People Development & Environment MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for People Development & Environment - Download Free PDF

Explanation:

• Gujarat leads India in wind energy potential and installed capacity. According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE),
• Gujarat has an estimated wind power potential of 142.56 GW at 120 meters and 180.79 GW at 150 meters above ground level, making it the state with the highest wind energy potential in India.

Additional Information

• Tamil Nadu: While Tamil Nadu has a significant installed capacity of 11,409.04 MW, it ranks second in terms of wind energy potential.Wikipedia

• Karnataka: Karnataka follows with an installed capacity of 6,731.30 MW, but its wind energy potential is less than Gujarat's.Wikipedia

• Maharashtra: Maharashtra has an installed capacity of 5,216.38 MW, with a wind energy potential lower than that of Gujarat.

Therefore, Gujarat stands out as the state with the maximum potential for wind energy in India.

The correct answer is Section 20.

Key Points

• Section 20 of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, empowers State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) to obtain information necessary for the performance of their functions.
• SPCBs can request any individual, organization, or industry to furnish relevant data, such as water quality, pollution levels, or operational processes.
• This provision ensures that SPCBs have the information needed to monitor, control, and prevent water pollution effectively.
• Failure to provide the required information or providing false information can result in penalties under the Act.
• The Water Act, 1974, is a comprehensive legal framework aimed at preventing and controlling water pollution and maintaining or restoring the wholesomeness of water.

Additional Information

• Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
  • This Act was enacted by the Government of India to prevent and control water pollution and to ensure the maintenance of clean water bodies.
  • The Act led to the establishment of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs).
  • It empowers these boards to monitor water quality, set standards, and take action against violators.
• Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)
  • CPCB is a statutory organization under the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
  • It works in coordination with SPCBs to implement pollution control laws and standards nationwide.
• Key Sections of the Water Act
  • Section 21: Deals with the power of SPCBs to collect and analyze water samples.
  • Section 33: Discusses penalties and procedures for non-compliance with SPCB directions.
  • Section 30: Empowers SPCBs to carry out emergency measures in case of environmental hazards.
• Importance of SPCBs
  • SPCBs play a pivotal role in monitoring industrial discharge, regulating pollution, and ensuring compliance with environmental laws.
  • They act as a bridge between industries and the government to promote sustainable practices.

The correct answer is 2030.

Key Points

• The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by all United Nations Member States in September 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
• Goal 1 of the SDGs aims to "End poverty in all its forms everywhere" by 2030.
• This initiative focuses on eradicating extreme poverty, defined as people living on less than $1.90 per day.
• The 2030 Agenda includes 17 interlinked goals to address global challenges such as poverty, inequality, climate change, and environmental degradation.
• The timeline for achieving the SDGs is set for 2030, with international collaboration being critical to its success.

Additional Information

• Extreme Poverty:
  • Defined by the World Bank as living on less than $1.90 per day.
  • Efforts to reduce extreme poverty are central to SDG Goal 1.
• 2030 Agenda:
  • Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015.
  • Consists of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets.
• Global Partnerships:
  • Critical to achieving SDGs by 2030.
  • Encourages collaboration between governments, private sectors, and civil society.
• Indicators of Poverty Reduction:
  • Increased access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities.
  • Improved infrastructure and social protection systems.

The correct answer is Grassland.

Key Points

• A grassland is an example of a natural terrestrial ecosystem characterized by vast open spaces dominated by grasses, shrubs, and few scattered trees.
• Terrestrial ecosystems are those that occur on land and include natural ecosystems like forests, deserts, and grasslands.
• Grasslands serve as habitats for a variety of flora and fauna, such as herbivores (e.g., deer, bison) and predators (e.g., lions, wolves).
• These ecosystems play a critical role in maintaining ecological balance, including carbon sequestration, soil fertility, and biodiversity preservation.
• Grasslands are found globally and are classified into types such as tropical savannas, temperate grasslands, and steppes, depending on their geographical location and climate.

Additional Information

• Natural Ecosystems:
  • Natural ecosystems develop without human intervention and are self-sustaining, such as forests, grasslands, deserts, rivers, and oceans.
  • They are categorized into terrestrial (land-based) and aquatic (water-based) ecosystems.
• Terrestrial Ecosystems:
  • These ecosystems occur on land and include forests, deserts, grasslands, tundras, and mountainous regions.
  • They are influenced by abiotic factors like soil, temperature, and precipitation.
• Aquatic Ecosystems:
  • Aquatic ecosystems are water-based and include freshwater ecosystems (rivers, lakes, ponds) and marine ecosystems (oceans, coral reefs).
  • Unlike terrestrial ecosystems, aquatic ecosystems are influenced by water chemistry, salinity, and depth.
• Human-Made Ecosystems:
  • Examples include aquariums, agricultural fields, and urban parks, which are artificially created and maintained by humans.
  • These systems require external inputs like fertilizers, irrigation, or maintenance to sustain themselves.
• Importance of Grasslands:
  • Grasslands help prevent soil erosion and serve as grazing grounds for livestock.
  • They act as carbon sinks and play a role in combating climate change.
  • They are vital for supporting both local communities and wildlife species.

The correct answer is Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest. 

•  Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest:
  • It is the most widespread forest in India.
  • They are also known as ‘monsoon forests’.
  • They require average rainfall from 75 cm to 100 cm annually to flourish.
  • These are found in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
  • The forest trees are not dense here. 

Additional Information

• Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest:
  • They are found along the coast of Tamil Nadu.
  • This area is mostly used for casuarina plantations.
• Tropical Semi-Evergreen Forest:
  • They are found usually where annual rainfall is 200 - 250 cm.
  • They are found in Assam, Odisha and Andamans.
• Himalayan Moist Temperature Forest:
  • It requires annual rainfall from 150 cm - 250 cm.
  • It is majorly composed of coniferous species.
  • It provides fine wood.

Key Points

Explanation:

• Seawater is impure water, so adding salt increases the boiling point of water this is because salt is a non-volatile solute which is responsible for boiling point elevation.
• The boiling point of a liquid is the temperature at which the vapour pressure of the liquid and the surrounding pressure is equal.
• The original boiling point of water is 100°C. After the addition of 58 grams of salt, the boiling point increases by one half of the degree Celsius

The correct answer is Poles.

Key Points

• Ozone Hole
  • It refers to a region in the stratosphere where the concentration of ozone becomes extremely low in certain months.
  • Ozone (chemically, a molecule of three oxygen atoms) is found mainly in the upper atmosphere, an area called the stratosphere, between 10 and 50 km from the earth’s surface.
  • Ozone absorbs the harmful UltraViolet (UV) radiations from the sun eliminating a big threat to life forms on earth.
  • UV rays can cause skin cancer and other diseases and deformities in plants and animals.
  • The ozone holes most commonly refer to the depletion over Antarctica, forming each year in September, October, and November, due to a set of special meteorological and chemical conditions that arise at the South Pole, and can reach sizes of around 20 to 25 million sq km.
  • Hence, we can say that Ozone holes are more pronounced at the​ poles. Hence, Option 4 is correct.
  • Chlorofluorocarbons, Hydrochlorofluorocarbons, Carbon tetrachloride, Methyl chloroform, Methyl chloroform, Halons, Methyl bromide.
  • Another pollutant we have added to the upper atmosphere that affects ozone is nitrogen oxides from airplane exhaust. So, above and beyond, the seasonal variations in ozone are more pronounced at the poles.

Additional Information

• The Earth's equator
  • It is an imaginary planetary line that is about 40,075 km long in circumference.
  • The equator divides the planet into the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere and is located at 0 degrees latitude, the halfway line between the North Pole and the South Pole.
• The Tropic of Cancer
  • Which is also referred to as the Northern Tropic, is the most northerly circle of latitude on Earth at which the Sun can be directly overhead.
  • This occurs on the June solstice when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun to its maximum extent. 
• The Tropic of Capricorn
  • It is the circle of latitude that contains the subsolar point at the December solstice.
  • It is thus the southernmost latitude where the Sun can be seen directly overhead.
  • It also reaches 90 degrees below the horizon at solar midnight on the June Solstice.

The correct answer is Atmosphere.

Important Points

Layers of Earth's Atmosphere:

• Earth's atmosphere has a series of layers, each with its own specific traits.
• Moving upward from ground level, these layers have named the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere.
• The exosphere gradually fades away into the realm of interplanetary space.

​

• The lithosphere is the rocky outer part of the Earth. It is made up of the brittle crust and the top part of the upper mantle. The lithosphere is the coolest and most rigid part of the Earth.
• The hydrosphere is the layer of water surface on Earth. It comprises all forms of liquid or frozen surface water, groundwater, and water vapor.
• The biosphere is the life-supporting segment of Earth's surface which extends from few kilometers in the atmosphere to the deep sea shelves of the ocean. It is a global chain of ecosystem consisting of living organism(biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components features which form the energy chain of flow.

Important Points

Hence, the correct matching is A - III, B - IV, C - I, D - II.

The correct answer is Air pollution.

Key Points

• Air pollution has an impact on most of the organs and systems of the human body.
• Air pollution causes various diseases related to the respiratory system.
• Air pollution is the cause and aggravating factor of many respiratory diseases such as:
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
  • Asthma.
  • Lung cancer.
• Air pollutants have complex chemical and physical features dependent on the sources of pollutants.
• Pneumoconiosis is a respiratory disease commonly found in coal minors.

Additional Information

• Lungs is the respiratory organ in higher vertebrates.
• Lungs are organs without muscles.
• Alveoli is the functional unit of the lungs.
• Noise pollution can cause high blood pressure, heart disease, sleep disturbances, and stress.
• Water pollution can transmit diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, and polio.

The correct answer is CFC.

Key Points

• Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), is an organic compound composed of carbon, fluorine, and chlorine.
• It is non-toxic and non-flammable and can be converted from a liquid to a gas and vice versa.
• They are also called Freons.
• Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are largely used as refrigerants, solvents, blowing agents in the plastic formation, and as aerosol-propellants.

Important Points

• Effect of Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) on Ozone-layer -
  • When Chlorofluorocarbons are released into the atmosphere, they get accumulated in the stratosphere where they cause depletion of the ozone layer.
  • This Stratospheric ozone-depletion can cause skin cancer in humans and genetic damage in many organisms.

Noise pollution is measured in Decibel.

• The decibel (dB) is a logarithmic unit used to measure sound level.
• It is also widely used in electronics, signals and communication.
• In ordinary usage, specification of the intensity of a sound implies a comparison of the intensity of the sound with that of a sound just perceptible to the human ear.
• In simple terms, the dB is the ratio between two power levels expressed in logarithmic terms with relation to some reference level.
• For example, if given two known power levels, P2 and P1, the relative value of P2 with respect to P1 in dB is given by:
  • dB = 10 log ₁₀ (P₂/P₁)
• Noise levels below 35–40 dB are usually necessary for a good night’s sleep.
• A busy office may be about 60 dB while the noise level on a footpath beside a busy road might be approximately 75 dB.
• A departing jumbo jet may result in 120 dB being recorded along the runway.
• Ohm is the SI unit of electrical resistance, transmitting a current of one ampere when subjected to a potential difference of one volt.
• Joule, unit of work or energy in the International System of Units (SI); it is equal to the work done by a force of one newton acting through one metre.
• Ampere is a unit of electric current equal to a flow of one coulomb per second.

The correct answer is Tree fire.

• Wildfires occur when vegetated areas are set alight and are particularly common during hot and dry periods.
• They can occur in forests, grasslands, brush/shrubs, and deserts, and with sufficient wind can rapidly spread.
• Fires create large quantities of smoke, which can be spread far by wind and poses a respiratory hazard.
• There are three conditions that need to be present in order for a wildfire to burn: fuel, oxygen, and a heat source.

Key Points

• Fuel is any flammable material surrounding a fire, including trees, grasses, brush, even homes. The greater an area's fuel load, the more intense the fire.
• Air supplies the oxygen a fire needs to burn. Heat sources help spark the wildfire and bring fuel to temperatures hot enough to ignite.
• Lightning, burning campfires or cigarettes, hot winds, and even the sun can all provide sufficient heat to spark a wildfire.
• In the Global Wildland Fire Network Bulletin published by the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) in 2017, 36 fires in protected areas were recorded in 19 countries burning more than 196000 hectares worldwide.

Important Points

• There are three basic types of wildfires:
  • Crown fires burn trees up their entire length to the top. These are the most intense and dangerous wildland fires.
  • Surface fires burn only surface litter and duff. These are the easiest fires to put out and cause the least damage to the forest.
  • Ground fires occur in deep accumulations of humus, peat, and similar dead vegetation that become dry enough to burn.
  • Firestorms are among the forest fires, the fire spreading most rapidly is the firestorm, which is an intense fire over a large area. As the fire burns, heat rises and air rushes in, causing the fire to grow.

The correct answer is Fog and Smoke.

Key Points

Smog is Fog and smoke.

• Smog is a type of intense air pollution that reduces visibility.
• The term "Smog" was coined in the early 20th century and is derived from the words smoke and fog.
• Smog is a mixture of smoke (composed of minute particles of carbon, ash, and oil, etc. from coal combustion) and fog in suspended droplet form.
• It is the most common kind of air pollution that occurs in cities throughout the world.

Important Points

• There are 2 types of smog: Classical and Photochemical smog.
  • Classical smog (London smog) occurs in a cool and humid climate. It is reducing in nature.
  • Photochemical smog (Los Angeles smog) occurs in a sunny and dry climate. It is oxidizing in nature.
• Smog falls under the category of particulate pollutants since it is composed of very minute particles.
• Long-term exposure to smog can be harmful to human health.

The correct answer is Crust (outermost) - mantle - core (innermost)

Key Points

• The Earth can be divided into several layers from the outermost to the innermost based on their compositional and physical properties. 
• The correct sequence is Crust (outermost) - mantle - core (innermost).
  • Crust:
    • This is the Earth's outermost layer, and it's where we live.
    • It's the thinnest layer, varying from about 5 kilometers in thickness in the oceanic crust to about 30-70 kilometers in the continental crust. The crust is largely composed of lighter rocks, such as granite and basalt.
  • Mantle:
    • Beneath the crust, the mantle extends up to 2900 kilometers into Earth.
    • It is composed primarily of silicate rocks that are richer in iron and magnesium than the crust.
    • The mantle can be divided further into the upper and lower mantle. The asthenosphere, a part of the upper mantle, behaves plastically due to the intense heat and pressure.
  • Outer Core:
    • The outer core, lying beneath the mantle, is mostly composed of liquid iron and nickel.
    • This liquid layer is about 2200 kilometers thick and creates Earth's magnetic field due to its liquid state and its circulation movement.
  • Inner Core:
    • The innermost layer, the inner core, is a solid ball consisting primarily of iron and nickel.
    • Despite the extremely high temperature, the enormous pressure at this depth keeps the material solid.
    • The radius is around 1250 kilometers.
  • Between each of these main layers, there are also transitional zones known as the lithosphere (between the crust and the mantle), the Gutenberg discontinuity (between the mantle and the outer core), and the Lehmann discontinuity (between the outer core and the inner core).