UGC NET — Environmental Sciences (subject code 89) · India · National Testing Agency for the University Grants Commission
Original practice questions written to the published syllabus · not past papersRunning environmental performance inside an organisation: ISO 14001 and the ISO 14000 family, environmental aspects and impacts, auditing, eco-labels and the voluntary sustainability standards that farms and agri-food firms are certified against.
In the exams: GATE ES Section 9 (EMS, ISO 14000, auditing); ICAR AICE subject 71 Unit 3 (environmental auditing); NEBOSH EMC; ISO 14001 lead auditor
ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF Environmental Sciences (Unit 3), UGC NET (Unit 8), ASRB and pollution control board recruitment
Environmental auditing and the environmental statement (Form V), ISO 14001 basics, Ecomark and eco-labels, legal compliance under Indian pollution laws, GAP and certification in agriculture.
How our questions for UGC NET spread across the units of Environmental Management Systems, Auditing & Standards. Difficulty: 13 easy, 15 medium, 3 hard.
| The ISO 14000 family | 8 | |
| Eco-labelling: types I, II and III | 6 | |
| Integrating environment with quality and safety management | 4 | |
| ISO 14001: context, policy, planning, operation, evaluation, improvement | 3 | |
| Legal compliance and evaluation | 3 | |
| Environmental aspects and impacts register | 2 | |
| Environmental performance indicators | 2 | |
| Environmental auditing: types, process and auditor competence | 2 | |
| Voluntary sustainability standards in agri-food | 1 |
Choose an answer, then open the working. Each explanation says why the right answer is right and why the others are not.
In which year was ISO 14001 first published?
C. 1996
ISO 14001 was first published in 1996 and revised in 2004 and 2015. 1987 is the year ISO 9000 appeared; 1992 saw BS 7750 and the Rio summit; 2004 is the first revision.
Further reading: ISO 14001:2015
Which national standard is regarded as the first environmental management system standard, a precursor of ISO 14001?
B. BS 7750 (United Kingdom, 1992)
BS 7750, published by the British Standards Institution in 1992, was the first EMS standard and influenced both EMAS and ISO 14001. The other codes are unrelated standards.
Further reading: Sheldon and Yoxon, EMS
What did the 2024 amendment to ISO 14001 (and other management system standards) add?
B. A requirement to consider whether climate change is relevant to the organisation's context
The 2024 climate action amendment added to clauses 4.1 and 4.2 that the organisation shall determine whether climate change is a relevant issue and that interested parties can have climate-related requirements. It set no neutrality target, sector ban or change to audits.
Further reading: ISO 14001:2015/Amd 1:2024
In ISO 14001:2015, which term replaced the separate terms 'documents' and 'records'?
C. Documented information
The 2015 revision uses 'documented information' for information an organisation must control and maintain, whether as documents or retained evidence. The other terms are not used in the standard.
Further reading: ISO 14001:2015
On a livestock farm, which is an aspect associated with the impact 'acidification and nitrogen deposition on nearby habitats'?
B. Ammonia emissions from housing and manure storage
Ammonia volatilised from housing and manure deposits nitrogen and acidifies soils and habitats. Noise, lighting energy and paper are aspects with other impacts.
Further reading: Livestock environment texts
Which standard governs Type I environmental labelling programmes?
D. ISO 14024
ISO 14024 covers Type I (third-party, multi-criteria) programmes; ISO 14021 self-declared Type II claims; ISO 14025 Type III declarations (EPDs); ISO 14031 performance evaluation.
Further reading: ISO 14024
A manufacturer prints 'contains 40 % recycled plastic' on its packaging without external certification. Under ISO terms this is:
A. A Type II self-declared environmental claim
Self-declared claims made without third-party certification are Type II (ISO 14021) and must be specific, accurate and verifiable. Type I labels need third-party certification; Type III are quantified LCA-based declarations; EMAS statements report organisational performance.
Further reading: ISO 14021
How many principles does the Codex HACCP system have?
C. Seven
HACCP has seven principles: hazard analysis, critical control points, critical limits, monitoring, corrective actions, verification, and documentation and records. Twelve is the number of HACCP application steps.
Further reading: Codex CXC 1-1969
What is the role of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)?
D. It benchmarks food safety schemes so that buyers accept certificates from recognised schemes
GFSI benchmarks schemes against its requirements, reducing duplicate audits for suppliers. It does not legislate, inspect every factory or certify organic farms.
Further reading: GFSI
Which HACCP principle involves setting a maximum or minimum value, such as a pasteurisation temperature, at a critical control point?
D. Setting critical limits
Critical limits are the values separating acceptable from unacceptable at each CCP, such as time–temperature for pasteurisation. Hazard analysis identifies hazards; verification confirms the system works; documentation records it.
Further reading: Codex CXC 1-1969
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