UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — The DAILY QUIZ
Q1. World Lion Day, observed annually on 10 August, is credited to the initiative of an organisation named Big Cat Rescue. Which one of the following correctly describes this organisation?
- A. An accredited sanctuary in the United States that permanently houses big cats and is described as the world's largest facility of its kind
- B. A Zambia-based research trust that rehabilitates captive-bred African lions through staged release into managed wild habitats
- C. A grants programme supported by National Geographic that funds anti-poaching and corridor projects for big cats across Africa
- D. A specialist group of the IUCN Species Survival Commission that reviews wild cat taxonomy and prepares Red List assessments
Q2. Consider the following statements comparing World Lion Day with International Tiger Day:
1. World Lion Day is observed on 10 August, whereas International Tiger Day is observed on 29 July.
2. International Tiger Day owes its origin to a declaration made by tiger range countries at St. Petersburg in 2010, whereas World Lion Day originated as a non-governmental awareness initiative.
3. Both observances were instituted by the International Big Cat Alliance, which was set up in 2023 to cover seven big cat species.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- World Lion Day is observed on 10 August, whereas International Tiger Day is observed on 29 July.
- International Tiger Day owes its origin to a declaration made by tiger range countries at St. Petersburg in 2010, whereas World Lion Day originated as a non-governmental awareness initiative.
- Both observances were instituted by the International Big Cat Alliance, which was set up in 2023 to cover seven big cat species.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 1 and 3 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q3. In recent taxonomic revisions, the Asiatic lion has been grouped together with the lions of western and central Africa under which one of the following subspecific names?
- A. Panthera leo leo, which under this arrangement also takes in the lion populations of northern and western Africa
- B. Panthera leo persica, the name under which the surviving Gir population has traditionally been described
- C. Panthera leo melanochaita, the name applied to the lion populations of southern and eastern Africa
- D. Panthera leo goojratensis, an older name proposed for the lions surviving in the Kathiawar peninsula
Q4. The dedicated Asiatic Lion Conservation Project sanctioned in December 2018 for the Gir landscape is financed through which one of the following Centrally Sponsored Schemes of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change?
- A. Development of Wildlife Habitat, with the cost shared between the Centre and the State in a 60:40 ratio
- B. Project Tiger, the centrally sponsored scheme administered through the National Tiger Conservation Authority
- C. Project Elephant, the centrally sponsored scheme covering elephant reserves across the elephant range states
- D. National Mission for a Green India, the centrally sponsored scheme for forest cover and ecosystem restoration
Q5. Project Tiger, India's first species-specific big cat conservation programme, was formally launched on 1 April 1973 at which one of the following reserves?
- A. Bandipur Tiger Reserve, Karnataka
- B. Corbett Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand
- C. Kanha Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh
- D. Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan
Q6. In official statements on Project Lion, the expression 'Lion @ 47: Vision for Amrutkal' refers to which one of the following?
- A. The objectives framework of the project, covering habitat security, community livelihoods and global expertise in big cat disease diagnostics
- B. A statutory recovery plan under the Wild Life (Protection) Act notifying 47 new conservation reserves across the Saurashtra region
- C. A translocation roadmap for establishing a second free-ranging lion population outside Gujarat within 47 years of Project Tiger
- D. A programme of the International Big Cat Alliance to restore lion populations in 47 former range countries of Asia and Africa
Q7. With reference to the Asiatic lion landscape as reported in 2025, consider the following pairings:
1. Barda Wildlife Sanctuary — a lion presence of 17 animals, comprising 6 adults and 11 cubs
2. Greater Gir landscape — free-ranging lions over roughly 35,000 sq km spread across 11 districts of Saurashtra
3. Gir Protected Area network — a total extent of about 2,927.71 sq km
4. National Referral Centre for wildlife healthcare — sanctioned at Devbhumi Dwarka
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- Barda Wildlife Sanctuary — a lion presence of 17 animals, comprising 6 adults and 11 cubs
- Greater Gir landscape — free-ranging lions over roughly 35,000 sq km spread across 11 districts of Saurashtra
- Gir Protected Area network — a total extent of about 2,927.71 sq km
- National Referral Centre for wildlife healthcare — sanctioned at Devbhumi Dwarka
- A. 1 and 2
- B. 2 and 3
- C. 1, 3 and 4
- D. 3 and 4
Q8. The 16th Lion Population Estimation, which reported an estimate of 891 lions in May 2025 against 674 in the previous cycle, was carried out by which one of the following?
- A. The National Tiger Conservation Authority, the statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
- B. The Wildlife Institute of India, the autonomous research institute at Dehradun under the same Ministry
- C. The Forest Department of the State of Gujarat, in whose territory the entire wild population occurs
- D. The Zoological Survey of India, the national organisation for faunal survey under the same Ministry
Q9. Consider the following statements regarding the observance of World Lion Day in Gujarat in 2025:
1. The principal event was hosted at Barda Wildlife Sanctuary in Devbhumi Dwarka district rather than in the Gir landscape of Junagadh district.
2. A wildlife conservation initiative worth Rs 180 crore was launched at the event, along with in-principle approval for a safari park of about 248 hectares at Barda.
3. Student participation, which had stood at 18.63 lakh in the previous year's observance, was extended in 2025 across the eleven districts through satellite-linked virtual connectivity.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The principal event was hosted at Barda Wildlife Sanctuary in Devbhumi Dwarka district rather than in the Gir landscape of Junagadh district.
- A wildlife conservation initiative worth Rs 180 crore was launched at the event, along with in-principle approval for a safari park of about 248 hectares at Barda.
- Student participation, which had stood at 18.63 lakh in the previous year's observance, was extended in 2025 across the eleven districts through satellite-linked virtual connectivity.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q10. The ten-year outlay of Rs 2,927.71 crore for Project Lion covering 2020-2030, highlighted during the 2025 observance, is administered under the aegis of which one of the following?
- A. The National Board for Wildlife, the apex advisory body constituted under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972
- B. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, in partnership with the Government of Gujarat
- C. The National Tiger Conservation Authority, the statutory authority for big cat reserves created in 2006
- D. The International Big Cat Alliance, the multi-country platform launched in 2023 for seven big cat species
Q11. The improper use of the State Emblem of India, which is adapted from the Lion Capital erected at Sarnath, is prohibited and regulated by which one of the following enactments?
- A. The Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950
- B. The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971
- C. The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958
- D. The State Emblem of India (Prohibition of Improper Use) Act, 2005
Q12. According to the Government of India, the Asiatic lion was moved from the 'Critically Endangered' category to the 'Endangered' category of the IUCN Red List in which year?
- A. 1996
- B. 2002
- C. 2008
- D. 2015