Ans: C

Exp:

The concept of Biosphere Reserves (BR) was launched in 1975 as a part of UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere Programme, dealing with the conservation of ecosystems and the genetic material they contain. A Biosphere Reserve consists of core, buffer and transition zones.

• The core zone is a fully protected and natural area of the Biosphere Reserve least disturbed by human activities. It is a legally protected ecosystem in which entry is not allowed except with permission for some special purpose. Destructive sampling for scientific investigations is prohibited in this zone. 
• The buffer zone surrounds the core zone and is managed to accommodate a greater variety of resource use strategies and research and educational activities. Research and educational activities are to be encouraged in this zone.
• The transition zone, the outermost part of the Biosphere Reserve, is an area of active cooperation between the reserve management and the local people, wherein activities like settlements, cropping, forestry, recreation and other economics are in harmony with the conservation goals are allowed.

Ans: D

Exp:

Conservation efforts can be grouped into the following two categories:

• In-situ (on-site) conservation includes protecting plants and animals within their natural habitats or in protected areas. Protected areas are land or sea dedicated to protecting and maintaining biodiversity. Examples of In-Situ are  National parks, Wildlife sanctuaries, Biosphere reserves, Sacred grooves, Natural reserves, Free-ranging landscapes, etc.
• Ex-situ (off-site)  conservation includes the protection of plants and animals outside their natural habitats. Ex-situ conservation is the chief mode for the preservation of genetic resources, which may include both cultivated and wild materials. These include botanical gardens, zoos, gene banks, seek banks, in vitro storage methods, pollen banks, DNA banks, tissue culture and Cryopreservation.

Ans: C

Exp 

A large number of Congressmen led by Gandhi believed that a mass phase of movement (struggle phase) had to be followed by a phase of reprieve (truce phase) before the next stage of mass struggle could be taken up. The truce period, it was argued, would enable the masses to recoup their strength to fight and also give the government a chance to respond to the demands of the nationalists. The masses could not go on sacrificing indefinitely. If the government did not respond positively, the movement could be resumed again with the participation of the masses. This was the struggle  truce- struggle or S-T-S strategy

Ans: A

Exp 

Statement 1 is correct: The Government of India Act was passed by the British Parliament in August 1935.It was an outcome amidst the struggle of 1932, the Third RTC was held in November, again without Congress participation. The discussions led to the formulation of the Act of 1935.

Statement 2 is incorrect:   The Government of India Act 1935 aims for an All India Federation. It was to comprise all British Indian provinces, all chief commissioner’s provinces, and the Indian states (princely states). 

The federation’s formation was conditional on the fulfillment of: 

• states with an allotment of 52 seats in the proposed Council of States should agree to join the federation; and 
• the aggregate population of states in the above category should be 50 percent of the total population of all Indian states.

Since these conditions were not fulfilled, the proposed federation never came up. The central government carried on up to 1946 as per the provisions of Government of India Act, 1919.

Ans : D

Exp 

The Government of India Act, 1935, was a significant piece of legislation in colonial India, it introduced a significant shift in the governance of India. One of the key changes it brought about was the replacement of the dyarchy system with provincial autonomy.

• Provinces were granted autonomy and a separate legal identity.
• Provinces were freed from “the superintendence and direction” of the secretary of state and governor-general.
• Provinces henceforth derived their legal authority directly from the British Crown.
• Provinces were given independent financial powers and resources. Provincial governments could borrow money on their own security.