Unit 1 — MCQ Practice Bank: 25 questions based on the official MGSU syllabus and PYQ analysis. Tap Show Answer to check yourself. 🔥 = high priority, ⭐ = important.
Q1. The word "environment" is derived from the French word "environ", which means — Expected 🔥
- Nature
- Surrounding
- Earth
- Life
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Answer: B — "Environ" literally means "surrounding": environment is everything surrounding a living organism.
Q2. Which of the following is an abiotic component of the environment? Expected
- Bacteria
- Trees
- Fish
- Sunlight
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Answer: D — Abiotic means non-living physical and chemical factors: sunlight, air, water, soil and temperature.
Q3. Which of the following is a biotic component of the environment? Expected
- Microorganisms
- Minerals
- Temperature
- Rainfall
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Answer: A — Biotic means all living organisms: plants, animals, microorganisms and human beings.
Q4. Soil, water, air and temperature together constitute the — PYQ 2023 🔥
- Biotic environment
- Social environment
- Physical environment
- Cultural environment
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Answer: C — All four are non-living (abiotic) factors, so together they form the physical environment.
Q5. The part of the Earth where living organisms exist is called the — PYQ 2023 🔥
- Biosphere
- Lithosphere
- Hydrosphere
- Atmosphere
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Answer: A — "Bio" means life; the biosphere is the zone where life exists — the only sphere with life.
Q6. The atmosphere contains approximately — Expected ⭐
- 78% oxygen and 21% nitrogen
- 50% nitrogen and 50% oxygen
- 21% nitrogen and 78% carbon dioxide
- 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen
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Answer: D — Nitrogen dominates at about 78% and oxygen is about 21%; do not swap the two in the options.
Q7. About 97% of Earth's water is — PYQ 2022 ⭐
- Freshwater in rivers
- Ocean (saline) water
- Locked in glaciers
- Groundwater
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Answer: B — Only about 3% is freshwater; the vast majority is saline ocean water.
Q8. The lithosphere is best described as — Expected
- The blanket of air around Earth
- All water on Earth
- Earth's crust and upper mantle
- The zone where life exists
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Answer: C — "Litho" means stone or land; the lithosphere is the source of soil and minerals.
Q9. The biosphere extends from — Expected
- Only the land surface
- Only the oceans
- The Earth's core to the Moon
- Ocean depths to about 10 km up in the air
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Answer: D — Life exists from deep oceans to about 10 km in the atmosphere; that whole range is the biosphere.
Q10. Environmental Studies is called "multidisciplinary" because it — PYQ 2021 ⭐
- Draws knowledge from many subjects
- Is taught in many colleges
- Has many examinations
- Has many chapters
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Answer: A — No single subject explains the environment fully; EVS borrows concepts from biology, chemistry, physics, geography, economics, sociology and law.
Q11. In EVS, biology and ecology mainly contribute the understanding of — Expected
- Chemical reactions in soil
- How living things interact — food chains and ecosystems
- Energy and radiation
- Cost of pollution
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Answer: B — Biology explains living interactions: food chains, food webs and ecosystems.
Q12. The study of pollutants and chemical reactions in air, water and soil comes to EVS from — Expected
- Physics
- Economics
- Chemistry
- Sociology
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Answer: C — Chemistry contributes knowledge of pollutants and their reactions in air, water and soil.
Q13. EVS borrows the concepts of energy, radiation and noise pollution from — Expected
- Biology
- Geography
- Law
- Physics
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Answer: D — Physics deals with energy, radiation and sound; hence the study of noise pollution and radiation.
Q14. Landforms, climate, minerals and natural resources are studied in EVS with help from — Expected
- Geography and geology
- Economics
- Sociology
- Literature
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Answer: A — Geography and geology contribute landforms, climate, minerals and resource distribution.
Q15. The cost of pollution and the idea of sustainable development come to EVS from — Expected ⭐
- Sociology
- Economics
- Physics
- Biology
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Answer: B — Economics evaluates the cost of pollution and frames sustainable development in economic terms.
Q16. How communities use resources, and environmental movements, are studied in EVS through — Expected
- Chemistry
- Physics
- Mathematics
- Sociology
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Answer: D — Sociology studies human communities: their resource-use patterns and environmental movements.
Q17. Environmental laws, acts and policies are the contribution of — Expected
- Law and policy studies
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Geography
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Answer: A — Law and policy give EVS its legal framework: environmental acts and regulations.
Q18. Which of the following is NOT one of the disciplines EVS draws from? Expected
- Biology
- Economics
- Astrology
- Sociology
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Answer: C — Astrology has no scientific role in environmental study; the rest are core EVS disciplines.
Q19. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is conducted — PYQ Dec 2024 ⭐
- After a project is completed
- Before starting big projects
- Only for school buildings
- Every ten years for cities
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Answer: B — EIA predicts a project's environmental effects in advance; it is a pre-project policy tool.
Q20. In industry, EVS is applied mainly for — Expected
- Increasing production speed
- Advertising products
- Hiring workers
- Pollution control, waste management and green technologies
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Answer: D — Industry uses EVS for pollution control, waste management and adopting green technologies.
Q21. Most environmental damage (littering, wasting water) happens mainly due to — PYQ 2022 🔥
- Lack of awareness
- Bad intentions of people
- Strict laws
- Too much rainfall
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Answer: A — Damage comes from lack of awareness, not bad intention; hence the need for public awareness.
Q22. Environmental education has been made compulsory at all levels in India on the direction of the — PYQ 2021 🔥
- Parliament
- UGC
- Supreme Court of India
- State governments
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Answer: C — The Hon'ble Supreme Court directed that environmental education be compulsory at all levels.
Q23. The Chipko Movement (1973) is cited in this unit as an example of — PYQ 2023 ⭐
- A government scheme
- What aware communities can achieve
- Industrial growth
- A new law
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Answer: B — Chipko shows people's participation: aware communities protecting their own environment.
Q24. Which statement is correct? Expected
- Environment and ecology mean exactly the same
- Environment is a branch of ecology
- Ecology means surrounding
- Ecology is the study of interactions between organisms and environment
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Answer: D — Environment means surroundings; ecology is the scientific study of interactions within it. Do not confuse the two.
Q25. Which pair is correctly matched? Expected
- Hydrosphere — zone of life
- Biosphere — all water on Earth
- Hydrosphere — all water on Earth
- Atmosphere — Earth's crust
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Answer: C — Hydrosphere is all water, biosphere is the zone of life, atmosphere is the air blanket, lithosphere is the crust.
