ASKiIMAN™
NEXUS / 2024 / GS1
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UPSC 2024: Nexus 21—30

Coevolutionary Mutualisms, Synthetic Gum Polymers, Felid Ethology & Endemic Floras. [Set A]

Question 21

Entomology & Biodiversity

The organisms "Cicada, Froghopper and Pond skater" are:

  • (a) Birds
  • (b) Fish
  • (c) Insects
  • (d) Reptiles

Official Verdict: (c) Insects

The Core Concept: All three organisms belong to the class Insecta (specifically within the order Hemiptera, the "true bugs"). Cicadas are acoustic hemipterans known for their prominent eyes, subterranean nymphal stages, and high-decibel mating calls. Froghoppers (spittlebugs) are small phytophagous jumping insects capable of massive vertical leaps. Pond skaters (water striders, family Gerridae) are true bugs that exploit the surface tension of water to walk and skate on freshwater pools.

Tethered to: REALM 128: Viruses, Prokaryotes, Eukaryotes

Pond Skater (Gerridae) Cicada Froghopper Order Hemiptera • Class Insecta
CHEWING GUM Synthetic Plastic Gum Base Polyisobutylene / Polyvinyl Acetate Non-Biodegradable Microplastic Litter

Question 22

Polymer Waste & Urban Pollution

Consider the following statements:

Statement-I:

Many chewing gums found in the market are considered a source of environmental pollution.

Statement-II:

Many chewing gums contain plastic as gum base.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Official Verdict: (a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I

The Core Concept: Historically, chewing gum was manufactured using natural tree sap (chicle). Modern commercial chewing gums, however, have almost entirely replaced chicle with synthetic petroleum-derived elastomeric polymers—principally polyethylene, polyisobutylene (butyl rubber), and polyvinyl acetate (PVA)—to form the chewy "gum base" (Statement-II is true). Because these polymers are non-biodegradable synthetic plastics, discarded gums persist indefinitely in pavements, storm drains, and aquatic ecosystems, breaking down into microplastics (Statement-I is true, and Statement-II directly explains it).

Tethered to: REALM 147: Plastic Waste

Question 23

Biogeographical Endemism

Consider the following pairs: Country : Animal found in its natural habitat

  • 1. Brazil: Indri
  • 2. Indonesia: Elk
  • 3. Madagascar: Bonobo

How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

Official Verdict: (d) None

The Core Concept: All three pairs are completely mismatched: 1. The Indri (Indri indri) is the largest living lemur, native and endemic exclusively to the eastern rainforests of Madagascar, not Brazil. 2. The Elk (Wapiti, Cervus canadensis) is a temperate ungulate native to the boreal and temperate forests of North America and Northern/Central Eurasia, not tropical Indonesia. 3. The Bonobo (Pan paniscus, pygmy chimpanzee) is an endangered great ape endemic exclusively to the lowland rainforests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Congo Basin, Africa), not Madagascar. Zero pairs match.

Tethered to: REALM 67: Endemic Species

HABITAT VERIFICATION 1. Indri • Brazil ❌ → Madagascar 2. Elk • Indonesia ❌ → N. America / Eurasia 3. Bonobo • Madagascar ❌ → DR Congo (Africa) Correct Pairs = NONE (d)
WTO World Toilet Organization Summit • World Toilet Day • College ✅ 1. UN Agency (Global NGO founded 2001) ❌ 3. Funding / Grant Granting Agency ❌ Advocacy & Capacity Building

Question 24

Global Sanitation Institutions

Consider the following statements regarding World Toilet Organization:

  1. It is one of the agencies of the United Nations.
  2. World Toilet Summit, World Toilet Day and World Toilet College are the initiatives of this organization, to inspire action to tackle the global sanitation crisis.
  3. The main focus of its function is to grant funds to the least developed countries and developing countries to achieve the end of open defecation.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Official Verdict: (a) 2 only

The Core Concept: Statement 1 is false: The World Toilet Organization (WTO) was founded in 2001 in Singapore by Jack Sim as a global non-governmental non-profit organization (NGO); it is not an agency of the United Nations (though the UN later officially adopted its November 19 'World Toilet Day' resolution in 2013). Statement 2 is true: The WTO pioneered the World Toilet Summit, established World Toilet Day, and set up the World Toilet College (2005) to train sanitation workers. Statement 3 is false: WTO is not a financial donor or multilateral funding agency; its mission is advocacy, public hygiene education, and market-based sanitation advocacy.

Tethered to: REALM 99: WASH

Question 25

Felid Biology & Ethology

Consider the following statements:

  1. Lions do not have a particular breeding season.
  2. Unlike most other big cats, cheetahs do not roar.
  3. Unlike male lions, male leopards do not proclaim their territory by scent marking.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

Official Verdict: (a) 1 and 2 only

The Core Concept: Statement 1 is true: Lions are non-seasonal polyestrous breeders; mating occurs throughout the year regardless of season. Statement 2 is true: Panthera big cats (lions, tigers, jaguars, leopards) possess an incompletely ossified, elastic hyoid apparatus and a specialized vocal fold that enables them to roar; Cheetahs belong to genus Acinonyx (subfamily Felinae), which has a rigid, fully ossified hyoid bone that allows purring, churring, and high-pitched chirping, but prevents roaring. Statement 3 is false: Male leopards are solitary territorial stalkers who aggressively proclaim territory through scent marking (spraying urine on trunk bases, claw rakes, and facial gland rubbing), exactly like male lions.

Tethered to: REALM 108: Flagship & Umbrella Species Conservation

LION Year-Round (1) ✅ CHEETAH No Roar • Purr (2) ✅ Male Leopards DO Scent Mark (3 False) ❌ Felid Vocalization & Territory

Question 26

Global Regenerative Agriculture

Which one of the following is the correct description of "100 Million Farmers"?

  • (a) It is a platform for accelerating the transition towards food and water systems that are net-zero (carbon), nature-positive and that aims to increase farmer resilience.
  • (b) It is an international alliance and a network of individuals and farming organisations interested in supporting and strengthening the development of the organic animal husbandry.
  • (c) It is a digital platform fully integrated with service providers and built on blockchain...
  • (d) It is a platform with the mission of encouraging the farmers to form Farmer Product Organisations...

Official Verdict: (a)

The Core Concept: Launched under the aegis of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in partnership with global agricultural coalitions, the "100 Million Farmers" initiative is a multistakeholder platform designed to support and transition 100 million farmers by 2030 toward regenerative agriculture. The initiative focuses on scaling food and water systems that are net-zero carbon, restore biodiversity (nature-positive), and bolster smallholder climate resilience and economic livelihoods.

Tethered to: REALM 320: Climate-Smart Agriculture

100 MILLION FARMERS Net-Zero • Nature-Positive World Economic Forum Platform
Local Grid Battery Biomass Fuel Cell Solar PV All 4 Qualify as DERs (d)

Question 27

Electrical Grid Modernization

Consider the following:

  1. Battery storage
  2. Biomass generators
  3. Fuel cells
  4. Rooftop solar photovoltaic units

How many of the above are considered "Distributed Energy Resources"?

Official Verdict: (d) All four

The Core Concept: Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) are decentralized, small- or medium-scale electricity generation or storage technologies directly connected to the local low- or medium-voltage distribution grid (or located behind-the-meter at consumer premises). Unlike centralized thermal mega-plants, DERs include battery energy storage systems (BESS), distributed biomass generators, stationary hydrogen fuel cells, and residential/commercial rooftop solar PV installations. All four qualify as DERs.

Tethered to: REALM 260: Renewable Energy Infra

Question 28

Evolutionary Mutualism

Which one of the following shows a unique relationship with an insect that has coevolved with it and that is the only insect that can pollinate this tree?

  • (a) Fig
  • (b) Mahua
  • (c) Sandalwood
  • (d) Silk cotton

Official Verdict: (a) Fig

The Core Concept: The relationship between Fig trees (genus Ficus) and fig wasps (family Agaonidae) is one of evolutionary biology's most celebrated examples of obligate mutualism and tight coevolution. A fig is an enclosed inflorescence (syconium) with flowers completely hidden inside. Specialized female fig wasps enter through a microscopic opening (ostiole) to lay eggs and disperse pollen; each fig species is pollinated exclusively by its own coevolved species of fig wasp.

Tethered to: REALM 138: Natural Selection & Adaptation

Internal Florets FIG • FIG WASP Obligate Coevolutionary Mutualism
Butterfly Monarch (Cardenolides) Fish Puffer (Tetrodotoxin) Frog Dart Frog (Batrachotoxin) ☠ All 3 Possess Poisonous Species

Question 29

Chemical Ecology & Toxins

Consider the following:

  1. Butterflies
  2. Fish
  3. Frogs

How many of the above have poisonous species among them?

Official Verdict: (c) All three

The Core Concept: All three animal groups contain renowned toxic species: 1. Butterflies: Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) ingest cardiac glycosides (cardenolides) as caterpillars from milkweed plants, making adults poisonous to predators; the African Giant Swallowtail is similarly intensely toxic. 2. Fish: Pufferfish (Tetraodontidae) harbor deadly tetrodotoxin in their internal organs, hundreds of times more toxic than cyanide. 3. Frogs: Poison dart frogs (family Dendrobatidae) secrete batrachotoxins through their skin glands, utilized historically by indigenous hunters for poison darts. All three groups feature poisonous species.

Tethered to: REALM 138: Natural Selection & Adaptation

Question 30

Phytogeography & Endemism

Consider the following:

  1. Cashew
  2. Papaya
  3. Red sanders

How many of the above trees are actually native to India?

Official Verdict: (a) Only one

The Core Concept: Cashew (Anacardium occidentale) is native to northeastern Brazil and the tropical Americas; it was introduced to the Konkan/Goa coast of India by Portuguese mariners in the 16th century to control coastal erosion. Papaya (Carica papaya) is indigenous to tropical Mesoamerica (Central America/Mexico) and was likewise introduced to India via early colonial Portuguese/Spanish maritime routes. Red Sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus), famed for its precious crimson heartwood, is strictly endemic and native to India, restricted naturally to the Seshachalam hills and southern Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh. Only one tree is native to India.

Tethered to: REALM 67: Endemic Species

BOTANICAL NATIVITY 1. Cashew Brazil / Tropical America ❌ 2. Papaya Mesoamerica / Mexico ❌ 3. Red Sanders Eastern Ghats (India) ✅ Only One Tree Native (a)