Species Status, IUCN and Endemism MCQs

Statement 1 is correct: Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam protects the species, whose global category is Endangered. But statement 2 is also correct, so selecting only the sanctuary fact is incomplete.

Brachiation in statement 2 is right, but statement 3 gives the wrong body form. Gibbons’ relatively light bodies and elongated arms suit suspensory canopy travel; a gorilla-like heavy build is not their defining adaptation.

The sole selected statement is the false one. Gibbons and gorillas are both apes, but shared group membership does not mean they have the same body proportions or locomotor specialisation.

The foxtail orchid is an epiphyte: it grows on other plants, commonly tree trunks, for physical support. Statement 1 is therefore true, but selecting it alone misses its recognition as the state flower of both Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

Statement 3 is correct, but statement 2 confuses regional prominence with endemism. A species is endemic only when naturally restricted to a particular area; this orchid occurs across a much wider Asian range. Statement 1 should be included instead.

Its state-flower status is correctly identified, but statement 1 is also true. Epiphytic growth describes its habitat strategy, while the separate claim that it occurs naturally only in North-east India is false.

The Gooty tarantula is an arachnid (not a crustacean) and is not omnivorous in the conventional sense. It is primarily insectivorous.

Statement 1 is incorrect because a tarantula is an arachnid, not a crustacean. Statement 3 is correct as it lives in tree hollows.

Statement 2 alone is insufficient. Statement 3 is also correct since the Gooty tarantula is arboreal, living in holes of tall trees in its restricted forest habitat.

Sambar Deer can be active at dusk but is not classified as nocturnal. The Lion-tailed Macaque is strictly diurnal. Only the Malabar Civet is nocturnal.

The Lion-tailed Macaque is a diurnal primate active during daylight hours. It is not nocturnal.

The Malabar Civet is a well-documented nocturnal species, so at least one of the three is nocturnal.

Cockroaches are scavengers and detritivores. They do not cultivate fungi.

Crabs are omnivorous scavengers or predators. No crab species is known to cultivate fungi.

Spiders are predatory arachnids that trap or hunt prey. They have no known fungus-farming behaviour.

Marmots do not roll up for defence. They rely on burrowing and alarm calls to escape predators.

Marmots are burrowing rodents that flee into burrows; they do not curl up into a ball.

Pangolins do roll into a tight ball, but hedgehogs also curl up, exposing their spines to deter predators. Both 1 and 3 are correct.

Prosopis juliflora is not commercially used in cosmetics. It is mainly discussed for its ecological impact as an invasive species.

There is no significant use of Prosopis juliflora extract in pesticide synthesis. Its notoriety stems from its invasive nature.

Option (b) correctly describes why the species is frequently in the news, so 'none of the above' is incorrect.

Red Sanders grows in dry deciduous forests of the Eastern Ghats, not tropical rain forests. Statement 2 is wrong.

Statement 1 is correct but statement 2 is wrong. Red Sanders is associated with dry, rocky, hilly terrain, not rain forests.

Statement 1 is correct as Red Sanders is indeed found in parts of South India, specifically the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh.

The Anaimalai Forests in the Western Ghats are rich in biodiversity but this particular banana species was found in the Andaman Islands.

The Maikala Hills in central India are not associated with this banana discovery.

While northeast India is a centre of banana diversity, this specific orange-pulped species was discovered in the Andaman Islands.

Neem seeds are not conventionally used for manufacturing biofuels or hospital detergents. Statement 2 is incorrect.

Statement 1 is also correct. Azadirachtin from neem is a well-known biopesticide effective against over 200 insect species and mites.

Statement 2 is not accurate. While neem has many uses, its seeds are not a standard source for biofuels or hospital detergents.

Swamp deer (Barasingha) is also classified as Vulnerable by IUCN, which qualifies as a threatened/endangered species. All three are endangered.

The Gharial is Critically Endangered and the Leatherback turtle is Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Both are threatened in addition to the Swamp deer.

All three species face significant conservation threats and are listed under threatened categories by the IUCN.

Blue Bull (Nilgai) is classified as Least Concern by IUCN, so this group does not entirely consist of endangered species.

Rhesus Monkey is classified as Least Concern, making this group incorrect as a set of endangered species.

Both Blue Bull and Hanuman Langur are Least Concern, and Cheetal (Spotted Deer) is also Least Concern. This group does not qualify.