Environmental Studies · Geography

Natural Vegetation and Habitats

1,703 Questions

Study the characteristics of various biomes, including tropical rainforests, savannas, and thorn forests. Questions address ecological concepts like stratification, climate factors, and regional vegetation types such as littoral forests. This topic is commonly asked in geography and environmental science papers.

Forest biomes and typesSavanna and grassland habitatsTropical rainforest characteristicsEcological stratificationThreats to natural habitats

Natural Vegetation and Habitats Questions

Multiple choice

Consider the following statements:

  1. Biodiversity hotspots are located only in tropical regions.
  2. India has four biodiversity hotspots, i.e. Eastern Himalayas, Western Himalayas, Western Ghats and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only

  2. 2 only

  3. Both 1 and 2

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

Biodiversity hotspots are found in temperate regions only. Eastern Himalayas, Western Ghats and Andaman Islands are such hotspots.

Multiple choice

lf a tropical rainforest is removed, it does not regenerate quickly as compared to a tropical deciduous forest. This is because

  1. the soil of a rainforest is deficient in nutrients

  2. the propagules of the trees in a rainforest have poor viability

  3. the rainforest species are slow-growing

  4. exotic species invade the fertile soil of rainforest
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Sunlight is very important for the growth of a plant. The trees in a rainforest are long and do not allow the sunlight to pass through them.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is/are unique characteristic(s) of equatorial forests?

  1. Presence of tall, closely set trees with crowns forming a continuous canopy
  2. Coexistence of a large number of species
  3. Presence of numerous varieties of epiphytes

  1. 1 only

  2. 2 and 3 only

  3. 1 and 3 only

  4. 1, 2 and 3
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The canopy is the primary layer of the forest forming a roof over the two remaining layers. The densest of the biodiversity is found here along with a large variety of epiphytes.

Multiple choice

In order to prevent the expansion of deserts, trees are planted in strips or blocks with the shortest trees on the desert side and tallest on the other side. Such plantation is called

  1. shelterbelts

  2. agro forests

  3. wind breaks

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

Shelterbelts are linear plantations of trees and shrubs designed to reduce wind erosion and protect soil from desiccation. The strategic arrangement with shorter trees on the desert side creates a gradual wind barrier that effectively prevents sand encroachment. Windbreaks and social forestry are related but distinct concepts.

Multiple choice

Deciduous forests occur in

  1. rain shadow

  2. tropic

  3. temperate zone

  4. taiga

  5. savanna
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar regions. Deciduous forests are found here.

Multiple choice

Drip tip foliage is found in

  1. coniferous forests

  2. tropical evergreen forests

  3. grasslands

  4. tropical savanna

  5. deciduous forests
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The tropical evergreen forests usually occur in areas receiving more than 200 cm of rainfall and having a temperature of 15 to 30 degrees Celsius. 

Multiple choice

Monsson, Savanna, and Equatorial regions come under the

  1. genetic region

  2. specific region

  3. natural region

  4. geographical region
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Monsoon, Savanna, and Equatorial regions are classified as natural regions because they are defined by natural climatic and environmental factors (rainfall patterns, temperature, vegetation) rather than political, economic, or genetic boundaries. Natural regions are areas with similar physical characteristics.

Multiple choice

Sunderban, Damodar Valley, Ruhr Basin and Bhabar Region are the examples of

  1. natural regions

  2. morphology regions

  3. single aspect regions

  4. specific regions
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Sunderban (delta), Damodar Valley (river valley), Ruhr Basin (industrial basin), and Bhabar Region (foothill zone) are examples of morphology regions. Morphology regions are areas classified by their surface form, structure, and development characteristics, combining physical and human features rather than single aspect or purely natural divisions.

Multiple choice

Relief, climate, vegetation and soils are the bases of division of

  1. geographical region

  2. natural region

  3. uniform region

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

Natural regions are areas with similar physical characteristics like relief, climate, vegetation, and soils. These four natural features form the basis of geographical regionalization, helping geographers classify areas with comparable environmental conditions into distinct natural regions.

Multiple choice

The regions in which homogeneity of one geographical aspect is found called___

  1. Total region

  2. Single aspect region

  3. Uniform region

  4. Genetic region
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

A single aspect region is defined by the homogeneity of one specific geographical characteristic, such as climate, soil type, or land use. Unlike uniform regions which may have multiple similar characteristics, single aspect regions focus on just one geographic variable.

Multiple choice

In India, thorn forests are commonly found in the

  1. North-Western states

  2. Northern states

  3. North-Eastern states

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

Thorn forests grow in regions with low rainfall (less than 50-75cm annually) and semi-arid conditions. The North-Western states (Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab) have exactly this climate, making them ideal for thorn or scrub forests.

Multiple choice

Where are lianas found?

  1. Temperate forests

  2. Tropical forests

  3. Arctic region

  4. Deserts

  5. Antarctic region
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Lianas are found in tropical forests.

Multiple choice

Tropical plants can be kept warm during the winters in special enclosures called

  1. nurseries

  2. gardens

  3. orchards

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

Greenhouses are enclosed structures that trap solar heat, maintaining warm temperatures for tropical plants during cold winters. Nurseries are for raising seedlings, gardens are outdoor planting areas, and orchards are for growing fruit trees - none provide the controlled warm environment that greenhouses do.

Multiple choice

The Savannahs are found generally in _______.

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

Central and South America have some of the world’s most unique species of wildlife. Perhaps, some are more familiar than others. Central and South America has many different groups of species, which include: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and insects. These groups of animals need to live in specific types of climates and habitats in order to ensure their survivorship.

South America is the home to some of the strangest, some of the loveliest and some of the most horrifying animals in the world. There can be few creatures more improbable than the sloth which spends its life in a permanent state of mute slow motion, hanging upside down in the tall forest trees: few more bizarre than the giant ant eater of the Savannahs, its tail enlarged into a shaggy banner and its jaws elongated into a curved and toothless tube.  On the other hand, beautiful birds are so common as to become almost unremarkable. Gaudy macaws flap through the forest, their splendid plumage contrasting incongruously with their harsh cries; and humming–birds, like tiny jewels, flit from flower to flower sipping nectar, their iridescent feathers flashing the colors of the rainbow as they fly.

The Amazonian rain forest, in Brazil alone, is the largest rain forest in the world. Many species of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and birds occupy the canopy of this magnificent rain forest. The iguana lives in the trees high above from the ground. It has flattened sides and a long, strong tail, which gives it balance and stability when it leaps. It also has clawed feet, which allows the iguana to grip branches.

The poison dart frog is a tree frog that secretes poison when it gets attacked. Even a small amount of the toxin can be lethal to humans. Today, South American Indians use the poison to tip their arrowheads before hunting.

Many of the South American animals inspire the fascination which comes from revulsion.  Shoals of cannibal fish infest the rivers waiting to rip the flesh from any animal which tumbles among them, and vampire bats, a legend in Europe but a grim reality in South America, fly out at night from their roosts in the forests to suck blood from cows and men.

  1. tropical regions

  2. tundra

  3. mediterranean regions

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

Correct answer is (1).

A 'savannah' is a treeless plain or grassland characterized by scattered trees, found especially in tropical regions with seasonal rainfall. Therefore, option (1) is correct. This question has been used to check the general awareness of the student.