CBSE Test Paper-03

Chapter 14 Environment Sustainable Development

1. _____is the cost of next best alternative sacrificed in order to take benefit of one given
opportunity. (1)

a. Opportunity cost
b. Absorptive capacity
c. Assimilation capacity
d. Carrying capacity

2. Ozone layer prevents most harmful wavelengths of ______ light from passing through
the earth’s atmosphere. (1)

a. Gama violet
b. Beta violet
c. None
d. Ultraviolet

3. "Sustainable development that meets the need of the present generation without
compromising the ability of the future generation to meet their own needs." This
definition given by (1)

a. None
b. UNCED
c. Edward Barbier
d. Brundtland Commission

4. Which of the following factor not responsible for land degradation. (1)

a. Improper crop rotation

5. Name animals/birds which help in bio pest control. (1)

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 6. Name two diseases caused by air pollution, water pollution and noise pollution each.
(1)

7. Why water has become an economic commodity? (1)

8. What is meant by environment? (1)

9. Explain natural resources. (3)

10. ‘Sustainable development is a paradigm shift in development thinking’. Comment. (3)

11. What is global warming? How does it affect us? (4)

12. Mention four important causes of environmental degradation. (4)

13. How are environment and economy interdependent? (4)

14. How does air pollution contribute to the environmental crisis in India? (6)

15. What measures were adopted by India for environment conservation? (6)

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 CBSE Test Paper-03
Chapter 14 Environment Sustainable Development

Answers

1. a. Opportunity cost
Explanation: Opportunity cost is the cost of forgone alternative assuming we
selected it's best alternative use.

2. d. Ultraviolet
Explanation: The ozone layer prevents most harmful wavelengths of
ultraviolet light from passing through the Earth’s atmosphere.

3. d. Brundtland commission
Explanation: The term and definition of sustainable development were given
by Brundtland commission which published it in 'our common Future'.Later on
the report was published in 1987 by UNCED.

4. b. Gain of vegetation occurring due to deforestation

5. Snakes, owls, peacock, lizards.

6. Air Pollution: Asthma and lung cancer

7. It has happened due to supply-demand reversal. Earlier supply of drinking water was
more than its supply and hence it was available at zero price but now demand for
drinking water is much more than supply of drinking water. It has made water an
economic commodity.

8. Environment includes all the biotic (e.g., birds, animals, plants, forests, etc) and
abiotic (e.g., water, Sun, land, mountains, etc) factors that influence and depend upon
each other.

9. Natural resources are the resources which have been provided by nature in the form

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 of land, air, water, forests, animals, sunshine, etc. Natural resources are free gifts of
nature. In other words, natural resources are useful raw materials that we get from
the Earth. They occur naturally, which means that humans cannot make natural
resources. Instead, we use and modify natural resources in ways that are beneficial to
us. The materials used in human-made objects are natural resources. They are the
foundation of the prosperity of a country.
Natural resources may be of two types
i. Renewable natural resources
ii. Non-renewable natural resources
10. Sustainability is a paradigm for thinking about a future in which environmental,
social and economic considerations are balanced in the pursuit of development and
an improved quality of life. World population is projected to increase [by around 2
billion] by 2050. Practically all that growth will be in the developing countries of Asia
and Africa. This will put increased strain on resources and systems that are already
insufficient in many cases (Emerging Risks in the 21st Century: An Agenda for Action).
The sustainability paradigm is a major change from the previous paradigm of
economic development with its damaging social and environmental consequences.
Until recently these consequences have been seen as inevitable and acceptable.
11. Global warming is the rise in the general temperature levels on earth which happens
due to increase in the quantity of green house gases like carbondioxide, methane etc.
It affects us because environment is our basic need of survival and it affects our
environment.
a. It is causing glaciers to melt due to which many areas are prone to floods.
b. It is increasing climatic disturbances which caused winters and summers to delay.
c. Water level is rising in the sea and oceans because of increase in water from
melting.
d. People's electricity consumptions are increasing to counter it as they need fans to
remain cool.
12. Four important causes of environmental degradation are as follows:
i. Population explosion and industrial revolution has increased the demand for
environmental resources, but their supply is limited due to misuse and overuse.
ii. The intensive and extensive extraction of both renewable and non-renewable
resources has exhausted some of the vital resources.

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 iii. Extinction of many resources and continuous rising population has also resulted
in environmental crisis.
iv. The development process has polluted environment, water and atmosphere and
there is decline in air and water quality. It has resulted in increased incidence of
respiratory and water-borne diseases.
13. Prior to the advent of natural resource and environmental economics, economists
paid relatively little attention to the relationship between the economy and the
environment, partly because, in the early days of neoclassical economics, the
economy did not appear to face major environmental constraints and also because
environmental issues were considered less important than economic growth. The
economic system received inputs from the environment and delivered waste back to
the environment (as depicted in 2.1.1) but little attention was given to how the
extraction of inputs might affect the environment or the environment's ability to
deliver those inputs to the economy in the future. Nor was much thought given to the
impact of putting waste back into the environment.

Raw materials from the environment provide economic benefits, but their current
extraction, in turn, affects the prospects of future extraction (hence, the two-way
arrow in below fig.). This is the particular concern of natural resource economics. The
figure also shows waste from production and consumption which cause pollution and
feeds back to the economy via the latter's negative impact on human health and
amenity values. These relationships can be analysed using the tools of environmental
economics.

14. In India, air pollution is widespread in urban areas. Vehicles, a high concentration of

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 industries and thermal power plants are the major contributors to air pollution.
Vehicular emissions are of particular concern since these are ground level sources
and thus, have the maximum impact on the general population. Air pollution
contributes to the environmental crisis in India in the following ways:
i. Vehicular Emissions: Vehicular emissions are a source of fossil fuel emissions
and air pollution. The gases emitted from vehicles like trucks, jeeps, cars, trains,
aeroplanes cause an immense amount of pollution. Sulphur dioxide emitted from
the combustion of fossil fuels like coal, petroleum and other factory combustibles
is another major cause of air pollution.
ii. Agricultural activities: The Indian state of Punjab has two growing seasons—one
from May to September and another from November to April. In November,
Punjab farmers typically sow crops such as wheat and vegetables, but before they
do that, farmers have to prepare their fields for the second season. For this, they
set fire to their fields so that the fields are ready for the next crop. This increases
air pollution in Delhi and NCR area as the fumes from this crop burning come
towards Delhi and NCR areas.
iii. Power Plants:- India is the world's second largest coal burner after China,
generating 210 GW of electricity a year, mostly from coal. But it is likely to become
the largest if plans to generate a further 160 GW annually are approved. Fossil fuel
emissions contain the major greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide,
methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases which are the major air pollutants.
iv. Electronic waste:- About 80% of e-waste from developed countries is illegally
exported to developing countries especially China, India and Pakistan because of
the lower labour costs and lack of government regulations. A large number of
people in India are involved in unscientific dismantling, crude chemical leaching
of printed circuit boards, burning of wires/waste electrical and electronic
components, grinding of residues, washing of metal rich residue (milled black
powder).
15. Though India has successfully incorporated environmental aspects into the policy
framework way back in 1985, it is in the previous decade, more especially since 2014,
proactive environment conservation initiatives were undertaken by the Union
Government.
New methods to deal with environmental issues are :

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 i. Public Private Partnership: Previously, the government was alone responsible
for funding and executing the environment conservation measures. Over the last
three years, the emphasis was on public private partnership (PPP) to leverage the
capital, technology and human resources available to the private sector. For
instance, PPP Model was adopted for forest conservation.
ii. Use of technology: The information and communication technology has been
leveraged to a great extent for real time monitoring of pollutants from industries,
status of natural resources and wildlife and address grievances.
iii. Active International Collaboration: It includes collaborations at the bilateral
and multilateral level for the protection of the environment. It is evident from the
signing of bilateral agreements and MoUs on renewable energy resources with the
developed countries like the USA and Germany, the submission of Intended
Nationally Determined Contribution (INDCs) to the UNFCCC and the ratification of
the Paris Climate Agreement on 2 October 2016.
iv. Timely amendment of Rules: The policy environment has become dynamic to
address ever growing environmental challenges. The release of separate
notifications specifying rules for management of E-Waste, Plastic Waste, E-Waste,
Construction & Demolition Waste and Biomedical Waste in 2016 indicate the
government's intention to alter the decades-long policy eco-system.
v. Procedural Reforms: The procedural reforms were aimed at increasing the
transparency, curbing red tape in environmental clearances and decentralization
in decision making. The launch of the Web Portal for obtaining Coastal Regulation
Zone (CRZ) Clearances is outcome of this reform.

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