Natural Vegetation, Forests & Wildlife – NDA Geography PYQs

Question 1 [NDA 2006-I]
In India, in which one of the following areas are tropical evergreen forests found?
(a) The Western Ghats
(b) The Eastern Ghats
(c) The Western Himalayas
(d) The Central Himalayas

Answer: (a) The Western Ghats
Tropical evergreen forests need more than 200 cm of rainfall per year. The Western Ghats receive very heavy rainfall from the Southwest Monsoon — making them ideal for tropical evergreen forests. The Eastern Ghats are much drier. The Himalayas have montane forests, not tropical evergreen forests.

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Question 2 [NDA 2007-I]
Which one of the following national parks is located near Chamoli?
(a) Dudhwa National Park
(b) Great Himalayan Park
(c) Jim Corbett National Park
(d) Nanda Devi National Park

Answer: (d) Nanda Devi National Park
Nanda Devi National Park is located in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. It surrounds the Nanda Devi peak — the highest peak entirely within India. Jim Corbett is in Nainital/Pauri districts. Dudhwa is in Lakhimpur Kheri, UP. Great Himalayan Park is in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh.

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Question 3 [NDA 2008-II]
Which one of the following types of forest covers the maximum area in India?
(a) Tropical rain forest
(b) Tropical moist deciduous forest
(c) Tropical dry deciduous forest
(d) Tropical dry evergreen forest

Answer: (c) Tropical dry deciduous forest
Tropical dry deciduous forests cover the maximum area in India. They grow in areas with 50–100 cm of rainfall — which describes a large belt across the Deccan Plateau and central India. Moist deciduous forests cover the second largest area. Tropical rain forests cover only a small area along the Western Ghats and northeastern states.

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Question 4 [NDA 2009-II]
What is the sequential order of types observed while moving from Assam Valley to Rajasthan Plains?
(a) Tropical Wet Evergreen → Moist Deciduous → Dry Deciduous → Thorn Forest
(b) Tropical Thorn → Dry Deciduous → Moist Deciduous → Wet Evergreen
(c) Tropical Moist Deciduous → Wet Evergreen → Dry Deciduous → Thorn Forest
(d) Tropical Dry Deciduous → Thorn → Moist Deciduous → Wet Evergreen

Answer: (a) Tropical Wet Evergreen → Moist Deciduous → Dry Deciduous → Thorn Forest
Moving from Assam (very wet) westward to Rajasthan (very dry), rainfall decreases. As rainfall decreases, vegetation changes from wet evergreen → moist deciduous → dry deciduous → thorn forest. This sequence follows the gradient of decreasing rainfall.

Question 5 [NDA 2010-I]
Match List I (Type of vegetation) with List II (State):
A. Mangrove — B. Scrub — C. Teak — D. Coniferous

1. Madhya Pradesh 2. Karnataka 3. Rajasthan 4. Arunachal Pradesh

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

Answer: (d) A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1
Mangrove = Karnataka (coastal mangroves on western coast) — (4). Scrub = Rajasthan (dry, arid scrub) — (3). Teak = Madhya Pradesh — wait, the answer key says A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1, which maps: Mangrove=Arunachal (4), Scrub=Rajasthan (3), Teak=Karnataka (2), Coniferous=MP (1). This seems unusual. Follow the PYQ answer: (d) A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1.

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Question 6 [NDA 2011-I]
Consider the following statements:

1. The Himalayan vegetation varies according to both altitude and climatic conditions.
2. There are mainly two types of tropical forests in the Himalayas — tropical rainforests and tropical deciduous forests.

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (a) 1 only
Statement 1 is correct — Himalayan vegetation does vary with both altitude and climate. Statement 2 is wrong — the Himalayas do not have just two types of tropical forests. The Himalayas have a range of forests from subtropical at lower altitudes to alpine at high altitudes, including temperate and coniferous forests in between. It is too simplistic to say only tropical rainforests and tropical deciduous forests.

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Question 7 [NDA 2012-I]
Arrange the following tropical forest groups in the correct order of area covered in India (largest first):

1. Moist deciduous
2. Dry deciduous
3. Wet evergreen
4. Semi-evergreen

(a) 1-2-3-4
(b) 2-1-4-3
(c) 1-3-2-4
(d) 4-3-2-1

Answer: (b) 2-1-4-3
Dry deciduous (2) covers the most area. Then Moist deciduous (1). Then Semi-evergreen (4). Then Wet evergreen (3) covers the least area of these four types.

Question 8 [NDA 2012-II]
The Nokrek Biosphere Reserve is located in:
(a) Arunachal Pradesh
(b) Assam
(c) Sikkim
(d) Meghalaya

Answer: (d) Meghalaya
Nokrek Biosphere Reserve is in Meghalaya — in the Garo Hills. It is a UNESCO World Network Biosphere Reserve. It is not in Arunachal Pradesh (which has Dehang-Dibang), not in Assam (which has Manas), and not in Sikkim (which has Khangchendzonga).

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Question 9 [NDA 2015-I]
Which one of the following Indian states has the highest proportion of area under forest cover?
(a) Madhya Pradesh
(b) Sikkim
(c) Meghalaya
(d) Mizoram

Answer: (d) Mizoram
Mizoram has the highest percentage of its geographical area under forest cover among Indian states. More than 85% of Mizoram is covered by forests. Madhya Pradesh has the largest total forest area but a lower percentage of its land under forest.

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Question 10 [NDA 2015-II]
Match List I (Place) with List II (Normal Vegetation Type):
A. Western Ghats — B. Himachal Pradesh — C. Haryana and Punjab — D. Chota Nagpur Plateau

1. Tropical Moist Deciduous 2. Tropical Evergreen 3. Himalayan Moist Forest 4. Tropical Thorny Forest

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

Answer: (a) A-2, B-3, C-4, D-1
Western Ghats = Tropical Evergreen (2). Himachal Pradesh = Himalayan Moist Forest (3). Haryana and Punjab = Tropical Thorny Forest (4). Chota Nagpur Plateau = Tropical Moist Deciduous (1).

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Question 11 [NDA 2016-II]
Arrange the following states in decreasing order of total area under forest cover:

1. Jharkhand 2. Chhattisgarh 3. Arunachal Pradesh 4. Madhya Pradesh

(a) 4-3-2-1
(b) 4-2-3-1
(c) 3-4-1-2
(d) 2-1-3-4

Answer: (a) 4-3-2-1
Madhya Pradesh (4) has the largest total forest area in India. Then Arunachal Pradesh (3). Then Chhattisgarh (2). Then Jharkhand (1). So the order is: MP → Arunachal → Chhattisgarh → Jharkhand.

Question 12 [NDA 2017-I]
Which one among the following is the correct order of tiger reserves from North to South?
(a) Corbett-Simlipal-Sariska-Periyar
(b) Periyar-Sariska-Simlipal-Corbett
(c) Corbett-Sariska-Simlipal-Periyar
(d) Periyar-Simlipal-Sariska-Corbett

Answer: (c) Corbett-Sariska-Simlipal-Periyar
From north to south: Corbett (Uttarakhand, far north) → Sariska (Rajasthan, northwest) → Simlipal (Odisha, east-central) → Periyar (Kerala, extreme south).

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Question 13 [NDA 2017-II]
Which of the following states in India has the largest area under forest cover?
(a) Maharashtra
(b) Chhattisgarh
(c) Madhya Pradesh
(d) Andhra Pradesh

Answer: (c) Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh has the largest total forest area in India — about 77,000 sq km. It is followed by Arunachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh are not in the top three.

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Question 14 [NDA 2017-II]
Which is the largest tiger reserve in India by core area?
(a) Manas
(b) Pakke
(c) Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam
(d) Periyar

Answer: (c) Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam
Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana has the largest core/critical tiger habitat area in India. It covers parts of the Krishna River gorge and the surrounding forest areas.

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Question 15 [NDA 2018-II]
Consider the following wildlife sanctuaries: Shikari Devi (1), Bhadra (2), Simlipal (3), Pachmarhi (4).
Which is the correct order from south to north?
(a) 1-2-3-4
(b) 2-4-3-1
(c) 2-3-4-1
(d) 3-1-2-4

Answer: (c) 2-3-4-1
From south to north: Bhadra (2) in Karnataka (southernmost) → Simlipal (3) in Odisha → Pachmarhi (4) in Madhya Pradesh → Shikari Devi (1) in Himachal Pradesh (northernmost).

Question 16 [NDA 2021-I]
The natural vegetation which covers the maximum geographical area of India is:
(a) Tropical deciduous forests
(b) Tropical thorn forests
(c) Montane forests
(d) Tropical evergreen forests

Answer: (a) Tropical deciduous forests
Tropical deciduous forests (both moist and dry combined) cover the maximum geographical area in India. They are found across a large belt — from the Himalayan foothills through central India and down to the peninsula.

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Question 17 [NDA 2023-I]
Which of the following tree species is/are found on the Himalayas?

1. Oak 2. Rhododendron 3. Rosewood

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) 1 and 2

Answer: (d) 1 and 2
Oak and Rhododendron are both found in the Himalayan forests — in the temperate zone between 2,000 and 3,500 metres. Rosewood is a tree of the tropical evergreen forests of the Western Ghats and is NOT found in the Himalayas.