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NEET Ecology and Environment MCQs with answers

340 questions on Ecology and Environment for NEET 2027, 2 of them from previous NEET papers. Below are 15 to try; tap a question to see its answer and explanation.

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15 sample questions

easyNEET 2022

1. Example of in-situ conservation:

  1. Zoo
  2. Botanical garden
  3. National park
  4. Seed bank
Show answer and explanation

Answer: (C) National park

In-situ=natural habitat: National parks, sanctuaries, biosphere reserves.

Quick tip: In-situ=in place=National park. Ex-situ=out of place=Zoo, seed bank.

NCERT Class 12, Chapter 15, page 268

mediumNEET 2023

2. Pyramid of energy is always:

  1. Inverted
  2. Upright
  3. Both
  4. Spindle-shaped
Show answer and explanation

Answer: (B) Upright

10% law: only 10% energy transferred upward. Always upright — thermodynamics.

Quick tip: Energy=ALWAYS upright (10% law). Biomass=usually upright. Number=any shape.

NCERT Class 12, Chapter 14, page 250

easy

3. In India, how many genetically different strains of rice and varieties of mango are estimated to exist?

  1. More than 10,000 strains of rice and 10,000 varieties of mango
  2. More than 1,000 strains of rice and 50,000 varieties of mango
  3. More than 20,000 strains of rice and 500 varieties of mango
  4. More than 50,000 strains of rice and 1,000 varieties of mango
Show answer and explanation

Answer: (D) More than 50,000 strains of rice and 1,000 varieties of mango

According to NCERT, India possesses high genetic diversity with more than 50,000 genetically different strains of rice and about 1,000 distinct varieties of mango.

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4. Species confined to a particular region and not found anywhere else are called:

  1. Alien species
  2. Keystone species
  3. Extinct species
  4. Endemic species
Show answer and explanation

Answer: (D) Endemic species

Endemism describes species confined to a region and not found anywhere else. A high degree of endemism is one of the criteria for a biodiversity hotspot.

NCERT Class 12

hard

5. In a terrestrial ecosystem, compared with an aquatic ecosystem:

  1. A much larger fraction of energy flows through the detritus food chain than through the grazing food chain
  2. The grazing food chain is the only conduit of energy flow
  3. No energy flows through the detritus food chain
  4. Energy flows only through decomposers
Show answer and explanation

Answer: (A) A much larger fraction of energy flows through the detritus food chain than through the grazing food chain

In aquatic ecosystems the GFC is the major conduit for energy flow; in terrestrial ecosystems a much larger fraction flows through the DFC.

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6. If all currently recognized biodiversity hotspots across the world are put together, they cover:

  1. Less than 2 percent of the earth's land area
  2. About 10 percent of the earth's land area
  3. Nearly 5 percent of the earth's land area
  4. Around 8.1 percent of the earth's land area
Show answer and explanation

Answer: (A) Less than 2 percent of the earth's land area

Although all the biodiversity hotspots together cover less than 2 percent of the earth's land area, the number of species they collectively harbour is extremely high. Strict protection could reduce the ongoing mass extinction rate by almost 30 percent.

easy

7. Which process of decomposition is carried out specifically by bacterial and fungal enzymes to degrade detritus into simpler inorganic substances?

  1. Catabolism
  2. Leaching
  3. Fragmentation
  4. Mineralisation
Show answer and explanation

Answer: (A) Catabolism

According to NCERT, catabolism is the step in decomposition where bacterial and fungal enzymes degrade detritus into simpler inorganic substances. Fragmentation is performed by detritivores, and leaching is a physical process of water-soluble nutrients sinking down.

hard

8. If 10,000 J of energy is available at the producer level, how much energy will be available to the secondary consumers according to the 10 per cent law?

  1. 10 J
  2. 1000 J
  3. 100 J
  4. 1 J
Show answer and explanation

Answer: (C) 100 J

Primary consumers get 10 per cent (1000 J) and secondary consumers get 10 per cent of that (100 J).

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9. The "rivet popper" hypothesis, explaining the importance of each species for ecosystem functioning, was proposed by:

  1. David Tilman
  2. Paul Ehrlich
  3. Robert May
  4. Alexander von Humboldt
Show answer and explanation

Answer: (B) Paul Ehrlich

Stanford ecologist Paul Ehrlich compared species to rivets in an aeroplane; losing a few may not matter, but losing key species or many rivets threatens the whole ecosystem.

NCERT Class 12

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10. When resources in the habitat are unlimited, a population grows exponentially. The graph of population against time is:

  1. Linear
  2. S-shaped (sigmoid)
  3. Bell-shaped
  4. J-shaped
Show answer and explanation

Answer: (D) J-shaped

Exponential growth (dN/dt = rN) gives a J-shaped curve; logistic growth under limited resources gives a sigmoid curve.

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11. Under unfavourable conditions, many zooplankton species in lakes and ponds enter a stage of suspended development called:

  1. Migration
  2. Diapause
  3. Hibernation
  4. Aestivation
Show answer and explanation

Answer: (B) Diapause

Bears hibernate in winter and some snails and fish aestivate in summer. Many zooplankton species in lakes and ponds enter diapause, a stage of suspended development.

NCERT Class 12

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12. In a population of 20, there were 6 births and 1 deaths in a year (no migration). The per-capita growth rate r (per individual per year) is:

  1. 0.35
  2. 5
  3. 0.3
  4. 0.25
Show answer and explanation

Answer: (D) 0.25

r = (births − deaths)/N = (6 − 1)/20 = 0.25.

hard

13. Assertion (A): Tropics harbour more species than temperate regions. Reason (R): Temperate regions were subjected to frequent glaciations in the past, whereas tropical latitudes remained relatively undisturbed for millions of years. Choose the correct option.

  1. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
  2. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
  3. A is true but R is false
  4. A is false but R is true
Show answer and explanation

Answer: (A) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A

Undisturbed tropics had a long evolutionary time for species diversification, which is one explanation of the latitudinal gradient.

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14. Which of the following curves represents an age pyramid where the percentage of pre-reproductive individuals is less than the reproductive individuals, leading to negative population growth?

  1. Triangular age pyramid
  2. Urn-shaped age pyramid
  3. Bell-shaped age pyramid
  4. Spindle-shaped age pyramid
Show answer and explanation

Answer: (B) Urn-shaped age pyramid

An urn-shaped age pyramid indicates a declining population where the proportion of pre-reproductive individuals is less than that of the reproductive age group.

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15. Which of the following organisms can occupy more than one trophic level in the same ecosystem at the same time?

  1. Sparrow
  2. Zooplankton
  3. Phytoplankton
  4. Rabbit
Show answer and explanation

Answer: (A) Sparrow

A sparrow is a primary consumer when it feeds on seeds, fruits, and peas, but acts as a secondary consumer when it feeds on insects and worms. Thus, it occupies more than one trophic level simultaneously.

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