Forest Types, Forest Cover and Forest Laws

Attempt the quiz above first, then review every question with its correct answer and a short explanation below.

1. Q1.Tropical evergreen forests are found in areas receiving annual rainfall of more than:

   • A.50 cm
   • B.75 cm
   • C.100 cm
   • D.200 cm✓ Correct Answer

   Explanation: They occur on the Western Ghats, in the north-east and in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

2. Q2.Teak, the most important timber tree, is mainly found in:

   • A.alpine forests
   • B.mangrove forests
   • C.thorn forests
   • D.tropical deciduous (monsoon) forests✓ Correct Answer

   Explanation: Teak and sal are the main trees of the monsoon deciduous forests.

3. Q3.The Sundarbans are famous for which type of forest?

   • A.coniferous forests
   • B.thorn forests
   • C.mangrove (tidal) forests✓ Correct Answer
   • D.alpine meadows

   Explanation: The tree "sundari" gives the Sundarbans their name.

4. Q4.Thorny scrub vegetation with acacia and cactus is typical of:

   • A.the Himalayan snow line
   • B.the Western Ghats
   • C.the Sundarbans
   • D.arid regions such as Rajasthan✓ Correct Answer

   Explanation: Thorn forests occur in areas with less than 70 cm rainfall.

5. Q5.The India State of Forest Report is published by the:

   • A.Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata
   • B.Geological Survey of India
   • C.Forest Survey of India, Dehradun✓ Correct Answer
   • D.Survey of India

   Explanation: The FSI assesses forest and tree cover every two years.

6. Q6.Van Mahotsav, the annual tree-planting festival, is celebrated in which month?

   • A.January
   • B.July✓ Correct Answer
   • C.March
   • D.December

   Explanation: It was started in 1950 by K. M. Munshi and is observed in the first week of July.

7. Q7.The National Forest Policy aims to bring what share of the country's geographical area under forest or tree cover?

   • A.10 per cent
   • B.20 per cent
   • C.one-third (33 per cent)✓ Correct Answer
   • D.50 per cent

   Explanation: The 1988 National Forest Policy sets a target of 33 per cent, and 66 per cent in hills.

8. Q8.Which State has the largest forest area in India?

   • A.Rajasthan
   • B.Punjab
   • C.Haryana
   • D.Madhya Pradesh✓ Correct Answer

   Explanation: Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest area, followed by Arunachal Pradesh.

9. Q9.Which State has the highest percentage of its area under forest cover?

   • A.Mizoram✓ Correct Answer
   • B.Punjab
   • C.Gujarat
   • D.Rajasthan

   Explanation: Mizoram has more than four-fifths of its area under forest.

10. Q10.India's first biosphere reserve, set up in 1986, was the:

    • A.Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve
    • B.Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve✓ Correct Answer
    • C.Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve
    • D.Manas Biosphere Reserve

    Explanation: The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve spans Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.

11. Q11.Stunted evergreen forests found on the higher slopes of the Western Ghats and Nilgiris are called:

    • A.Taiga forests
    • B.Shola forests✓ Correct Answer
    • C.Savanna
    • D.Tundra

    Explanation: Shola forests occupy sheltered valleys among montane grasslands.

12. Q12.Deodar, a valuable timber tree, is characteristic of the:

    • A.Sundarbans
    • B.Thar Desert
    • C.Coromandel coast
    • D.montane coniferous forests of the western Himalaya✓ Correct Answer

    Explanation: Deodar, pine and fir grow at 1,500 to 3,000 m in the Himalaya.

13. Q13.Sal is the dominant tree of which type of forest?

    • A.moist deciduous forests✓ Correct Answer
    • B.thorn forests
    • C.alpine forests
    • D.mangrove forests

    Explanation: Sal grows in the eastern and central plains and foothills of the Himalaya.

14. Q14.Sandalwood is mainly associated with which State?

    • A.Punjab
    • B.Karnataka✓ Correct Answer
    • C.Assam
    • D.Gujarat

    Explanation: Mysore sandalwood is world famous.

15. Q15.The forest classification of India into 16 major type groups was done by:

    • A.Champion and Seth✓ Correct Answer
    • B.Köppen and Thornthwaite
    • C.Stamp and Singh
    • D.Dudley Stamp and Kendrew

    Explanation: Champion and Seth's "Revised Survey of the Forest Types of India" (1968) is the standard classification.

16. Q16.The breathing roots that grow upward from the mud in mangrove trees are called:

    • A.rhizomes
    • B.tubers
    • C.pneumatophores✓ Correct Answer
    • D.stolons

    Explanation: Pneumatophores let mangroves take in oxygen in waterlogged, salty soils.

17. Q17.The Indian Forest Act, which consolidated colonial forest laws, was passed in:

    • A.1865
    • B.1927✓ Correct Answer
    • C.1952
    • D.1980

    Explanation: The 1927 Act is still the basic law on reserved and protected forests.

18. Q18.The Forest (Conservation) Act, which restricts the diversion of forest land, was passed in:

    • A.1980✓ Correct Answer
    • B.1927
    • C.1972
    • D.1988

    Explanation: It requires Central Government approval before forest land is used for non-forest purposes.

19. Q19.The Chipko Movement, to protect trees from felling, began in 1973 in:

    • A.Uttarakhand (then part of Uttar Pradesh)✓ Correct Answer
    • B.Karnataka
    • C.Kerala
    • D.Rajasthan

    Explanation: Villagers hugged trees; leaders included Chandi Prasad Bhatt and Sunderlal Bahuguna.

20. Q20.The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act was passed in:

    • A.1980
    • B.1988
    • C.2006✓ Correct Answer
    • D.2013

    Explanation: The Forest Rights Act, 2006 recognises the rights of forest-dwelling communities over forest land and resources.