UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

The Chipko movement, led largely by villagers and especially women in the Himalayas, involved hugging trees to prevent their commercial felling. It drew national and global attention to the ecological and livelihood importance of forests and protested against unsustainable logging policies.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect because Chipko was not focused on nuclear power plants; its primary issue was forest conservation.

Option B:
Option B is correct since the movement’s central action was non-violent resistance to deforestation and commercial timber extraction.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect; Chipko activists often opposed large projects that threatened local ecosystems rather than campaigning for more big dams.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect as private car ownership in rural areas had no connection with the Chipko movement’s goals or methods.

Statement C is the only wrong statement because Extended Producer Responsibility and deposit-return schemes are in fact widely used policy tools in plastic waste management. Statements A and B correctly describe the contribution of single-use plastics and microplastics to pollution and health risks. Statement D is also correct as behaviour change and alternatives are essential to reducing plastic usage. Thus, identifying C alone as wrong is the correct answer.

Option A:
Option A is correct because it isolates C as the incorrect statement and treats A, B and D as accurate. It reflects current policy practice where producer responsibility and deposit schemes are part of plastic waste strategies.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect since it labels both B and C as wrong. Statement B aligns with scientific concern about microplastics in food chains, so grouping it with C is not justified.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect because it includes A, C and D as wrong. A and D are true statements about pollution sources and strategies, so this combination misclassifies them.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect as it groups C and D together as wrong. While C is wrong, D is correct, and treating D as wrong would deny the importance of behavioural and lifestyle changes in tackling plastic pollution.

Statements A, B and D correctly express equity and social justice measures. Reservation policies widen access, scholarships and support schemes help students sustain their studies, and bridge courses or remedial teaching assist in addressing academic gaps. These measures are rooted in constitutional values of equality and justice. Statements C, E and F are false because they deny the constitutional basis for equity or suggest exclusionary and discriminatory practices that conflict with social justice.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect because it includes only A and B and omits D, thereby ignoring the role of bridge courses and remedial teaching in supporting students from underrepresented backgrounds.

Option B:
Option B is correct since it brings together A, B and D, the three true statements on access, support and academic bridging, and leaves out C, E and F, which either deny constitutional values or promote exclusion.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect because it includes C, which wrongly claims that social justice is unrelated to constitutional values, and omits A, so it does not state how reservation policies widen access.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because it includes C and omits B, thereby accepting a denial of constitutional linkage and ignoring the importance of targeted scholarships and support schemes.

People-centred development shifts attention from aggregate income to what people can actually be and do. It emphasises education, health, empowerment, participation and equity. Development is seen as enlarging human capabilities and freedoms, not just growing the economy. Thus, the option describing expanded capabilities and well-being captures the core of this approach.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect since unlimited GDP growth without considering who benefits or what happens to inequality and the environment can deepen social and ecological problems. This is the growth-centred view that people-centred models criticise.

Option B:
Option B is correct because it aligns with the human development and capability perspective. It recognises that income is a means, while people’s freedoms and choices are the true ends of development.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect because relying only on foreign investment ignores domestic capacities, participation and social goals. Investment is one tool, not the essence of people-centred development.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect as large-scale mechanisation that displaces labour can undermine livelihoods. People-centred development asks whether technological choices actually improve people’s lives.

Integrated pest management is a holistic strategy that uses multiple compatible methods to keep pest populations below damaging levels. It emphasises biological control and cultural practices first,and uses chemicals only when necessary. This approach reduces environmental harm and maintains agricultural productivity. Thus the description in the question clearly refers to integrated pest management.

Option A:
Mono cropping is the practice of growing a single crop over a large area for many seasons. It can actually increase pest problems by providing continuous host plants. Therefore it is not the diversified pest control approach outlined in the stem.

Option B:
Integrated pest management stresses careful monitoring,threshold based interventions and use of least disruptive methods. It aims to balance economic viability with ecological safety. Because the stem mentions combining several methods in an ecologically sound way,IPM is the correct choice.

Option C:
Shifting cultivation involves clearing and cultivating a plot for a few years and then moving to another area. It is a land use system,not a pest management strategy. Hence it does not match the concept described.

Option D:
Precision farming uses information technology and sensors to optimise agricultural inputs like fertilisers and water. Although it can complement pest management,it is not specifically defined by the combination of biological,cultural and chemical methods described in the question.

Many high-ambition countries and civil-society groups argue that without constraints on primary plastic production and strong control of toxic additives, pollution will continue to grow. Some major producer countries prefer a narrower treaty that emphasises waste management and voluntary measures. This disagreement over upstream production and chemicals versus downstream approaches has repeatedly stalled progress in recent negotiating sessions. (IISD Earth Negotiations Bulletin)

Option A:
This option is incorrect because recycling is widely discussed; the conflict is not about mentioning it but about whether that alone is enough.

Option B:
This option correctly summarises the core divide between a life-cycle, production-focused approach and a weaker waste-only model.

Option C:
Oceans are already recognised as a key area affected by plastic pollution; there is no strong movement to exclude them entirely.

Option D:
No serious proposal suggests banning plastics in developing but not developed countries; the equity debate is about responsibilities and support, not such asymmetric bans.

In situ conservation means conserving species in the places where they naturally occur,allowing evolutionary processes and ecological interactions to continue. Protected areas such as national parks and biosphere reserves are key instruments of this approach. The stem explicitly mentions protecting species in their natural habitats,so in situ conservation is the correct term. Therefore Option A is right.

Option A:
In situ methods maintain populations in their original ecosystems,helping preserve species along with ecological interactions and genetic diversity. This matches the habitat based protection described.

Option B:
Ex situ conservation takes species out of their natural habitats into controlled settings such as zoos or gene banks,so it does not match the habitat protection described.

Option C:
Captive conservation mainly means maintaining individuals in zoos or breeding centres,which is not the protected area approach named in the stem.

Option D:
Seed banks store genetic material outside natural habitats; they are not the same as conserving species in parks and sanctuaries.

Statements A, B and D are correct because they explain the broad need for capacity building among institutions, educators and civil society actors. A refers to institutional capacity, B to educational roles and D to NGOs and communities. Statement C is incorrect as environmental training is relevant to many stakeholders, not just government officials. Option D includes C and omits B, so it cannot be the correct answer. The correct combination has to be A, B and D only.

Option A:
Option A is correct as it brings together A, B and D and excludes the narrow and incorrect view in C. It reflects the multi-stakeholder nature of environmental governance and education. Therefore, it matches the requirement of the question.

Option B:
Option B is incomplete because it ignores D, which rightly points to capacity needs in NGOs and communities. Excluding this dimension underestimates the importance of civil society in environmental action.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect since it includes C, which wrongly restricts environmental training to government officials. Even though B and D are correct, the inclusion of C invalidates the combination.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because, by including C, it endorses the restrictive view on who needs environmental training and leaves out B, which stresses teacher training. This makes the set both incomplete and partly wrong.

Natural wetlands slow the flow of water, trap sediments and nutrients and store floodwaters, thereby purifying water and moderating flood peaks.

Option A:
Incorrect; treating wetlands as wastelands ignores their important ecological and hydrological functions.

Option B:
Incorrect; intact wetlands generally reduce downstream flooding by temporarily storing and slowly releasing water rather than rapidly conveying it.

Option C:
Correct; it recognises wetlands as natural filters and buffers that improve water quality and moderate floods.

Option D:
Incorrect; wetlands are also rich habitats that support high biodiversity, so their role goes far beyond recreation.

Statements A, B and D give a realistic picture of air pollution control measures. Cleaner fuels and technologies lower emissions, control devices like filters and scrubbers capture particulates and standards with monitoring ensure compliance. Statement C is incorrect because merely increasing stack height disperses pollutants but does not eliminate them, and may shift the problem elsewhere. Thus, the combination that includes A, B and D only is correct.

Option A:
Option A is correct because it recognises the technological and regulatory pillars of air quality management while excluding the simplistic and misleading view in C. It emphasises that emission reduction, control equipment and governance all matter. Therefore, it matches the conceptual understanding of pollution control.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because it pairs A with C and omits B and D. In doing so, it treats C as correct, although stack height increase alone is not an adequate solution and does not remove pollutants from the system. This makes the combination unsuitable.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect as it accepts both B and C along with D. While B and D are correct, endorsing C suggests that chimney height alone is enough, which conflicts with scientific and policy approaches to air pollution control.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because it includes A, C and D and leaves out B. It still treats C as correct and fails to acknowledge the role of pollution-control devices explicitly mentioned in B, leading to an incomplete and partly wrong combination.

Statements A and C are correct: integrated management combines multiple strategies and decentralised systems with participation can ease pressure on landfills. Statements B and D are incorrect: open dumping can contaminate air and water, and waste-to-energy plants involve emissions and residues that require careful management. Thus, the combination A and C only is correct.

Option A:
Option A is incomplete since it includes only A and ignores C, which adds the important decentralisation and participation dimension. Without C, the approach to waste management appears overly centralised.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect as it treats B as correct along with A. B denies impacts of open dumping, which is contradicted by environmental health evidence.

Option C:
Option C is correct because it selects the two statements aligned with best practice and excludes B and D, which underestimate risks of dumping and incineration.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect as it includes B among correct statements and omits C, giving an inaccurate picture of both impacts and solutions.

Ex situ conservation involves taking components of biodiversity away from their natural settings and maintaining them in artificial or controlled environments. Examples include seed banks,field gene banks,zoos and botanical gardens. The stem describes conservation outside natural habitats in such facilities,which is precisely ex situ conservation. Hence Option B is correct.

Option A:
On farm conservation maintains traditional crop varieties in farmers’ fields under local management. It is not the general approach of gene banks,zoos or botanical gardens described in the stem.

Option B:
Ex situ conservation specifically means conserving biodiversity outside natural habitats in controlled facilities like gene banks,botanical gardens and zoos,matching the stem.

Option C:
In situ conservation protects species within natural ecosystems and protected areas,which is the opposite of “outside their natural habitats.”

Option D:
Landscape conservation focuses on managing larger scale landscapes and habitats; it is not the specific off site facility based approach described here.

In open-access situations, no user can be effectively excluded and there are few rules limiting extraction. Each individual gains from using a bit more, but the costs of overuse are shared by all. This incentive structure leads to excessive exploitation, eventually degrading the resource base. The tragedy arises because individually rational behaviour produces a collectively irrational outcome.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect because nature alone cannot ensure conservation when human extraction is uncontrolled.

Option B:
Option B is correct as it summarises how unregulated open access combined with self-interest leads to depletion and quality decline.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect since state protection is only one possible response and is often introduced to avoid, not cause, the tragedy.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect; in reality, many commons decline without appropriate governance, so conditions do change, often for the worse.

Noise intensity is typically measured using the decibel scale,which is logarithmic and reflects the perceived loudness of sound. Environmental regulations often specify acceptable noise levels in decibels for different zones. Therefore decibel is the correct unit mentioned in the stem.

Option A:
Candela is a unit of luminous intensity used in photometry to measure light,not sound. It has no direct relation to noise measurement,so it cannot fill the blank correctly.

Option B:
Decibels provide a convenient way to express very large ranges of sound power in manageable numbers. Because the question specifically refers to environmental noise measurement,this option precisely matches the standard practice.

Option C:
Watt hour is a unit of energy,commonly used for electricity consumption. It does not describe sound intensity or noise levels. Hence it is not relevant to the concept in the question.

Option D:
Lumen measures luminous flux or the total amount of visible light emitted by a source. It is again related to light rather than sound,so it is not appropriate for the blank.

Statements A, B and C properly describe the scope and determinants of environmental health and occupational risk. A points to specific occupational exposures that can harm health, B defines environmental health as dealing with external physical, chemical and biological factors and C identifies safe water and sanitation as key determinants. Statement D is incorrect because workplace safety is a major component of environmental and occupational health. Thus, the correct combination is A, B and C only.

Option A:
Option A is correct because it includes all the true statements while excluding D, which denies the environmental dimension of workplace safety. It offers a comprehensive view linking occupational risk, environmental conditions and public health determinants. Therefore, it meets the requirement.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect as it omits C, which is a crucial aspect of environmental health related to basic services like water and sanitation. Leaving out such a central factor makes the combination incomplete.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect since it includes D, which wrongly disconnects workplace safety from environmental health. Although B and C are correct, the presence of D renders the option unacceptable.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because it combines A and C with D. While A and C are valid statements, D contradicts the recognised inclusion of workplace conditions within environmental and occupational health domains. This mixture of correct and incorrect statements cannot be chosen.