Environmental Studies · General Awareness

Indian Flora and Fauna

2,860 Questions

Indian flora and fauna questions cover national parks, endangered species, and wildlife protection laws. These topics are crucial for the environmental ecology sections of UPSC, state PSC, and banking exams. Practice these questions to master the biodiversity and conservation concepts required for government tests.

National parks in IndiaEndangered speciesState birds and animalsWildlife Protection ActHimalayan biodiversityForest ecosystems

Indian Flora and Fauna Questions

Multiple choice

Which of the following is an indigenous breed of cow?

  1. Red Sindhi

  2. Brown Swiss

  3. Jersey

  4. Rohu
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Red Sindhi is an indigenous breed of cow. Indigenous breed is an Indian breed, i.e. native of a place, for example Red Sindhi and Sahiwal. This cow is medium in size and red in colour with dark and light shades. Brown Swiss and Jersey are the foreign or exotic breeds of cows, e.g. Brown Swiss is from Switzerland and Jersey is from the island of Jersey, USA. Rohu is a fish commonly found in rivers and freshwater lakes. 

Multiple choice

It is difficult for a leopard to prey upon a/an _______ Nilgai.

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and answer the question that follows.

Nilgai is one of the most commonly found wild animals in northern India. It is also known as blue bull. It is an antelope, however it looks similar to an Ox. Hence, it has been given the name, blue bull. Its average life span is 21 years. It has a height of around 4 to 5 feet and weighs around 120 to 240 kg. On the top of a long and narrow head, it has two horns. It likes to live in a herd and is a sociable animal. Nilgai is habitant of Indian grasslands and woodlands.  It prefers to live in plains and low hills with shrubs. It avoids dense forest. Sometimes, it is also found in cultivated or semi urban areas. Blue bulls are herbivorous animals and they usually feed on grass, buds, leaves and fruits. Tigers and lions are the main predators of Nilgai. Sometimes, its calves are attacked by leopards but an adult Nilgai is difficult to kill. The main threat to survival of Nilgai is destruction of its habitat by humans.

  1. young

  2. adult

  3. injured

  4. tall

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Option 2 is correct as it's mentioned “Sometimes, its calves are attacked by leopards but adult one is difficult to kill”.  Prey means to hunt and kill for food.  

Multiple choice

Nilgai likes to live in all of the following areas except _______

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and answer the question that follows.

Nilgai is one of the most commonly found wild animals in northern India. It is also known as blue bull. It is an antelope, however it looks similar to an Ox. Hence, it has been given the name, blue bull. Its average life span is 21 years. It has a height of around 4 to 5 feet and weighs around 120 to 240 kg. On the top of a long and narrow head, it has two horns. It likes to live in a herd and is a sociable animal. Nilgai is habitant of Indian grasslands and woodlands.  It prefers to live in plains and low hills with shrubs. It avoids dense forest. Sometimes, it is also found in cultivated or semi urban areas. Blue bulls are herbivorous animals and they usually feed on grass, buds, leaves and fruits. Tigers and lions are the main predators of Nilgai. Sometimes, its calves are attacked by leopards but an adult Nilgai is difficult to kill. The main threat to survival of Nilgai is destruction of its habitat by humans.

  1. fields

  2. dense forests

  3. grasslands

  4. towns

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

It is given in the passage that “it avoids dense forest”. Hence, option 2 is the correct answer.

Multiple choice

What is not correct about a Nilgai?

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and answer the question that follows.

Nilgai is one of the most commonly found wild animals in northern India. It is also known as blue bull. It is an antelope, however it looks similar to an Ox. Hence, it has been given the name, blue bull. Its average life span is 21 years. It has a height of around 4 to 5 feet and weighs around 120 to 240 kg. On the top of a long and narrow head, it has two horns. It likes to live in a herd and is a sociable animal. Nilgai is habitant of Indian grasslands and woodlands.  It prefers to live in plains and low hills with shrubs. It avoids dense forest. Sometimes, it is also found in cultivated or semi urban areas. Blue bulls are herbivorous animals and they usually feed on grass, buds, leaves and fruits. Tigers and lions are the main predators of Nilgai. Sometimes, its calves are attacked by leopards but an adult Nilgai is difficult to kill. The main threat to survival of Nilgai is destruction of its habitat by humans.

  1. Its average height is 4-5 feet.

  2. It can weigh upto 240 kgs.

  3. It can live upto maximum 21 years.

  4. It likes to live with the others of its kind.

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

It is given that “Its average life span is 21 years” which means it can live beyond this time. So, option 3 is the correct answer.

Multiple choice

Match the following:

 
a. Murrah buffalo 1. This is a native breed of Kaira and Vadodara districts of Gujarat having sickle-shaped horns and prominent eyes.
b. Mehsana buffalo 2. This is a breed of Gujarat and is black or gray, and is known for giving milk at comparitively early age.
c. Surti buffalo 3. This is an original breed of Haryana and Punjab having massive body and short and tightly curved horns.

  1. a - 1, b - 2, c - 3

  2. a - 3, b - 2, c - 1

  3. a - 2, b - 3, c - 1

  4. a - 2, b - 1, c - 3

  5. a - 3, b - 1, c - 2
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

This is the correct option. Murrah buffalo is an original breed of Haryana and Punjab having massive body and short and tightly curved horns. Mehsana buffalo is a breed of Gujarat and is black or gray, and is known for giving milk at comparitively early age. Surti buffalo is a native breed of Kaira and Vadodara districts of Gujarat having sickle-shaped horns and prominent eyes.

Multiple choice

Leaf deer and saola are two of the six rare species of mammals discovered in

  1. Nilgiri Hills

  2. Indo-Burma

  3. Great Nicobar

  4. Eastern Himalayas
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Indo-Burma is a biodiversity hotspot designated by Conservation International, which extends from Eastern India and Southern China across Southeast Asia and includes Australia, but excluding the Malay Peninsula. In recent times, six species of large mammals have been discovered here – large antlered muntjac, annamitemuntjac, grey shanked douc, annamite striped rabbit, leaf deer and saola.

Multiple choice

Which national park provided inspiration Rudyard Kipling for writing Jungle Book?

  1. Kaziranga

  2. Periyar

  3. Manas

  4. Kanha
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Kanha National Park is a national park and a Tiger Reserve in the Mandla and Balaghat districts of Madhya Pradesh, India. The park has a significant population of Royal Bengal Tiger, leopards, the sloth bear, Barasingha and Indian wild dog. The lush sal and bamboo forests, grassy meadows and ravines of Kanha provided inspiration to Rudyard Kipling for his famous novel Jungle Book.

Multiple choice

Consider the following facts:

  1. The headquarters of Forest Survey of India are in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
  2. The headquarters of Zoological Survey of India are in New Delhi.

Which of the above statements is/are true?

  1. Only 1

  2. Only 2

  3. Both 1 and 2

  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Forest Survey of India (FSI) is a government organisation in India under the union Ministry of Environment and Forests for conducting forest surveys and studies. The organisation came into being in June 1981. It is headquartered at Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) is a premier Indian organisation in zoological research and studies. It was established on 1st July 1916 to promote the survey, exploration and research of the fauna in the region. It is headquartered at Kolkata, West Bengal.

Multiple choice

Pink-headed Duck and Himalayan Quail are

  1. extinct species

  2. critically endangered species

  3. vulnerable species

  4. least concern category species
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Some species of birds have gone extinct in recent times, including the Pink-headed Duck (Rhodonessa Caryophyllacea) and the Himalayan Quail (Ophrysia Superciliosa).