RAS question
Jim Corbett National Park, India's oldest national park, is in which state?
Correct answer: (C) Uttarakhand.
Jim Corbett National Park, India's oldest national park, is in Uttarakhand.
Explanation
Jim Corbett National Park is identified with Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand. The official Corbett Tiger Reserve page places it in Nainital district, Uttarakhand, and says it was originally established as Hailey National Park in 1936. This matches the question's clue: it is regarded as India's oldest, or first, national park. It later came under the Project Tiger initiative, which explains why the park is a standard environment and ecology fact in exam questions. So the state asked for here is not inferred from the name Jim Corbett; it comes from the park's official location in Uttarakhand.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Gujarat is wrong because Corbett Tiger Reserve is located in Nainital district of Uttarakhand, not in Gujarat.
- (B) Rajasthan is wrong because Corbett Tiger Reserve is in Uttarakhand, while the question asks for Jim Corbett National Park's state.
- (D) Assam is wrong because Jim Corbett National Park is located in Uttarakhand, with no basis for shifting this park to Assam.
Concept
This tests protected-area geography under Environment and Ecology: matching major national parks with their states and conservation significance. It recurs in RAS because firsts, Project Tiger sites, and flagship protected areas are compact, high-yield factual hooks.