MCQ
Environmental Issues MCQ - Practice Questions with Answers
Solve 138 Environmental Issues questions for RAS/RPSC preparation.
Practice questions
Q1Consider the following statements: 1. Garbage patches are areas of increased concentration of marine debris formed from rotating ocean currents called gyres. 2. Debris within garbage patches is primarily microplastics smaller than 5 millimetres. 3. Garbage patches are islands of trash on which people can walk. 4. Because much of the debris is small and constantly moving, it is possible to sail through a garbage patch without realizing it. Which of the statements given above are correct?
Statements 1, 2 and 4 are correct. NOAA describes garbage patches as debris concentrations associated with gyres, dominated by microplastics, and sometimes not obvious even to a vessel passing through. Statement 3 is false: they are not walkable islands of trash.
Q2The Great London Smog of December 1952 was primarily caused by which combination of factors?
The Great Smog of London (5–9 December 1952) killed approximately 4,000 people immediately (estimates reach 12,000 total) and injured 100,000+. Cold weather led to widespread coal burning; the resulting SO₂, soot, and smoke were trapped near the ground by a temperature inversion (warm air aloft preventing cold surface air from rising). This catastrophe directly led to the UK Clean Air Act 1956.
Q3Goa became the second state after which state to publish a comprehensive bird atlas?
Goa published the 'Bird Atlas of Goa' on February 9, 2026, becoming the second state after Kerala to have a comprehensive bird atlas. The atlas documents over 470 bird species and involved over 300 citizen scientists.
Q4Consider the following statements: 1. Carbon footprint means the total greenhouse gases produced by human activities, expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent. 2. Carbon sequestration involves capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide in forests, soil or geological formations. 3. Carbon neutrality is broader than net zero because it covers all greenhouse gases across all sectors, while net zero balances only carbon dioxide. 4. Oceans are the largest active carbon reservoir, holding about 38,000 gigatonnes of carbon. Which of the statements given above are correct?
Statements 1, 2 and 4 are correct. Statement 3 reverses the concepts: the broader all-GHG, all-sector balance is net zero emissions, while carbon neutrality is framed around balancing carbon dioxide emissions through removal or offsetting.
Q5Consider the following statements: 1. The Montreal Protocol was signed in 1987. 2. The Montreal Protocol phases out both production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances. 3. The Montreal Protocol was designed mainly to regulate greenhouse gases responsible for climate change. Which of the statements given above are correct?
Statements 1 and 2 are correct: the Montreal Protocol was signed in 1987 and phases out ozone-depleting substances across production and consumption. Statement 3 is incorrect: the Protocol targets ozone-depleting substances, not greenhouse gases as its main object.
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6Consider the following statements: 1. Circular economy contrasts with the linear take-make-dispose model. 2. Circular economy aims to keep resources in use at their highest value for as long as possible. 3. Extended Producer Responsibility is a policy tool associated with circular economy. Which of the statements given above are correct?
7Arrange the following events related to soil and land degradation in chronological order: 1. United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) 2. Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) adopted at COP12 of UNCCD 3. 1992 Rio Earth Summit where desertification was first recognized at global level 4. Bonn Challenge (voluntary target for forest landscape restoration)
8The Montreal Protocol (1987) was primarily designed to phase out substances responsible for which environmental problem?
9Which of the following statements about deforestation and biodiversity loss are CORRECT? 1. Tropical rainforests, which cover about 6% of Earth's land surface, are home to more than 50% of the world species. 2. The Amazon rainforest is called the Lungs of the Earth due to its significant oxygen production. 3. Habitat destruction is the leading cause of biodiversity loss globally. 4. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was established at the 2015 Paris Climate Summit.
10Consider the following statements: 1. Eutrophication is driven mainly by excess nitrogen and phosphorus entering water bodies from fertilizers, sewage and detergents. 2. Decomposition of algal blooms can consume oxygen and create hypoxic dead zones. 3. Most conventional plastics fully degrade in marine environments within 10 years. 4. Plastics can break into microplastics and nanoplastics that persist and enter the food chain. Which of the statements given above are correct?
11Consider the following statements: 1. The IUCN Red List has 9 categories. 2. Critically Endangered indicates an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. 3. Extinct in the Wild is a less severe threat category than Critically Endangered. Which of the statements given above are correct?
12Which of the following correctly matches the environmental treaty with its year of adoption?
13Consider the following statements: 1. Ocean acidification occurs when the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide. 2. Ocean acidification increases carbonate ion availability for shell-building organisms. 3. More absorbed carbon dioxide can lower ocean pH. Which of the statements given above are correct?
14Match List-I (Environmental Issue) with List-II (Associated Gas/Substance): List-I: A. Global Warming B. Ozone Depletion C. Acid Rain D. Ocean Acidification List-II: 1. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) 2. Carbon dioxide (CO2) absorbed by seawater 3. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) and Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) 4. Carbon dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), Nitrous Oxide (N2O) Choose the correct answer:
15Which of the following correctly describes the 'Circular Economy' concept?