Consider the following statements with reference to Uttar Pradesh – 1. Forests constitute about 12.8% of the total geographical area of the state. 2. The districts of Jaunpur, Ghazipur and Ballia have no forest land. Select the correct answer from the code given below:
- (a)Neither 1 nor 2
- (b)Both 1 and 2
- (c)Only 2
- (d)Only 1
As per the official UPPSC key, both statements are treated as correct, so the answer is B (Both 1 and 2). Statement 2 is the more clearly verifiable half — Jaunpur, Ghazipur and Ballia are intensively cultivated districts of the eastern Ganga plain (Purvanchal), alluvial tracts recorded as having virtually no forest land. Statement 1 is the figure the commission's source uses for the state's forest area (about 12.8% of the geographical area). Note the caution below: the Forest Survey of India's actual forest COVER for UP is much lower (around 6-9% depending on the report year), so '12.8%' reflects a different (recorded/notified-forest or state-textbook) measure rather than FSI's satellite-based cover — but the key marks statement 1 correct.
- (a)Neither 1 nor 2 — The key accepts both statements, so rejecting both is wrong.
- (c)Only 2 — Understates it — the key also treats statement 1 (the forest-area percentage) as correct.
- (d)Only 1 — Understates it — the key also treats statement 2 (the three forest-less eastern-plain districts) as correct.
Uttar Pradesh is overwhelmingly an agricultural, alluvial state: the vast Ganga plain is fully cultivated, so recorded forest is concentrated in the Terai/Bhabar belt (Dudhwa, Pilibhit, Sohagi Barwa) and the Vindhyan/Bundelkhand south (Sonbhadra, Mirzapur). Two very different numbers circulate for 'how much forest': the Forest Survey of India's satellite-measured forest COVER (a low single-digit percentage for UP) and the larger recorded/notified forest AREA used in some state texts. This question relies on the latter framing.
Two-statement questions are answered statement-by-statement. Statement 2 anchors the answer: the densely farmed Purvanchal districts (Jaunpur, Ghazipur, Ballia) plausibly carry no recorded forest, which a UP-focused aspirant can accept. Statement 1's exact percentage is the softer claim — treat the '12.8%' as the commission's stated figure rather than an FSI cover value, and defer to the official key, which marks both correct.
- UP's forest is concentrated in the northern Terai (Dudhwa, Pilibhit) and the southern Vindhyan/Bundelkhand belt (Sonbhadra, Mirzapur); the central Ganga plain is nearly forest-free.
- Jaunpur, Ghazipur and Ballia are eastern Ganga-plain (Purvanchal) districts recorded with effectively no forest land — consistent with intense cultivation.
- CAUTION — the '12.8% of geographical area' figure is the value used by UPPSC's source; the Forest Survey of India's satellite forest COVER for UP is markedly lower (~6-9%), reflecting a different definition.
- UP's total geographical area is about 2.41 lakh sq km, so small percentage differences translate into large area differences.
- Mixing up 'forest cover' (FSI satellite estimate) with 'recorded/notified forest area' — they give different percentages.
- Assuming a large state like UP must be heavily forested; its plains are overwhelmingly agricultural.
- Over-trusting a specific percentage in state-level questions when sources disagree — lean on the statement's overall thrust and the key.
UPPSC leans on UP-specific static facts — forest share, forest-less districts, protected areas — often as two-statement 'both/neither' codes; know the state's physiography, not just national data.
Consider the following States: 1. Chhattisgarh 2. Madhya Pradesh 3. Maharashtra 4. Odisha. With reference to the States mentioned above, in terms of percentage of forest cover to the total area of State, which one of the following is the correct ascending order?
- (a) 2-3-1-4
- (b) 2-3-4-1
- (c) 3-2-4-1
- (d) 3-2-1-4
Answer(c) 3-2-4-1 — Maharashtra < Madhya Pradesh < Odisha < Chhattisgarh by forest cover as a share of state area.
Same concept — forest cover measured as a percentage of a state's total geographical area, exactly what statement 1 asserts for Uttar Pradesh.
- practice — not a real PYQ
In Uttar Pradesh, the largest and densest tracts of forest are found in which regions?
- (a)The central Ganga plain
- (b)The northern Terai belt and the southern Vindhyan/Bundelkhand region
- (c)The Doab between the Ganga and Yamuna
- (d)The western plains around Agra and Mathura
Answer(b) The northern Terai belt (e.g., Dudhwa) and the southern Vindhyan/Bundelkhand region — the Ganga plain is nearly forest-free.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which agency prepares the biennial India State of Forest Report that measures forest cover?
- (a)Forest Survey of India
- (b)National Remote Sensing Centre
- (c)Botanical Survey of India
- (d)Wildlife Institute of India
Answer(a) Forest Survey of India (Dehradun) — it publishes the India State of Forest Report.