UPPSC 2020 Prelims Q62: Match List – I with List – II and select the correct answer — Answer & Explanation | UnlockIAS

Q: What is the answer to UPPSC 2020 Prelims Q62?

A. Correct — A, i.e. A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1. Indravati National Park is in Chhattisgarh (4), near Dantewada; Mollem (Bhagwan Mahaveer) National Park is in Goa (3); Kalesar National Park is in Haryana (2), in the Shivalik foothills of Yamunanagar district; and 'Betva' here is Betla National Park in Jharkhand (1), in Latehar district as part of the Palamau Tiger Reserve. That gives A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1 = option (a). (Note: List-I item D is printed as 'Betva'; the park intended is Betla National Park, Jharkhand — 'Betwa' is a river, not a national park.)

UPPSC 2020 Prelims GS Paper-I · Question 62 of 150

Verified against the official question paper. Answer as per the official UPPSC answer key.

Match List – I with List – II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists : List – I (National Parks) A. Indravati B. Mollem C. Kalesar D. Betva List – II (States) 1. Jharkhand 2. Haryana 3. Goa 4. Chhattisgarh Codes :

(a)A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1
(b)A-4, B-2, C-3, D-1
(c)A-4, B-1, C-3, D-2
(d)A-3, B-4, C-2, D-1

Answer

Why

Correct — A, i.e. A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1. Indravati National Park is in Chhattisgarh (4), near Dantewada; Mollem (Bhagwan Mahaveer) National Park is in Goa (3); Kalesar National Park is in Haryana (2), in the Shivalik foothills of Yamunanagar district; and 'Betva' here is Betla National Park in Jharkhand (1), in Latehar district as part of the Palamau Tiger Reserve. That gives A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1 = option (a). (Note: List-I item D is printed as 'Betva'; the park intended is Betla National Park, Jharkhand — 'Betwa' is a river, not a national park.)

Why the others are wrong

(b)A-4, B-2, C-3, D-1 — Swaps B and C — it puts Mollem in Haryana and Kalesar in Goa. In fact Mollem is in Goa (3) and Kalesar is in Haryana (2).
(c)A-4, B-1, C-3, D-2 — Mis-assigns Mollem to Jharkhand, Kalesar to Goa and Betla to Haryana. Mollem is in Goa, Kalesar in Haryana and Betla in Jharkhand.
(d)A-3, B-4, C-2, D-1 — Puts Indravati in Goa and Mollem in Chhattisgarh. Indravati NP is in Chhattisgarh (4), not Goa; only A-4 is correct.

Concept

This tests the state-wise placement of four national parks. Indravati NP (Chhattisgarh) is known for wild Asiatic water buffalo and tigers; Mollem/Bhagwan Mahaveer NP is Goa's largest protected area in the Western Ghats; Kalesar NP (Haryana) sits in the Shivalik foothills bordering Himachal and Uttarakhand; Betla NP (Jharkhand) is part of the Palamau Tiger Reserve — one of India's first nine tiger reserves under Project Tiger (1973).

Match-list questions are best solved by anchoring the ones you are sure of and eliminating. A-4 (Indravati-Chhattisgarh) is common to options a, b and c, so the decision hinges on Mollem (Goa) and Kalesar (Haryana). Fixing Mollem→Goa (3) and Kalesar→Haryana (2) immediately isolates option (a).

Key facts

Indravati National Park — Chhattisgarh (near Dantewada; wild buffalo, tiger)
Mollem (Bhagwan Mahaveer) National Park — Goa (Western Ghats)
Kalesar National Park — Haryana (Shivalik foothills, Yamunanagar district)
Betla National Park — Jharkhand (Latehar district; part of Palamau Tiger Reserve)

A dark wild water buffalo (Bubalus arnee) with wide sweeping horns walking across a stony riverbank beside tall grassland — flagship species of Indravati National Park, Chhattisgarh — item A in the match, correctly paired with Chhattisgarh (4)Image: Warren Garst / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Study next

National parks and their states (frequently asked match-list area)Project Tiger and the tiger reserves (Palamau, Indravati)Western Ghats protected areas (Mollem/Bhagwan Mahaveer, Bhagwan Mahaveer WLS)Shivalik-belt parks (Kalesar, Simbalbara, Rajaji)Difference between National Park, Wildlife Sanctuary, Tiger Reserve and Biosphere Reserve

Common traps

Confusing 'Betva' with the Betwa river — the intended park is Betla NP, Jharkhand
Mixing up Mollem (Goa) and Kalesar (Haryana), the two options that decide the answer

UPPSC and UPSC both love national-park ↔ state (or ↔ nearby town / river) match-list questions — build a mental map of each park's state and its flagship species.

Related PYQs

UPSC_2005_GS1_Q122005Open & attempt →

Match List-I (National Park/Wild-life Sanctuary) with List-II (State): A. Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary B. Kangerghat National Park C. Orang Sanctuary D. Ushakothi Wildlife Sanctuary; 1. Orissa 2. Assam 3. Chhattisgarh 4. Goa 5. Tripura.

(a) A-2 B-4 C-5 D-1
(b) A-4 B-3 C-2 D-1
(c) A-2 B-3 C-5 D-4
(d) A-4 B-1 C-2 D-3

Answer(b) A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1

Same concept and even the same code (A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1) — matching national parks/sanctuaries to their states.

UPSC_2004_GS1_Q652004Open & attempt →

Match List I (National Park/Sanctuary) with List II (State): A. Kanger Ghati National Park B. Nagerhole National Park C. Kugti Wildlife Sanctuary D. Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary; 1. Chhattisgarh 2. Haryana 3. Himachal Pradesh 4. Karnataka.

(a) 3 2 1 4
(b) 1 4 3 2
(c) 3 4 1 2
(d) 1 2 3 4

Answer(b) 1 4 3 2

Same concept — national park ↔ state match-list; note Kanger Ghati (Chhattisgarh) and Sultanpur (Haryana) overlap the states in the UPPSC set.

Practice

practice — not a real PYQ
Betla National Park, part of the Palamau Tiger Reserve, is located in which state?
- (a)Chhattisgarh
- (b)Odisha
- (c)Jharkhand
- (d)West Bengal
Answer(c) Jharkhand — Betla NP lies in Latehar district and forms part of the Palamau Tiger Reserve.
practice — not a real PYQ
Indravati National Park, known for the wild water buffalo, is in which state?
- (a)Madhya Pradesh
- (b)Chhattisgarh
- (c)Maharashtra
- (d)Telangana
Answer(b) Chhattisgarh — Indravati NP is near Dantewada and is famed for the wild Asiatic water buffalo and tigers.