UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — In culmination of 10 years of dedicated efforts, Union Environment Minister and CM (Rajasthan) initiate the process for release of captive-bred Great Indian Bustards into the Wild at Desert National Park, Jaislamer

Q1. With reference to the techniques used in India's Great Indian Bustard recovery programme, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. In the 'jumpstart' technique, eggs laid in captivity are placed in the nests of wild females, which incubate and hatch them, so that the chicks are raised in the wild.
  2. In a 'soft release', captive-bred birds are kept for a period in an enclosure at the release site before being set free, so that they can adjust to local conditions.
  3. Because the eggs used in 'jumpstart' come from captive birds, the technique is a purely ex-situ method of conservation.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q2. Which of the following measures in the Great Indian Bustard recovery effort are examples of in-situ conservation?

  1. Incubating eggs collected from wild nests at a conservation breeding centre
  2. Fencing off grassland enclosures within Desert National Park to restore breeding habitat
  3. Producing chicks through artificial insemination of captive females
  4. Undergrounding power lines that pass through the bird's priority habitat
  • A. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 4 only

Q3. Consider the following facts about the Great Indian Bustard: I. A female reaches breeding age at 3–4 years and lays a single egg in a breeding season. II. Collisions with overhead power lines are among the major threats to the bird. III. Of 97 birds in the captive programme, 86 are retained as breeding stock and 11 are earmarked for release, and the first release is described as a pilot. Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above?

  1. Captive breeding, if continued long enough, can by itself secure the species' recovery even if threats in the wild are not reduced.
  2. Deaths of adult birds in the wild cannot be quickly made good through natural reproduction.
  3. Keeping most captive birds as breeding stock allows the programme to keep supplying birds for release even if early releases suffer losses.
  • A. 3 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q4. With reference to the IUCN Red List and the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A species' IUCN Red List category is a scientific assessment of its extinction risk and does not by itself create legal obligations in India.
  2. A species can be placed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 only if the IUCN has assessed it as Endangered or Critically Endangered.
  3. After the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022, Schedule I continues to denote species given the highest degree of protection under the Act.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 1 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q5. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. The Great Indian Bustard is categorised as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
  2. The Great Indian Bustard is listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, which gives it the highest level of legal protection in India.
  • 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

Q6. Consider the following assertion: 'Conserving the Great Indian Bustard is an effective way of conserving the Thar grassland ecosystem as a whole.' Which of the following statements support the above assertion?

  1. The bird depends on large, contiguous tracts of open grassland rather than on small habitat patches.
  2. Fencing off grassland enclosures for the bird's breeding restores habitat that other grassland species also use.
  3. The bird is the State bird of Rajasthan and features in local folklore.
  4. The bird's major threats, such as conversion of grassland to farmland and overhead power lines, operate across the landscape rather than on the bird alone.
  • A. 1, 2, 3 and 4
  • B. 1, 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 2, 3 and 4 only

Q7. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. In 2024, the Supreme Court modified its 2021 order that had imposed a blanket restriction on overhead transmission lines over a large area of Rajasthan and Gujarat to protect the Great Indian Bustard.
  2. The Court reasoned that the right to be free from the adverse effects of climate change flows from Articles 14 and 21, and that an undergrounding-only mandate would hamper renewable energy needed for climate mitigation.
  • 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

Q8. With reference to environmental litigation of the kind seen in the Great Indian Bustard case, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. Under Article 32, the Supreme Court may be moved directly for the enforcement of fundamental rights, and it may entertain such a petition filed in the public interest.
  2. The fundamental duty under Article 51A(g) can be enforced against an individual citizen through a writ under Article 32 in the same way as a fundamental right.
  3. By keeping a writ petition pending and issuing successive directions, the Court can revise its earlier directions in light of expert committee findings.
  • A. 2 and 3 only
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 2 only
  • D. 1 and 2 only