Environment MCQs for UPSC Prelims — May 2026

Question 1

The stipulation that coal-based thermal power plants located beyond 500 km from the pit-head must be supplied coal with ash content not exceeding 34% (on a quarterly average) is a requirement laid down by which one of the following?

Accepted Answer

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

Answer

Ministry of Coal

Answer

Ministry of Power

Answer

Central Pollution Control Board only

Question 2

With reference to the global conservation status of amphibians as reported in the Second Global Amphibian Assessment, consider the following statements:
1. Amphibians are the most threatened class of vertebrates.
2. Roughly 41% of amphibian species are assessed as being at risk of extinction.
3. Habitat loss and climate change are among the leading drivers of amphibian decline.
4. Amphibians are the least threatened vertebrate group globally.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

1, 2 and 3 only

Answer

1 and 4 only

Answer

2 and 4 only

Answer

1, 2, 3 and 4

Question 3

In the Zoological Survey of India's annual 'Animal Discoveries' report, the expression 'species new to science' refers to which one of the following?

Accepted Answer

A species formally described and named for the first time, not previously known to science anywhere

Answer

A species recorded within India for the first time but already known to occur elsewhere in the world

Answer

A species found only inside a legally notified protected area

Answer

A species that is endemic exclusively to a single Indian state

Question 4

Which Union ministry serves as the nodal ministry for biodiversity conservation and administers the scientific body that documents new faunal species from the Indo-Burma hotspot region?

Accepted Answer

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

Answer

Ministry of Science and Technology

Answer

Ministry of Earth Sciences

Answer

Ministry of Tribal Affairs

Question 5

With reference to the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), consider the following statements:
1. It was established on 1 July 1916.
2. Its headquarters is located at Kolkata.
3. It operates through 16 regional centres across the country.
4. It is an attached office of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

1, 2 and 3 only

Answer

1 and 4 only

Answer

2, 3 and 4 only

Answer

1, 2, 3 and 4

Question 6

The Zoological Survey of India, established in 1916, functions as the country's premier institution for which one of the following?

Accepted Answer

Survey, exploration and documentation of India's faunal (animal) resources

Answer

Survey and documentation of India's plant (floral) resources

Answer

Mapping of India's forest cover and forest resources

Answer

Survey of India's geological and mineral resources

Question 7

The field survey in Kiphire district that led to the recording of the new cascade frog was carried out by which one of the following organisations?

Accepted Answer

Zoological Survey of India

Answer

Botanical Survey of India

Answer

Wildlife Institute of India

Answer

National Centre for Biological Sciences

Question 8

As per the description of Amolops kamal, how many species of the genus Amolops have so far been reported from India?

Accepted Answer

20

Answer

90

Answer

8

Answer

45

Question 9

In cascade frogs of the genus Amolops (to which the newly described Amolops kamal belongs), which one of the following is the principal larval adaptation that enables the tadpoles to survive in fast-flowing hill streams?

Accepted Answer

A large ventral (abdominal) sucker used to cling to rocks

Answer

A pair of parotoid poison glands behind the eyes

Answer

An inflatable vocal sac for underwater calling

Answer

Fully webbed forelimbs used as paddles

Question 10

The 2025 analysis reporting that 35 of 36 Indian States/UTs are witnessing rising night-time temperatures is attributed to which organisation?

Accepted Answer

Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW)

Answer

India Meteorological Department (IMD)

Answer

NITI Aayog

Answer

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)

Question 11

Consider the following institutions named as collaborators in the Voluntary Certification Scheme for Incentivization of ABS (VCS-I-ABS):
1. National Biodiversity Authority
2. Quality Council of India
3. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India
4. World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) India
Which of the above is/are NOT correctly identified as a collaborating institution of the scheme?

Accepted Answer

4 only

Answer

1 and 2

Answer

3 and 4

Answer

2 only

Question 12

The world's first dedicated Voluntary Certification Scheme for Incentivization of Access and Benefit Sharing (VCS-I-ABS) has been launched under which one of the following legislations?

Accepted Answer

The Biological Diversity Act, 2002

Answer

The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986

Answer

The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972

Answer

The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980

Question 13

Under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, which is the single apex authority whose prior approval is required before intellectual property rights based on Indian biological resources are granted?

Accepted Answer

The National Biodiversity Authority

Answer

The State Biodiversity Board

Answer

The Biodiversity Management Committee

Answer

The Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks

Question 14

Under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, prior approval of the National Biodiversity Authority is mandatory for a foreign national, a non-resident Indian, or a body corporate not registered in India before obtaining Indian biological resources, under which section?

Accepted Answer

Section 3

Answer

Section 6

Answer

Section 8

Answer

Section 41

Question 15

With reference to the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol, consider the following statements:
1. The Nagoya Protocol was adopted in 2010 and entered into force in 2014.
2. The Convention on Biological Diversity was opened for signature at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
3. India signed the Nagoya Protocol in 2011 and ratified it in 2012.
4. The Nagoya Protocol is a supplementary agreement to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

Accepted Answer

4 only

Answer

1 and 2 only

Answer

3 only

Answer

2 and 4 only

Question 16

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has three core objectives. The Nagoya Protocol on ABS is designed primarily to give effect to how many of these objectives?

Accepted Answer

One

Answer

Two

Answer

Three

Answer

None; it is independent of the CBD's objectives

Question 17

The Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanism that realised Rs. 21.26 crore in FY 2025–26 is operationalised solely by which one of the following?

Accepted Answer

The National Biodiversity Authority, under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

Answer

The Botanical Survey of India, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare

Answer

The National Medicinal Plants Board, under the Ministry of AYUSH

Answer

The Central Pollution Control Board, under the Ministry of Jal Shakti

Question 18

In the context of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, the term 'Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS)' most precisely refers to which one of the following?

Accepted Answer

Fair and equitable sharing of the monetary and non-monetary benefits arising from the access and utilisation of biological resources and associated traditional knowledge

Answer

Sharing of net revenue from forest produce between the Centre and the States under the Finance Commission's devolution formula

Answer

Distribution of carbon-credit proceeds among communities living in and around notified biodiversity heritage sites

Answer

Cross-subsidy transferred from commercial users of forests to fund afforestation under the compensatory afforestation fund

Question 19

With reference to the institutional architecture under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, consider the following statements:
1. The National Biodiversity Authority operates at the national level, while State Biodiversity Boards are constituted at the state level under Section 22.
2. Biodiversity Management Committees are constituted by every local body (panchayat or municipality) under Section 41.
3. The National Biodiversity Authority is headquartered in New Delhi.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

1 and 2 only

Answer

2 and 3 only

Answer

1 and 3 only

Answer

1, 2 and 3

Question 20

The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) is constituted as a statutory body exclusively under which one of the following provisions of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002?

Accepted Answer

Section 8

Answer

Section 3

Answer

Section 22

Answer

Section 41

Question 21

With reference to India's Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS) in comparison with other major carbon markets, consider the following statements:
1. The CCTS was notified under the Ministry of Power, with the Bureau of Energy Efficiency as its administrator.
2. The CCTS Compliance Mechanism sets rate-based greenhouse-gas emission-intensity targets rather than absolute emission caps.
3. India's carbon market covers a larger absolute volume of emissions than the national systems of China, the EU and the Republic of Korea.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

1 and 2 only

Answer

2 and 3 only

Answer

1 and 3 only

Answer

1, 2 and 3

Question 22

As part of the 'Panchamrit' commitments announced at COP26, India's flagship long-term climate pledge is to achieve net-zero emissions by which one of the following years?

Accepted Answer

2070

Answer

2060

Answer

2050

Answer

2047

Question 23

As highlighted in reporting on China's green transition, fossil fuels account for over what share of China's greenhouse-gas emissions, making the energy sector central to its transition?

Accepted Answer

Over 90%

Answer

Over 60%

Answer

Over 45%

Answer

Over 75%

Question 24

In the context of China's dual carbon goals, the term 'carbon neutrality' (targeted before 2060) is best defined as which one of the following?

Accepted Answer

A state in which a country's anthropogenic greenhouse-gas emissions are balanced by an equivalent quantity of removals

Answer

The complete elimination of all greenhouse-gas emissions from every sector

Answer

A total ban on imports and use of fossil fuels within the economy

Answer

The freezing of national emissions at their peak level indefinitely

Question 25

China's national Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), including its 2025 expansion to heavy industry, is administered by which one of the following bodies?

Accepted Answer

The Ministry of Ecology and Environment

Answer

The National Development and Reform Commission

Answer

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology

Answer

The National Energy Administration

Question 26

With reference to China's national Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and its recent expansion, consider the following statements:
1. When it was launched in 2021, the ETS initially covered only the power sector.
2. In 2025 the ETS was expanded to bring steel, cement and aluminium smelting under its coverage.
3. The 2025 expansion was the first major sectoral broadening of the scheme since its launch.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

1, 2 and 3

Answer

1 and 2 only

Answer

2 and 3 only

Answer

1 and 3 only

Question 27

The WMO Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update is compiled from contributions of several Global Producing Centres. Which one of the following is NOT correctly identified as one of the four Global Producing Centres contributing to the update?

Accepted Answer

4 only

Answer

1 only

Answer

3 only

Answer

2 and 4

Question 28

Which one of the following mechanisms is identified as the principal driver of Arctic amplification?

Accepted Answer

Surface ice-albedo feedback

Answer

Cloud feedback

Answer

Lapse-rate feedback

Answer

Planck feedback

Question 29

Reflecting the phenomenon of Arctic amplification, by approximately how many times the global average rate has the Arctic been warming since 1979, according to recent scientific assessments?

Accepted Answer

Nearly four times

Answer

About 1.5 times

Answer

About twice

Answer

About seven times

Question 30

According to the WMO Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update 2026–2030, what is the probability that at least one individual year during 2026–2030 will temporarily exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels?

Accepted Answer

91%

Answer

75%

Answer

86%

Answer

100%

Environment MCQs for UPSC Prelims — May 2026

Q1. The stipulation that coal-based thermal power plants located beyond 500 km from the pit-head must be supplied coal with ash content not exceeding 34% (on a quarterly average) is a requirement laid down by which one of the following?

Q3. In the Zoological Survey of India's annual 'Animal Discoveries' report, the expression 'species new to science' refers to which one of the following?

Q4. Which Union ministry serves as the nodal ministry for biodiversity conservation and administers the scientific body that documents new faunal species from the Indo-Burma hotspot region?

Q6. The Zoological Survey of India, established in 1916, functions as the country's premier institution for which one of the following?

Q7. The field survey in Kiphire district that led to the recording of the new cascade frog was carried out by which one of the following organisations?

Q8. As per the description of Amolops kamal, how many species of the genus Amolops have so far been reported from India?

Q9. In cascade frogs of the genus Amolops (to which the newly described Amolops kamal belongs), which one of the following is the principal larval adaptation that enables the tadpoles to survive in fast-flowing hill streams?

Q10. The 2025 analysis reporting that 35 of 36 Indian States/UTs are witnessing rising night-time temperatures is attributed to which organisation?

Q12. The world's first dedicated Voluntary Certification Scheme for Incentivization of Access and Benefit Sharing (VCS-I-ABS) has been launched under which one of the following legislations?

Q13. Under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, which is the single apex authority whose prior approval is required before intellectual property rights based on Indian biological resources are granted?

Q14. Under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, prior approval of the National Biodiversity Authority is mandatory for a foreign national, a non-resident Indian, or a body corporate not registered in India before obtaining Indian biological resources, under which section?

Q16. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has three core objectives. The Nagoya Protocol on ABS is designed primarily to give effect to how many of these objectives?

Q17. The Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanism that realised Rs. 21.26 crore in FY 2025–26 is operationalised solely by which one of the following?

Q18. In the context of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, the term 'Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS)' most precisely refers to which one of the following?

Q20. The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) is constituted as a statutory body exclusively under which one of the following provisions of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002?

Q22. As part of the 'Panchamrit' commitments announced at COP26, India's flagship long-term climate pledge is to achieve net-zero emissions by which one of the following years?

Q23. As highlighted in reporting on China's green transition, fossil fuels account for over what share of China's greenhouse-gas emissions, making the energy sector central to its transition?

Q24. In the context of China's dual carbon goals, the term 'carbon neutrality' (targeted before 2060) is best defined as which one of the following?

Q25. China's national Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), including its 2025 expansion to heavy industry, is administered by which one of the following bodies?

Q27. The WMO Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update is compiled from contributions of several Global Producing Centres. Which one of the following is NOT correctly identified as one of the four Global Producing Centres contributing to the update?

Q28. Which one of the following mechanisms is identified as the principal driver of Arctic amplification?

Q29. Reflecting the phenomenon of Arctic amplification, by approximately how many times the global average rate has the Arctic been warming since 1979, according to recent scientific assessments?

Q30. According to the WMO Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update 2026–2030, what is the probability that at least one individual year during 2026–2030 will temporarily exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels?