeeling and Sikkim.
• Statement 3 (Incorrect): National Landslide Susceptibility Mapping has been undertaken by the Geological Survey of India since 2004-05, not 2014-15.

Correct Answer is B.

• Statement 1 (Correct): Plan Bee, developed by Northeast Frontier Railway, uses devices emitting buzzing sounds of honey bees to keep elephants away from railway tracks. It has won the best innovation award and helps prevent train accidents involving elephants.
• Statement 2 (Incorrect): Project RE-HAB, launched by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) under its National Honey Mission, aims to reduce human-elephant conflicts by using honey bees to deter elephants from human settlements, not train tracks.