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Generate QuizEnvironment – GK Questions
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Which of the following is a key objective of the 'National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture' (NMSA)?
- Promoting chemical-intensive farming
- Enhancing agricultural productivity through sustainable practices, water efficiency, and soil health management
- Encouraging deforestation for agriculture
- Ignoring climate change impacts
Answer: Enhancing agricultural productivity through sustainable practices, water efficiency, and soil health management
NMSA, under NAPCC, focuses on climate adaptation, resource conservation, and livelihood security for farmers through integrated approaches.
Crop rotation helps in breaking pest cycles, improving soil fertility, and reducing erosion.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Rotating crops with different nutrient needs and growth habits enhances soil structure, reduces disease buildup, and optimizes resource use.
Which of the following is a climate-resilient agricultural practice?
- Monoculture of water-intensive crops
- Diversification of crops, drought-tolerant varieties, and water harvesting
- Clearing forests for expansion
- Over-extraction of groundwater
Answer: Diversification of crops, drought-tolerant varieties, and water harvesting
Climate-smart agriculture enhances adaptive capacity, reduces vulnerability to weather extremes, and contributes to mitigation through sustainable practices.
The 'Soil Health Card' scheme in India provides farmers with information on soil nutrient status and recommendations for _____.
- Crop insurance only
- Balanced fertilizer application and soil management
- Pesticide use only
- Land sale prices
Answer: Balanced fertilizer application and soil management
Soil Health Cards help farmers optimize input use, improve productivity, and maintain soil health through site-specific nutrient management.
Which of the following is a benefit of using biofertilizers in agriculture?
- Increasing soil salinity
- Enhancing nutrient availability through nitrogen fixation or phosphate solubilization
- Killing beneficial soil microbes
- Causing soil compaction
Answer: Enhancing nutrient availability through nitrogen fixation or phosphate solubilization
Biofertilizers containing beneficial microbes improve soil fertility naturally, reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers and promoting sustainable agriculture.
Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) aims to eliminate external input costs by using natural inputs and traditional knowledge.
- True
- False
Answer: True
ZBNF, promoted in India, uses practices like bijamrita, jiwamrita, mulching, and intercropping to enhance soil fertility and reduce farmer indebtedness.
Which of the following is a potential environmental risk associated with genetically modified (GM) crops?
- Increased crop yield only
- Gene flow to wild relatives, development of resistant pests, and impacts on non-target organisms
- Reduced need for any management
- Universal acceptance by all farmers
Answer: Gene flow to wild relatives, development of resistant pests, and impacts on non-target organisms
While GM crops offer benefits, ecological concerns include biodiversity effects, resistance evolution, and socio-economic issues requiring careful assessment.
The 'Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana' (PKVY) promotes _____ farming in India through cluster-based approach.
- Conventional
- Organic
- Genetically modified
- Hydroponic
Answer: Organic
PKVY supports farmers in adopting organic practices, certification, and marketing to enhance soil health, biodiversity, and farm income sustainably.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) combines biological, cultural, and chemical methods to control pests with minimal environmental impact.
- True
- False
Answer: True
IPM emphasizes prevention, monitoring, and targeted interventions, reducing reliance on broad-spectrum pesticides and protecting beneficial organisms.
Which of the following is a practice of 'Conservation Agriculture'?
- Intensive tillage and monocropping
- Minimal soil disturbance, permanent soil cover, and crop rotation
- Excessive use of chemical fertilizers
- Clearing forests for new farmland
Answer: Minimal soil disturbance, permanent soil cover, and crop rotation
Conservation agriculture enhances soil health, water retention, and biodiversity while reducing erosion and input costs for sustainable farming.
Which of the following is a green chemistry principle?
- Using toxic solvents for reactions
- Designing chemical products and processes to reduce or eliminate hazardous substances
- Maximizing waste generation
- Ignoring energy efficiency
Answer: Designing chemical products and processes to reduce or eliminate hazardous substances
Green chemistry promotes sustainable practices like atom economy, safer solvents, renewable feedstocks, and energy efficiency to minimize environmental impact.
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are stable in the troposphere but break down in the stratosphere, releasing chlorine atoms that destroy ozone.
- True
- False
Answer: True
UV radiation in the stratosphere cleaves CFCs, releasing chlorine radicals that catalytically destroy ozone molecules, depleting the ozone layer.
Which of the following is a volatile organic compound (VOC) commonly found in indoor air?
- Oxygen
- Formaldehyde
- Nitrogen
- Argon
Answer: Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde, emitted from paints, adhesives, and furniture, is a VOC that can cause respiratory irritation and is classified as a carcinogen.
The process by which a substance accumulates in an organism at a rate faster than it is eliminated is called bio_____.
- Degradation
- Accumulation
- Dilution
- Transformation
Answer: Accumulation
Bioaccumulation of persistent pollutants like mercury or DDT in tissues can lead to toxic effects and biomagnification up the food chain.
Which of the following is a common method for removing heavy metals from industrial wastewater?
- Filtration through sand only
- Chemical precipitation, ion exchange, or adsorption
- Dilution with clean water
- Evaporation to dryness
Answer: Chemical precipitation, ion exchange, or adsorption
These treatment methods convert dissolved metals into insoluble forms or bind them to media for removal, preventing aquatic toxicity.
Eutrophication of water bodies is often caused by excess nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural runoff.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Nutrient enrichment triggers algal blooms; subsequent decomposition depletes dissolved oxygen, causing fish kills and ecosystem imbalance.
Which of the following reactions is primarily responsible for the formation of acid rain?
- CO2 + H2O → H2CO3
- SO2 + H2O → H2SO4 and NOx + H2O → HNO3
- CH4 + O2 → CO2 + H2O
- O3 + UV → O2 + O
Answer: SO2 + H2O → H2SO4 and NOx + H2O → HNO3
Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from fossil fuel combustion react with atmospheric moisture to form sulfuric and nitric acids, causing acid rain.
The chemical formula for ozone, a molecule composed of three oxygen atoms, is _____.
- O2
- O3
- CO2
- H2O
Answer: O3
Ozone (O3) in the stratosphere protects from UV radiation, but at ground level it is a harmful pollutant and greenhouse gas.
pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution, with 7 being neutral.
- True
- False
Answer: True
pH scale ranges from 0 (highly acidic) to 14 (highly alkaline); most natural waters have pH between 6.5 and 8.5, suitable for aquatic life.
Which of the following is a primary component of photochemical smog?
- Sulphur dioxide
- Ground-level ozone
- Carbon monoxide
- Particulate matter only
Answer: Ground-level ozone
Photochemical smog forms when sunlight triggers reactions between NOx and VOCs, producing ozone, PAN, and other secondary pollutants harmful to health.