UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

The 2022 notification banned a list of 19 single-use plastic items that typically have short useful lives but high littering potential. Examples include earbuds with plastic sticks, certain plates, cups, cutlery and decorative thermocol. By targeting these low-utility items first, the policy aims to reduce visible pollution while giving time to design alternatives and improve management for other plastic products.

Option A:
This option is incorrect because many plastic products, especially essential and regulated uses, remain allowed; the ban is selective.

Option B:
This option correctly states the focus on low-utility, high-litter items and illustrates the rationale behind the list.

Option C:
Export-oriented units are not the primary focus; the ban addresses domestic circulation of these items.

Option D:
Carry bags are regulated mainly through minimum thickness requirements rather than a blanket ban on thicker bags.

High recovery targets ensure that used batteries become a source of materials like lithium, cobalt and nickel. This lowers pressure on mining and reduces dependence on imports for these critical minerals. Proper recycling also cuts pollution from hazardous battery components, protecting workers and communities. Together, these factors strengthen the sustainability and resilience of India’s clean-energy and mobility transitions.

Option A:
This option is incorrect because recovery targets aim to reduce, not increase, import dependence by reusing materials already in circulation.

Option B:
This option correctly links resource recovery, pollution reduction and supply-chain security, showing why strict recycling norms are important for sustainable development.

Option C:
The rules do not ban battery use; they regulate disposal and recycling to make electric mobility more, not less, sustainable.

Option D:
Informal burning and unsafe dismantling are precisely the practices the rules seek to replace with authorised, standard-compliant recycling facilities.

The Bhopal gas tragedy of 1984 highlighted serious gaps in India’s environmental and industrial safety regulations. In response, the Government of India enacted the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 as a comprehensive, umbrella legislation. It empowered the central government to coordinate environmental policies, set standards, and take measures for the protection and improvement of the environment. Therefore, option B correctly identifies the act enacted after Bhopal as a broad framework law.

Option A:
Option A, the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, predates the Bhopal disaster and focuses specifically on wildlife conservation and protection of endangered species. It is not the umbrella act for environmental protection enacted after 1984.

Option B:
Option B is correct because the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 provides a framework for integrating various environmental policies, rules and standards. It was explicitly passed in the aftermath of Bhopal to strengthen environmental regulation.

Option C:
Option C, the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, deals mainly with restricting the diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes. It is important but not an umbrella act enacted post-Bhopal.

Option D:
Option D, the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, aims to control water pollution and establish Pollution Control Boards. It predates Bhopal and is sector-specific rather than a comprehensive environmental framework.

Environmental impact assessment is a formal process to identify,predict and evaluate potential environmental impacts of proposed projects. It helps decision makers consider environmental consequences alongside economic and technical factors. By doing so,it aims to avoid,reduce or compensate for adverse impacts before they occur. Therefore the definition in the question clearly refers to environmental impact assessment.

Option A:
A social audit evaluates the social performance and accountability of institutions,especially in governance and welfare schemes. While it may touch on environmental issues,it is not primarily about predicting environmental impacts of projects. Hence it does not match the process described in the stem.

Option B:
Environmental impact assessment is designed to be conducted before project approval. It involves baseline studies,impact prediction,mitigation planning and public consultation. This systematic approach fits perfectly with the description given in the question.

Option C:
Resource mapping involves identifying and documenting the distribution of various resources in a region. It is a useful planning tool but does not itself evaluate the impacts of a proposed project. Therefore it is not the best answer here.

Option D:
Performance appraisal usually refers to evaluation of employees in an organisation. It focuses on productivity and work behaviour rather than environmental effects of projects. Thus it is unrelated to the concept defined in the question.

Statements A and C are correct: environmental laws set binding rules for control and conservation, and public interest litigation or citizen suits can help enforce these norms. Statements B and D are incorrect because enforcement also relies on capacity, monitoring and institutions, and transparency plus information access are vital for accountability. Hence, the combination A and C only is correct.

Option A:
Option A is incomplete since it omits C, which adds the important role of citizens and judiciary in upholding environmental laws. Without C, the enforcement dimension is underplayed.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect as it accepts B, implying penalties alone are sufficient without institutional capacity. This contradicts empirical experience where weak institutions undermine enforcement despite strong penalties.

Option C:
Option C is correct because it chooses the two statements that reflect both the legal framework and participatory enforcement tools, while excluding statements that ignore capacity and transparency.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect as it includes D, which wrongly claims information is irrelevant to enforcement, even though disclosure is central to many environmental regimes.

The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 serves as an umbrella law that gives the central government broad powers to protect and improve the environment. It authorises the setting of standards, regulation of industrial locations and discharges, control of hazardous substances and issuance of directions. Thus, it provides a comprehensive framework rather than dealing with a narrow issue alone.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect because wildlife conservation is mainly covered under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972; the Environment (Protection) Act has a much wider scope beyond wildlife.

Option B:
Option B is correct as it recognises the Act as a broad, empowering statute that underpins many rules on pollution control, environmental standards and impact assessment.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect since forest land diversion for projects is primarily governed by the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, not by the Environment (Protection) Act alone.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because pollution control boards were created mainly under the Water and Air Acts; the 1986 Act goes beyond merely setting up such institutions.

The Government of India notified a ban on a set of 19 identified single-use plastic items from 1 July 2022. These items were chosen because they typically have low utility but a high tendency to become litter, such as earbuds with plastic sticks, certain cutlery and decorative thermocol. The approach aims to eliminate the most problematic plastics while allowing time to improve design and regulation of other products. This selective ban is part of a broader strategy under the Plastic Waste Management Rules.

Option A:
This option correctly reflects the targeted nature of the 2022 ban, which focuses on low-utility, high-litter items. It aligns with official notifications and the list of prohibited products. The focus is on reducing visible litter and environmental harm without disrupting essential uses.

Option B:
This option is incorrect because the ban does not cover all forms of plastic; medical and some other essential uses are excluded. A complete ban would be impractical and was not notified.

Option C:
Plastic carry bags were subject to separate rules that increased minimum thickness requirements rather than banning all such bags above 120 microns. Therefore, this option confuses regulation with prohibition.

Option D:
The ban applies domestically and is not restricted to export-oriented units. In fact, export packaging may follow different rules, whereas the notified items are prohibited within the country’s regular markets and use contexts.

The Environment (Protection) Act was enacted after the Bhopal gas tragedy and to implement decisions from the Stockholm Conference. It gives the central government authority to set standards, regulate industrial locations, control hazardous substances and issue directions for environmental protection. Many later rules and notifications, including those on EIA and hazardous waste, are issued under this umbrella law.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect because wildlife is specifically covered by the Wildlife (Protection) Act; the Environment (Protection) Act has a broader scope.

Option B:
Option B is correct as it recognises the wide-ranging powers and coordinating role provided by the Act.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect; forest diversion is mainly governed by the Forest (Conservation) Act, though environmental aspects may overlap.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because pollution control boards were created earlier under water and air pollution laws, not solely under this Act.

An ambient air quality standard specifies the maximum acceptable concentration of a pollutant in outdoor air over a defined time period. These standards are set to protect human health and the environment. The stem clearly refers to such permissible limits,so standard is the correct word.

Option A:
An inventory is a detailed list or accounting of emission sources and quantities. While useful for management,it does not itself state permissible limits or health based thresholds. Hence it is not suitable for the blank.

Option B:
A standard is a legally or administratively established benchmark against which actual air quality is compared. Ambient air quality standards guide regulatory action and monitoring. This is exactly what the stem describes,so this option is accurate.

Option C:
A profile usually means a descriptive representation of air quality conditions or emissions but does not inherently define acceptable limits. Therefore it is not equivalent to the concept in the question.

Option D:
A budget in environmental science may refer to the balance of emissions and removals of a pollutant or greenhouse gas. It is different from health based concentration limits,so it cannot fit the blank.

In a cap and trade system, the government sets an overall “cap” on allowable emissions and allocates or auctions permits that add up to this cap. Firms that can reduce emissions cheaply may sell surplus permits to others,creating a market price for pollution. The stem describes this type of system with a limit and tradable permits,so the missing word is cap. Hence Option C is correct.

Option A:
Tax and trade is not a standard phrase. Pollution taxes operate differently by charging a fee per unit of emissions rather than fixing a quantity cap and allowing trading within that cap.

Option B:
An offset typically refers to a project or activity that compensates for emissions made elsewhere,for example through tree planting. While offsets can sometimes be linked to trading schemes,they are not the defining word in the cap and trade expression.

Option C:
Cap emphasises that the total quantity of emissions is limited to a specified level,ensuring an environmental outcome. Trading then allows flexibility in how reductions are distributed. This two part mechanism is exactly what the question refers to.

Option D:
Ratio and trade is not a recognised policy term in environmental economics. It would not convey the core idea of a fixed overall limit on emissions,so it is not an appropriate answer.

Environmental responsibility under CSR expects companies to go beyond legal compliance and proactively reduce their ecological footprint. This can include improving energy and resource efficiency, controlling emissions, managing waste responsibly and participating in restoration of degraded ecosystems around their operations. Such actions align business goals with community and environmental well-being, strengthening social licence to operate.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect because omitting environmental information from reports hides important impacts and does not reflect transparent or responsible corporate behaviour.

Option B:
Option B is correct since it lists concrete steps that lower environmental harm and support local ecological recovery, which are central to CSR’s environmental dimension.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect as ignoring environmental consequences for profit contradicts both CSR principles and many modern regulatory expectations.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because shifting polluting units to lax regions amounts to "pollution havens" and does not reduce overall environmental damage; it undermines global sustainability.