CUET-PG Principles of Environmental Science: practice questions

CUET-PG — Environmental Sciences · India · National Testing Agency

Original practice questions written to the published syllabus · not past papers

10worked here, free

68written to this exam in this subject

11syllabus units

What this subject covers

The map of the whole field: the four spheres, natural resources and their status, human population and consumption, and the main environmental problems an agricultural graduate meets. Compulsory in most undergraduate degrees worldwide and the opening unit of ICAR AICE subject 71.

In the exams: ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF subject 71 Unit 1; ICAR AIEEA-PG 3.6; UGC NET Environmental Sciences Unit 1; CUET-UG Environmental Studies

Scope of environmental science and its links with agriculture
Atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere
Biotic, abiotic and social components of the environment
Natural resources: land, soil, water, forest, mineral and energy
Land degradation and wastelands: extent and reclamation
Human population growth, consumption and the IPAT identity
Ecological footprint and carrying capacity
Food resources and environmental problems of modern agriculture
Environmental effects of mining and large dams
Natural disasters: floods, droughts, cyclones, earthquakes, landslides
Environmental ethics and the role of citizens and NGOs

Where the 68 questions fall

How our questions for CUET-PG spread across the units of Principles of Environmental Science. Difficulty: 20 easy, 47 medium, 1 hard.

Land degradation and wastelands: extent and reclamation	7
Food resources and environmental problems of modern agriculture	7
Natural disasters: floods, droughts, cyclones, earthquakes, landslides	7
Environmental ethics and the role of citizens and NGOs	7
Atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere	6
Biotic, abiotic and social components of the environment	6
Natural resources: land, soil, water, forest, mineral and energy	6
Human population growth, consumption and the IPAT identity	6
Environmental effects of mining and large dams	6
Scope of environmental science and its links with agriculture	5
Ecological footprint and carrying capacity	5

10 practice questions, worked

Choose an answer, then open the working. Each explanation says why the right answer is right and why the others are not.

1 · Scope of environmental science and its links with agriculture · medium

Which outcomes are associated with the 1992 Rio Earth Summit?

The adoption of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals
Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration and the UNFCCC and CBD
The creation of UNEP and the first World Environment Day
The Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement and the Montreal Protocol

Answer and working

B. Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration and the UNFCCC and CBD

Rio produced Agenda 21 and the Rio Declaration and opened the climate and biodiversity conventions for signature. Kyoto (1997), Paris (2015), Montreal (1987), UNEP (1972) and the SDGs (2015) came at other times.

Further reading: See the manual sources: standard environmental science textbooks and the UN, FAO, UNCCD and UNDRR documents named in the explanation

2 · Atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere · medium

How did the biosphere change the composition of the atmosphere over Earth's history?

Animals removed all nitrogen from the early atmosphere
Photosynthesis by early cyanobacteria added oxygen
Decomposers released argon from dead organisms
Volcanic plants absorbed ozone from the stratosphere

Answer and working

B. Photosynthesis by early cyanobacteria added oxygen

Oxygenic photosynthesis, starting with cyanobacteria, built up atmospheric oxygen over billions of years. The other statements are false.

Further reading: See the manual sources: standard environmental science textbooks and the UN, FAO, UNCCD and UNDRR documents named in the explanation

3 · Natural resources: land, soil, water, forest, mineral and energy · medium

Why is soil described as practically non-renewable on human time scales?

It cannot form naturally at all and is entirely created by farmers
It forms over centuries but erodes away within years
It is replenished every year by rainfall, so erosion never matters
It is a fossil resource formed only during the Carboniferous period

Answer and working

B. It forms over centuries but erodes away within years

Soil formation is very slow relative to accelerated erosion, so lost soil is effectively irreplaceable. Soils do form naturally, rainfall does not replace them, and they are not fossil deposits.

Further reading: See the manual sources: standard environmental science textbooks and the UN, FAO, UNCCD and UNDRR documents named in the explanation

4 · Land degradation and wastelands: extent and reclamation · medium

What does land degradation neutrality (SDG target 15.3) mean?

Degraded land must be sold to private owners to ensure it is restored
Land degradation is acceptable as long as it is spread evenly across regions
No land may be used for agriculture until all degraded land is restored
No net loss of land, by avoiding, reducing and reversing degradation

Answer and working

D. No net loss of land, by avoiding, reducing and reversing degradation

LDN aims at no net loss of land quality and quantity, using a hierarchy of avoid, reduce and reverse. It does not ban agriculture or require privatisation.

Further reading: See the manual sources: standard environmental science textbooks and the UN, FAO, UNCCD and UNDRR documents named in the explanation

5 · Human population growth, consumption and the IPAT identity · easy

Using the rule of 70, how long does a population growing at 2 per cent a year take to double?

140 years
20 years
35 years
70 years

Answer and working

C. 35 years

Doubling time ≈ 70 ÷ 2 = 35 years.

Further reading: See the manual sources: standard environmental science textbooks and the UN, FAO, UNCCD and UNDRR documents named in the explanation

6 · Ecological footprint and carrying capacity · easy

In what unit is the ecological footprint usually expressed?

Cubic metres of water
Tonnes of CO₂
Global hectares
Kilowatt-hours

Answer and working

C. Global hectares

Footprints are measured in global hectares of world-average productivity. Tonnes of CO₂ measure carbon footprints; cubic metres measure water footprints.

Further reading: See the manual sources: standard environmental science textbooks and the UN, FAO, UNCCD and UNDRR documents named in the explanation

7 · Ecological footprint and carrying capacity · medium

In the water footprint concept, what does 'grey water' represent?

The volume of water needed to dilute pollutants to acceptable levels
Surface and groundwater withdrawn for irrigation
Wastewater from household sinks and showers
Rainwater used by crops from soil moisture

Answer and working

A. The volume of water needed to dilute pollutants to acceptable levels

Grey water footprint is the assimilation volume for pollution. Green is rainwater; blue is surface and groundwater. Household greywater is a different concept.

Further reading: See the manual sources: standard environmental science textbooks and the UN, FAO, UNCCD and UNDRR documents named in the explanation

8 · Environmental effects of mining and large dams · medium

What is the purpose of the local development funds that many mining laws now require leaseholders to pay into?

To grant mining leases without environmental clearance
To fund welfare of mining-affected people
To export minerals directly to foreign buyers
To fix the national price of coal each year

Answer and working

B. To fund welfare of mining-affected people

Such funds, along with community development agreements and royalties earmarked for affected districts, share mining benefits with affected communities; EITI asks countries to disclose these payments.

Further reading: See the manual sources: standard environmental science textbooks and the UN, FAO, UNCCD and UNDRR documents named in the explanation

9 · Environmental effects of mining and large dams · medium

Why do large reservoirs gradually lose storage capacity?

Dam walls shrink each year as concrete dries
Fish populations grow and displace the water volume
Water evaporates and the reservoir floor rises from salt deposits
They trap sediment carried by the river, a process called siltation

Answer and working

D. They trap sediment carried by the river, a process called siltation

Rivers deposit sediment in still reservoir water, reducing storage; catchment treatment slows siltation.

Further reading: See the manual sources: standard environmental science textbooks and the UN, FAO, UNCCD and UNDRR documents named in the explanation

10 · Natural disasters: floods, droughts, cyclones, earthquakes, landslides · medium

According to UNDRR and global disaster databases, which hazard types account for most recorded natural disasters worldwide?

Earthquakes and tsunamis
Floods and storms
Volcanic eruptions and landslides
Wildfires and heatwaves

Answer and working

B. Floods and storms

Floods and storms (including tropical cyclones) make up the majority of recorded disaster events, and Asia has the most people affected. Earthquakes and tsunamis are less frequent though often deadlier per event; eruptions, landslides, wildfires and heatwaves are a smaller share of recorded events.

Further reading: See the manual sources: standard environmental science textbooks and the UN, FAO, UNCCD and UNDRR documents named in the explanation

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