About This Section
This section collects previous-year Board examination questions (CBSE and State Boards) from Chapter 2, with model answers, to show the pattern and depth expected in the exam. Attempt each yourself before reading the answer.
Board PYQ — Very Short Answer (1 mark)
Q1. What is meant by 'flora'? Ans. The plant life of a particular region or period.
Q2. Name any one project launched to protect a specific animal. Ans. Project Tiger (1973). (Others: projects for the one-horned rhino, Kashmir stag, crocodiles, Asiatic lion.)
Q3. Which category of species is no longer found anywhere? Ans. Extinct species.
Board PYQ — Short Answer (3 marks)
Q4. Explain any three provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Ans. (i) Protection of the habitats of wild animals; (ii) publication of an all-India list of protected species and a ban on hunting of endangered species; (iii) restriction of trade in wildlife. It also enabled the setting up of national parks and sanctuaries.
Q5. What are the negative effects of enrichment plantations? Ans. Enrichment plantation replaces diverse natural forest with a single commercially valuable species (such as teak or eucalyptus). This wipes out other species, reduces biodiversity and disturbs the local ecological balance.
Board PYQ — Short Answer (3 marks)
Q6. How do large-scale development projects lead to the loss of forests? Ans. Large development and river-valley projects (dams, canals, roads) clear or submerge vast forest areas. For example, the Narmada Sagar Project would inundate about 40,000 hectares of forest. Since 1951 thousands of square kilometres of forest have been cleared for such projects, destroying habitats and displacing wildlife and people.
Q7. Why is the tiger an important species, and what threatens it? Ans. The tiger is a key species in the faunal web. It is threatened by poaching for trade (skins and bones used in traditional medicines), shrinking habitat, depletion of prey, and a growing human population. Its numbers fell from about 55,000 to 1,827, prompting Project Tiger in 1973.
Board PYQ — Long Answer (5 marks)
Q8. Explain the three types of forests found in India. Ans. Reserved forests — more than half of the forest land, regarded as the most valuable for conservation. Protected forests — almost one-third, protected from further depletion by the Forest Department. Unclassed forests — other forests and wastelands owned by government, private individuals and communities (very high in the North-eastern states and parts of Gujarat). Reserved and protected forests together form the permanent forest estate.
Q9. 'Community participation is essential for conservation.' Discuss with examples. Ans. Conservation succeeds when local people are involved. Examples: Sariska villagers resisted mining; Alwar villages created the Bhairodev Dakav 'Sonchuri'; the Chipko movement resisted deforestation; the Bishnois protect wildlife; sacred groves preserve virgin forests; and Joint Forest Management (1988, Odisha) makes communities partners in restoring degraded forests in return for forest produce.