Match the following pairs and identify the correct code:
Biosphere Reserve Area — State
1. Nokrek — a. Odisha
2. Manas — b. Meghalaya
3. Similipal — c. Andhra Pradesh
4. Seshachalam — d. Assam
Code:

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — A, b d a c (1-b, 2-d, 3-a, 4-c). Nokrek Biosphere Reserve lies in Meghalaya (Garo Hills); Manas Biosphere Reserve lies in Assam; Similipal Biosphere Reserve lies in Odisha; and Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve lies in Andhra Pradesh (the Tirupati/Chittoor hill forests, notified in 2010). Matching each reserve to its actual host state gives the code b-d-a-c.

Why the other options are wrong — (b) Correctly places Nokrek (b, Meghalaya) and Seshachalam (c, Andhra Pradesh), but swaps Manas and Similipal — assigning Manas to Odisha and Similipal to Assam, when it is the reverse (Manas is in Assam, Similipal in Odisha).  (c) Correctly places Nokrek (b, Meghalaya) and Manas (d, Assam), but swaps Similipal and Seshachalam — assigning Similipal to Andhra Pradesh and Seshachalam to Odisha, when it is the reverse (Similipal is in Odisha, Seshachalam in Andhra Pradesh).  (d) Correctly places Similipal (a, Odisha) and Seshachalam (c, Andhra Pradesh), but swaps Nokrek and Manas — assigning Nokrek to Assam and Manas to Meghalaya, when it is the reverse (Nokrek is in Meghalaya, Manas in Assam).

Concept: India's biosphere reserves are large, multi-zone conservation landscapes (core-buffer-transition) declared under the Man and Biosphere programme, each tied to a specific state. Four frequently tested ones are Nokrek (Meghalaya, Garo Hills), Manas (Assam), Similipal (Odisha) and Seshachalam (Andhra Pradesh, notified in 2010, covering the Tirupati hill forests).

State PCS 2023 Q58 — Environment & Ecology PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2023 Q58 — Environment & Ecology PYQ with Answer