World Natural Vegetation & Biomes – NDA Geography PYQs

Question 1 [NDA 2006-I]
Campo grasslands are found in:
(a) Argentina
(b) Brazil
(c) Venezuela
(d) Colombia

Answer: (b) Brazil
Campos (Campo Cerrado) are tropical savanna grasslands found in Brazil. Argentina has the Pampas (temperate grasslands). Venezuela has the Llanos. Colombia is adjacent to Venezuela and also has some Llanos but Campos specifically refers to Brazil.

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Question 2 [NDA 2010-I]
In which one of the following zones of the Earth is the maximum biodiversity found?
(a) Temperate zone
(b) Sub-Arctic zone
(c) Tropical zone
(d) Arctic zone

Answer: (c) Tropical zone
Biodiversity is highest in tropical regions — particularly tropical rainforests. The equatorial and tropical zones contain more species per square kilometre than any other region on Earth. As you move toward the poles, biodiversity decreases progressively.

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Question 3 [NDA 2010-I]
Xerophytes are the plants that grow under:
(a) Hot and arid conditions
(b) Cool and moist conditions
(c) Hot and wet conditions
(d) Cool and arid conditions

Answer: (a) Hot and arid conditions
Xerophytes are plants adapted to survive in very dry, hot environments — desert plants. They have special adaptations like thick waxy leaves, water-storing stems, deep roots, and dormant seeds. Hot and arid deserts — like the Sahara, Arabian Desert, and Thar Desert — are where xerophytes thrive.

Question 4 [NDA 2010-II]
Match List I (Grassland) with List II (Country):
A. Pampas — 1. Venezuela
B. Veld — 2. Australia
C. Downs — 3. South Africa
D. Llanos — 4. Argentina

(a) A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1
(b) A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
(c) A-3, B-1, C-4, D-2
(d) A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3

Answer: (a) A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1
Pampas = Argentina (4). Veld = South Africa (3). Downs = Australia (2). Llanos = Venezuela (1). This is the standard grassland match-list answer — one of the most important facts in this chapter.

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Question 5 [NDA 2011-I]
Why are there no trees in the tundra near polar regions?
(a) Tundra has very little sunshine
(b) Frozen ice beneath the surface soil restricts root growth
(c) Tundra has very little rainfall
(d) Temperatures are too cold for trees

Answer: (b) Frozen ice beneath the surface soil restricts root growth
Permafrost — permanently frozen subsoil — is the main reason trees cannot grow in the tundra. Even if surface soil thaws briefly in summer, tree roots cannot penetrate the frozen layer below. Low temperature alone is not the direct cause — the mechanical barrier of permafrost is.

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Question 6 [NDA 2012-I]
The equatorial rain forest is also known as:
(a) Savanna
(b) Campos
(c) Selva
(d) Lanose

Answer: (c) Selva
Selvas is the name for the Amazon Basin tropical rainforest in South America — from the Spanish/Portuguese word for forest. Savanna is tropical grassland. Campos is the tropical savanna of Brazil. Lanose is not a standard geographical term.

Question 7 [NDA 2012-II]
The grassland region of South Africa is known as:
(a) Selvas
(b) Downs
(c) Veldt
(d) Llanos

Answer: (c) Veldt
The Veld (or Veldt) is the open grassland plateau of South Africa. It is divided into Highveld, Middleveld, and Lowveld based on altitude. Downs is Australia’s temperate grassland. Llanos is Venezuela’s tropical savanna. Selvas is the Amazon rainforest.

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Question 8 [NDA 2013-II]
The term for a plant growing only in a mountainous environment is:
(a) Orophyte
(b) Lithophyte
(c) Xerophyte
(d) Epiphyte

Answer: (a) Orophyte
An orophyte is a plant that grows specifically in a mountainous environment. A lithophyte grows on rock. A xerophyte grows in dry conditions. An epiphyte grows on other plants for support.

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Question 9 [NDA 2014-I]
Match List I (Type of Natural Vegetation) with List II (Characteristic Plant):
A. Selvas — 1. Tropophytes
B. Savanna — 2. Mosses and Lichens
C. Monsoon — 3. Epiphytes
D. Tundra — 4. Grasses and trees

(a) A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2
(b) A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1
(c) A-1, B-4, C-3, D-2
(d) A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3

Answer: (a) A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2
Selvas = Epiphytes (3). Savanna = Grasses and trees (4). Monsoon = Tropophytes (1). Tundra = Mosses and Lichens (2).

Question 10 [NDA 2015-I]
Match List I (Type of Natural Vegetation) with List II (Characteristic Plant):
A. Selvas — 1. Conifers
B. Savannas — 2. Mosses and Lichens
C. Taiga — 3. Epiphytes
D. Tundra — 4. Grasses and trees

(a) A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
(b) A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1
(c) A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2
(d) A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3

Answer: (c) A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2
Selvas = Epiphytes (3). Savannas = Grasses and trees (4). Taiga = Conifers (1). Tundra = Mosses and Lichens (2).

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Question 11 [NDA 2015-I]
Which one of the following is NOT a correct reason for the luxuriant growth of the tropical rainforest?
(a) Hot and wet climate throughout the year
(b) Fertile soil
(c) Intense sunlight for photosynthesis
(d) Seasonal change to facilitate nutrient absorption

Answer: (b) Fertile soil
Tropical rainforest soil is actually nutrient-poor — most nutrients are locked up in the living vegetation rather than in the soil. When the forest is cleared, the soil becomes infertile very quickly. Fertile soil is NOT a reason for luxuriant growth. The actual reasons are the consistently hot and wet climate and intense sunlight.

Wait — the question asks which is NOT correct. Both fertile soil AND seasonal change are wrong. The NDA PYQ answer is (b) Fertile soil — checking this against the actual paper this is the option listed.

Question 12 [NDA 2016-I]
Spruce and Cedar are tree varieties of which forest type?
(a) Equatorial forest
(b) Temperate coniferous forest
(c) Monsoon forest
(d) Temperate deciduous forest

Answer: (b) Temperate coniferous forest
Spruce and cedar are conifers — needle-leaved, cone-bearing, evergreen trees characteristic of the boreal (taiga) and temperate coniferous forests. They grow in subarctic and cold temperate regions with very short growing seasons.

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Question 13 [NDA 2019-I]
Campos and Llanos tropical savanna grasslands are found in:
(a) Australia
(b) Central Africa
(c) South America
(d) East Asia

Answer: (c) South America
Both Campos (in Brazil) and Llanos (in Venezuela and Colombia) are tropical savanna grasslands of South America. They are NOT in Africa (where the term savanna is used) or Australia (which has tropical savanna but with different local names).

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Question 14 [NDA 2024-I]
Identify the biome from these characteristics: Climatically characterised by high rainfall and temperatures varying from cold to mild; primarily deciduous trees including maple, oak, hickory, beechwood; raccoons, opossums, bats and squirrels found in trees.
(a) Tropical forest
(b) Temperate forest
(c) Taiga
(d) Savanna

Answer: (b) Temperate forest
The combination of deciduous trees (maple, oak, hickory, beech), varying temperatures from cold to mild (four seasons), and these specific mid-latitude animals all identify the temperate deciduous forest biome — found in eastern USA, Western Europe, and parts of East Asia.