UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Reserve regains its stripes with release of tigress

Q1. With reference to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The NTCA draws its powers from a parliamentary statute, the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 as amended in 2006, and not from an executive resolution.
  2. The NTCA's annual audit report is laid before the Legislative Assemblies of the tiger-bearing States.
  3. A reserve-specific Tiger Conservation Plan is prepared by the State Government and approved by the NTCA.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 1 only
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q2. With reference to conservation translocations of wild animals, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A translocation qualifies as a reintroduction only if the released animals were bred in captivity.
  2. Reinforcement refers to releasing animals where the same species is already present, with the aim of improving the viability of that population.
  3. Moving a tiger from one wild reserve to another is a translocation, whether or not it is also a reintroduction.
  • A. 2 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q3. Consider the following assertion: Releasing tigers into Buxa Tiger Reserve does not, by itself, ensure a self-sustaining tiger population there. Which of the following statements support the above assertion?

  1. Experts point to declining prey availability in the reserve.
  2. Villages continue to be located within the reserve's core area.
  3. In Satkosia Tiger Reserve, an earlier tiger translocation ended with no tigers remaining.
  4. Tigers reintroduced into Sariska were brought from another reserve in the same State.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 1, 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 2, 3 and 4 only

Q4. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. Under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, a Tiger Conservation Plan must provide habitat inputs to maintain viable populations not only of tigers but also of co-predators and prey animals.
  2. The decline of tigers in Buxa Tiger Reserve has been attributed partly to a decline in prey availability.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q5. With reference to the zoning of a tiger reserve under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The core or critical tiger habitat is to be kept inviolate without affecting the rights of Scheduled Tribes or other forest dwellers.
  2. Villagers may be relocated out of the core area only on a voluntary basis, on mutually agreed terms and conditions.
  3. The buffer or peripheral area aims to promote co-existence between wildlife and human activity, with due recognition of local livelihood rights.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 1 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q6. With reference to scientific monitoring of tigers in India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Individual tigers can be told apart in camera-trap photographs because stripe patterns are unique, which allows abundance to be estimated by capture–recapture methods.
  2. Telemetry fitted on a released tigress gives repeated location records for that animal, which helps judge whether it is settling into a home range.
  3. Because camera traps identify individual tigers, the All India Tiger Estimation counts only tigers and does not assess prey or habitat.
  • A. 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 1 only