RAS question
The Desert Thorn Forest in Rajasthan is characterized by which vegetation?
Correct answer: (D) Khejri, Babool (Acacia), Ber, and cacti.
Rajasthan's Desert Thorn Forest is characterised by arid-adapted vegetation such as Khejri, Babool (Acacia), Ber and cacti.
Explanation
Desert Thorn Forest in Rajasthan corresponds to the tropical thorn forest of the state's arid and semi-arid western belt. The Rajasthan Forest Department describes these forests as occurring in western Rajasthan and lists species such as Prosopis cineraria, Acacia nilotica, Capparis aphylla and Zizyphus among their main vegetation. This vegetation matches the option built around Khejri, Babool, Ber and cacti: these are plants suited to dry conditions rather than moist, coastal or high-altitude environments. Kair, Thor and various cacti also belong to this arid vegetation group, reinforcing why the thorn-forest label points to drought-adapted shrubs and trees, not closed-canopy forest species.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Mangroves are coastal vegetation, whereas Rajasthan's tropical thorn forests are described for arid and semi-arid western Rajasthan.
- (B) Pine and Deodar are Himalayan species, not the Acacia, Prosopis, Capparis and Zizyphus vegetation listed for Rajasthan's thorn forests.
- (C) Sal and Teak belong to moist deciduous forest settings, while Rajasthan's thorn-forest vegetation is dry-region species such as Prosopis cineraria and Acacia nilotica.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan's natural vegetation, especially the link between arid climate and thorn-forest species. It recurs in RAS because western Rajasthan's desert ecology is a core state-geography theme.