UGC NET Principles of Environmental Science: practice questions

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

Why is environmental science described as interdisciplinary rather than merely multidisciplinary?

1. It rejects all other disciplines and develops entirely new methods of its own
2. It is taught only by one department in each university
3. It integrates disciplines to solve problems, not just lists them
4. It studies only living organisms and ignores physical processes

2 · Natural resources: land, soil, water, forest, mineral and energy · hard

Which statement summarises Herman Daly's rules for sustainable resource use?

1. Harvest no faster than regrowth; emit no faster than assimilation
2. Stop using renewable resources entirely and rely on recycled minerals
3. Use all resources equally, regardless of their regeneration rates
4. Use non-renewables as fast as possible before prices rise further

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

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

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

4 · Human population growth, consumption and the IPAT identity · hard

Why does a young population keep growing for decades after fertility falls to replacement level?

1. Replacement fertility means each woman has four children
2. Death rates always rise sharply when fertility falls
3. Momentum: large young cohorts keep births high
4. Migration always adds exactly as many people as births lose

5 · Ecological footprint and carrying capacity · medium

Humanity's ecological footprint is 2.7 global hectares per person and the Earth's biocapacity is 1.6 global hectares per person. How many Earths would be needed to sustain current consumption?

1. About 4.3
2. About 1.1
3. About 1.7
4. About 0.6

6 · Ecological footprint and carrying capacity · medium

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

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 Surface and groundwater withdrawn for irrigation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

7 · Ecological footprint and carrying capacity · hard

Which is a recognised limitation of the ecological footprint?

1. It is measured in kilograms, so it cannot be compared between countries
2. It omits toxics and biodiversity loss and rests on assumptions
3. It was invented by the IPCC and applies only to greenhouse gases
4. It includes only water use and ignores land and energy

8 · Food resources and environmental problems of modern agriculture · medium

What is genetic erosion in agriculture?

1. Erosion of soil caused by genetically modified crops
2. Loss of crop diversity as landraces vanish
3. The spread of crop genes into weeds by pollen
4. The breakdown of DNA in seeds stored too long

9 · Environmental effects of mining and large dams · medium

Why do large reservoirs gradually lose storage capacity?

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

10 · Environmental effects of mining and large dams · hard

How do large dams contribute to the shrinking and subsidence of deltas downstream?

1. They push groundwater into the delta, causing it to float
2. They trap sediment that would otherwise rebuild delta land
3. They raise sea level by storing water in reservoirs
4. They release excess sediment that buries delta farmland