1
UPSC Civil Service Prelims Paper II 2021 (CSAT)
MCQ (Single Correct Answer)
+2.5
-0.83
Change Language

Read the following passage and answer the question that follows. Your answers to these items should be based on the passage only.

Researchers simulated street lighting on artificial grassland plots containing pea-aphids, sap-sucking insects, at night. These were exposed to two different types of light - a white light similar to newer commercial LED lights and an amber light similar to sodium street lamps. The low intensity amber light was shown to inhibit, rather than induce, flowering in a wild plant of the pea family which is a source of food for the pea-aphids in grasslands. The number of aphids was also significantly suppressed under the light treatment due to the limited amount of food available.

Which one of the following statements best reflects the most critical inference that can be made from the passage given above?

A
Low intensity light has more adverse effect on the plants as compared to high intensity light.
B
Light pollution can have a permanent adverse impact on an ecosystem.
C
White light is better for the flowering of plants ‘as compared to the light of other colours.
D
Proper intensity of light in an ecosystem is important not only for plants but for animals too.
2
UPSC Civil Service Prelims Paper II 2021 (CSAT)
MCQ (Single Correct Answer)
+2.5
-0.83
Change Language

Read the following passage and answer the question that follows. Your answers to these items should be based on the passage only.

Approximately 80 percent of all flowering plant species are pollinated by animals, including birds and mammals, but the main pollinators are insects. Pollination is responsible for providing us with a wide variety of food, as well as many plant-derived medicines. At least one-third of the world’s agricultural crops depend upon pollination. Bees are the most dominant taxa when it comes to pollination and they are crucial to more than four hundred crops. Pollination is an essential service that is the result of intricate relationships between plants and animals, and the reduction or loss of either affects the survival of both. Effective pollination requires resources, such as refuges of pristine natural vegetation.

On the basis of the passage given above, the following assumptions have been made:

1. Sustainable production of India’s cereal food grains is impossible without the diversity of pollinating animals.

2. Monoculture of horticultural crops hampers the survival of insects.

3. Pollinators become scarce in cultivated areas devoid of natural vegetation.

4. ​Diversity in insects induces diversity of plants.

Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

A
1 only
B
2, 3 and 4 only
C
1 and 2 only
D
3 and 4 only
3
UPSC Civil Service Prelims Paper II 2021 (CSAT)
MCQ (Single Correct Answer)
+2.5
-0.83
Change Language

Read the following passage and answer the question that follows. Your answers to these items should be based on the passage only.

A study conducted on the impacts of climate change over the Cauvery basin of Tamil Nadu using regional climate models showed an increasing trend for maximum and minimum temperatures, and a decrease in the number of rainy days. These climatic shifts will have an impact on the hydrological cycles in the region, lead to more run-off and less recharge, and affect the groundwater tables. Further, there has been an increase in the frequency of droughts in the State. This has driven farmers to increase dependency on groundwater resources to secure their crops.

Which one of the following statements best reflects the crux of the passage given above?

A
Development of regional climate models helps in choosing climate-smart agricultural practices.
B
Heavy dependence on groundwater resources can be reduced by adopting dry-land cropping systems.
C
Climate changes increase the criticality of water resources while simultaneously threatening it.
D
Climate changes cause the farmers to adopt unsustainable livelihoods and risky coping strategies.
4
UPSC Civil Service Prelims Paper II 2021 (CSAT)
MCQ (Single Correct Answer)
+2.5
-0.83
Change Language

Read the following passage and answer the question that follows. Your answers to these items should be based on the passage only.

Researchers were able to use stem cells to gauge the neurotoxic effects of the environmental pollutant Bisphenol A (BPA). They used a combination of biochemical and cell-based assays to examine the gene expression profile during the differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells upon treatment with BPA, a compound known to diabetes, and heart  diseases, cause developmental abnormalities in humans. They were able to detect and measure BPA toxicity towards the proper specification of primary germ layers, such as endoderm and ectoderm, and the establishment of neural progenitor cells.

On the basis of the passage given above, the following assumptions have been made :

1. BPA may alter embryonic development in vivo.

2. Biochemical and cell-based assays are useful in finding out treatments for pollution-induced diseases.

3. Embryonic stem cells could serve as a model to evaluate the physiological effects of environmental pollutants.

Which of the above assumptions are valid?

A
1 and 2 only
B
2 and 3 only
C
1 and 3 only
D
1, 2 and 3
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