UPSC Environment and Ecology – Chapter 7: Flora and Fauna of India – Threatened Species (34 MCQs)

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UPSC Environment and Ecology – Chapter 7: Flora and Fauna of India – Threatened Species (34 MCQs) – 34 questions, subject: Environment. Every question has the correct answer with a one-line explanation; tap "Show Answer". Free practice for TNPSC, UPSC, SSC, Bank and RRB exams – Shanmugam IAS Academy, Coimbatore.

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1.  

Which of the following IUCN categories are together called "threatened"?

Correct Answer: B [Critically Endangered, Endangered and Vulnerable]

Explanation:

The IUCN groups Critically Endangered, Endangered and Vulnerable together as the three 'threatened' categories.

2.  

The IUCN Red List was begun in:

Correct Answer: B [1964]

Explanation:

The IUCN began its Red List of Threatened Species in 1964; it is now the global standard for extinction risk.

3.  

According to the IUCN update of 9 July 2026, the number of species threatened with extinction was about:

Correct Answer: C [49,500]

Explanation:

The IUCN figures of 9 July 2026 show 49,505 of the 175,909 assessed species threatened with extinction.

4.  

After the 2022 amendment, the Wild Life (Protection) Act has:

Correct Answer: D [four Schedules]

Explanation:

The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022 cut the Schedules from six to four.

5.  

Schedule IV of the amended Wild Life (Protection) Act deals with:

Correct Answer: C [specimens listed in the CITES Appendices]

Explanation:

After 2022, Schedule IV lists specimens in the CITES Appendices, giving effect to CITES in Indian law.

6.  

The Zoological Survey of India was set up in:

Correct Answer: B [1916]

Explanation:

The Zoological Survey of India, headquartered in Kolkata, was set up in 1916.

7.  

India's only ape is the:

Correct Answer: D [hoolock gibbon]

Explanation:

The hoolock gibbon of north-east India is a lesser ape and the only ape found in India.

8.  

The red panda is found in India mainly in:

Correct Answer: C [the Eastern Himalaya]

Explanation:

The red panda is a bamboo eater of the Eastern Himalaya – Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and West Bengal.

9.  

Which of the following statements about the Asian elephant is correct?

Correct Answer: A [A herd is led by an older female.]

Explanation:

Asian elephant herds are matriarchal – led by an older female.

10.  

Jerdon's courser, rediscovered in 1986, lives in the scrub forests of:

Correct Answer: D [Andhra Pradesh]

Explanation:

Jerdon's courser, Critically Endangered, was rediscovered in 1986 in the scrub forests of Andhra Pradesh.

11.  

Assertion (A): The lion-tailed macaque is both endemic and threatened.

Reason (R): It occurs naturally only in the Western Ghats rainforests and is listed as Endangered by the IUCN.

Correct Answer: A [Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A]

Explanation:

The macaque is endemic because it occurs only in the Western Ghats, and threatened because the IUCN lists it as Endangered.

12.  

Consider the following about red sanders:

1. It is endemic to the southern Eastern Ghats.
2. It grows mainly in tropical rainforests.
3. It is listed in CITES Appendix II.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

Correct Answer: C [1 and 3 only]

Explanation:

dry deciduous forests.

13.  

Neelakurinji, which flowers in mass about once in 12 years, grows in:

Correct Answer: C [shola grasslands of the Western Ghats]

Explanation:

Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) is a shrub of the shola grasslands of the Western Ghats.

14.  

India's first sanctuary for the slender loris is at:

Correct Answer: B [Kadavur]

Explanation:

The Kadavur Slender Loris Sanctuary in Karur and Dindigul districts, notified in 2022, is India's first for the slender loris.

15.  

The Irrawaddy dolphin in India is best known from:

Correct Answer: B [Chilika Lake]

Explanation:

Chilika Lake in Odisha holds India's best-known population of the Irrawaddy dolphin.

16.  

The Supreme Court ordered a second home for the Asiatic lion outside Gir in the case:

Correct Answer: D [Centre for Environmental Law, WWF-I v. Union of India]

Explanation:

2013.

17.  

Arrange in chronological order:

1. IUCN Red List begun
2. Botanical Survey of India set up
3. Wild Life (Protection) Act
4. Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act with four Schedules

Select the correct order:

Correct Answer: C [2-1-3-4]

Explanation:

1890, 1964, 1972, 2022.

18.  

India's first Dugong Conservation Reserve, notified in 2022, lies in:

Correct Answer: A [Palk Bay]

Explanation:

Tamil Nadu notified India's first Dugong Conservation Reserve in Palk Bay in 2022.

19.  

Which of the following is an arachnid?

Correct Answer: A [Peacock tarantula]

Explanation:

The peacock tarantula is a spider, and spiders belong to the class Arachnida.

20.  

Consider the following species and their status:

1. Great Indian Bustard – Critically Endangered
2. Snow leopard – Vulnerable
3. Gharial – Least Concern

Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

Correct Answer: B [1 and 2 only]

Explanation:

The Great Indian Bustard is Critically Endangered and the snow leopard Vulnerable; the gharial is Critically Endangered, not Least Concern.

21.  
UPSC Prelims 2025

Regarding Peacock tarantula (Gooty tarantula), consider the following statements:

I. It is an omnivorous crustacean.

II. Its natural habitat in India is only limited to some forest areas.

III. In its natural habitat, it is an arboreal species.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: D [II and III]

Explanation:

The tarantula lives only in some forests of the Eastern Ghats (II) and is arboreal (III); it is an arachnid, not a crustacean.

22.  
UPSC Prelims 2024

Consider the following pairs:

Country : Animal found in its natural habitat

1. Brazil : Indri
2. Indonesia : Elk
3. Madagascar : Bonobo

How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

Correct Answer: D [None]

Explanation:

Indri lives in Madagascar, elk in North America and Asia, bonobo in DR Congo – so none of the pairs is correct.

23.  
UPSC Prelims 2023

Consider the following statements regarding the Indian squirrels:

1. They build nests by making burrows in the ground.
2. They store their food materials like nuts and seeds in the ground.
3. They are omnivorous.

How many of the above statements are correct?

Correct Answer: B [Only two]

Explanation:

Statements 2 and 3 are correct: Indian squirrels store some food and are omnivorous; they nest in trees, not burrows.

24.  
UPSC Prelims 2023

Which one of the following makes a tool with a stick to scrape insects from a hole in a tree or a log of wood?

Correct Answer: B [Orangutan]

Explanation:

Orangutans shape sticks into tools to extract insects from holes in trees.

25.  
UPSC Prelims 2022

With reference to "Gucchi" sometimes mentioned in the news, consider the following statements:

1. It is a fungus.
2. It grows in some Himalayan forest areas.
3. It is commercially cultivated in the Himalayan foothills of north-eastern India.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: C [1 and 2]

Explanation:

Gucchi is a fungus (morel) that grows wild in some Himalayan forests; it is not commercially cultivated in the north-east.

26.  
UPSC Prelims 2022

Which of the following is not a bird?

Correct Answer: A [Golden Mahseer]

Explanation:

it is a fish.

27.  
UPSC Prelims 2020

With reference to India's biodiversity, Ceylon frogmouth, Coppersmith barbet, Gray-chinned minivet and White-throated redstart are

Correct Answer: A [Birds]

Explanation:

Ceylon frogmouth, coppersmith barbet, grey-chinned minivet and white-throated redstart are all birds found in India.

28.  
UPSC Prelims 2019

Consider the following pairs:

Wildlife : Naturally found in

1. Blue-finned Mahseer : Cauvery River
2. Irrawaddy Dolphin : Chambal River
3. Rusty-spotted Cat : Eastern Ghats

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

Correct Answer: C [1 and 3 only]

Explanation:

Blue-finned mahseer – Cauvery and rusty-spotted cat – Eastern Ghats are correct; the Irrawaddy dolphin is in Chilika, not the Chambal.

29.  
UPSC Prelims 2016

In which of the following regions of India are you most likely to come across the 'Great Indian Hornbill' in its natural habitat?

Correct Answer: D [Western Ghats]

Explanation:

The great hornbill needs tall trees of wet forests and is found in the Western Ghats.

30.  
UPSC Prelims 2016

With reference to 'Red Sanders', sometimes seen in the news, consider the following statements:

1. It is a tree species found in a part of South India.
2. It is one of the most important trees in the tropical rainforest areas of South India.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: A [1 only]

Explanation:

Red sanders is a tree found in a part of South India, but it grows in dry deciduous forests, not rainforests.

31.  
UPSC Prelims 2015

With reference to 'dugong', a mammal found in India, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. It is a herbivorous marine animal.
2. It is found along the entire coast of India.
3. It is given legal protection under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Correct Answer: C [1 and 3 only]

Explanation:

The dugong is a herbivorous marine mammal and is in Schedule I, but it occurs only in a few areas, not the entire coast.

32.  
UPSC Prelims 2013

Consider the following fauna of India:

1. Gharial
2. Leatherback turtle
3. Swamp deer

Which of the above is/are endangered?

Correct Answer: C [1, 2 and 3]

Explanation:

The official key treated the gharial, leatherback turtle and swamp deer all as endangered.

33.  
UPSC Prelims 2013

Consider the following:

1. Star tortoise
2. Monitor lizard
3. Pygmy hog
4. Spider monkey

Which of the above are naturally found in India?

Correct Answer: A [1, 2 and 3 only]

Explanation:

Star tortoise, monitor lizard and pygmy hog are native to India; the spider monkey lives in Central and South America.

34.  
UPSC Prelims 2013

In which of the following States is lion-tailed macaque found in its natural habitat?

1. Tamil Nadu
2. Kerala
3. Karnataka
4. Andhra Pradesh

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Correct Answer: A [1, 2 and 3 only]

Explanation:

The lion-tailed macaque is endemic to the Western Ghats rainforests of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, not Andhra Pradesh.

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