RAS question
Prairies are the temperate grasslands of:
Correct answer: (D) North America.
Prairies are the temperate grasslands of North America, especially associated with the Great Plains of the United States and Canada.
Explanation
Prairies are North America's temperate grasslands. Britannica describes these temperate grasslands, or prairies, as forming a belt between forest and desert, mainly on the Great Plains. That directly supports North America as the answer. The exam explanation adds the usual RAS framing: the prairies of the USA and Canada are vast grasslands, and their extensive wheat cultivation is why they are commonly remembered as the "Granary of the World". The key is not just the word grassland, but the regional name: in world geography, the same broad biome has different continental names, and "prairie" is the North American label.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) South America is linked with the Pampas, not Prairies, in the standard continental naming of temperate grasslands.
- (B) Australia is associated with the Downs, so it does not match the North American prairie belt described by Britannica.
- (C) Europe, especially its eastern parts, is associated with Steppes rather than the Prairies of North America.
Concept
This tests the world geography concept of temperate grasslands and their regional names. It recurs in RAS because such questions check precise map-linked terminology rather than a generic definition of grassland.