Biodiversity, Protected Areas & Wildlife Quiz: Flora & Fauna of India

Spoilers! These are the Starter quiz’s answers. Easy, Medium, Hard and Mixed rounds show their own answers when you finish.

1. Which of the following is NOT one of the biodiversity hotspots that cover parts of India?

   • Himalaya
   • Indo-Burma
   • Sundaland
   • Eastern Ghats

   Answer: Eastern Ghats. India has parts of four hotspots: the Himalaya, Indo-Burma, the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka, and Sundaland (which includes the Nicobar Islands).

2. In a biosphere reserve, the zone kept legally protected and free from human interference is the:

   • Transition zone
   • Buffer zone
   • Core zone
   • Manipulation zone

   Answer: Core zone. The core is strictly protected; the buffer around it allows research, education and limited use; the outer transition zone allows settlements and sustainable activities.

3. Keibul Lamjao, the world's only floating national park, home of the sangai deer, is in:

   • Manipur
   • Assam
   • Meghalaya
   • Tripura

   Answer: Manipur. It lies on Loktak Lake, on floating masses of vegetation called phumdis. The sangai is the brow-antlered deer and the state animal of Manipur.

4. The Gir forest of Gujarat is the only natural home of the:

   • One-horned rhinoceros
   • Asiatic lion
   • Snow leopard
   • Wild ass

   Answer: Asiatic lion. Gir is the last wild habitat of the Asiatic lion. The one-horned rhino is linked with Kaziranga; the Indian wild ass with the Little Rann of Kutch.

5. Which of the following is an example of ex-situ conservation?

   • National park
   • Sacred grove
   • Biosphere reserve
   • Seed bank

   Answer: Seed bank. Ex-situ means conserving species outside their natural habitat — zoos, botanical gardens, seed and gene banks. Parks, sanctuaries, reserves and sacred groves are in-situ.

6. Dachigam National Park in Jammu and Kashmir is known for the:

   • Hangul (Kashmir stag)
   • Lion-tailed macaque
   • Nilgiri tahr
   • Red panda

   Answer: Hangul (Kashmir stag). Dachigam near Srinagar shelters the hangul. The lion-tailed macaque is linked with Silent Valley in Kerala, and the Nilgiri tahr with Eravikulam.

7. On the IUCN Red List, which category indicates the highest risk of extinction in the wild among these?

   • Vulnerable
   • Endangered
   • Critically Endangered
   • Near Threatened

   Answer: Critically Endangered. The order of threat is Least Concern, Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered, Extinct in the Wild, Extinct. VU, EN and CR together are 'threatened'.

8. Consider the following statements about biodiversity hotspots: 1. A region must have at least 1,500 endemic vascular plant species. 2. A region must have lost at least 70% of its original native vegetation. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

   • 1 only
   • 2 only
   • Neither 1 nor 2
   • Both 1 and 2

   Answer: Both 1 and 2. These are the two criteria used by Conservation International, building on Norman Myers' 1988 hotspot idea: high endemism plus severe threat.

9. The Botanical Survey of India and the Zoological Survey of India both have their headquarters in:

   • New Delhi
   • Kolkata
   • Dehradun
   • Chennai

   Answer: Kolkata. BSI (founded 1890) and ZSI (founded 1916) are headquartered in Kolkata. The Wildlife Institute of India is in Dehradun.

10. Which animal was declared India's National Aquatic Animal in 2009?

    • Olive ridley turtle
    • Dugong
    • Mahseer
    • Ganges river dolphin

    Answer: Ganges river dolphin. The Ganges river dolphin is nearly blind and finds its way by echolocation; its presence signals a healthy river. The tiger is the national animal and the elephant the national heritage animal.