Environment and Natural Resources PYQs
Previous year question of CUET UG Exam
Extremely High Importance (Appeared in 5+ Papers)
1. Matching International Agreements to their Year of Adoption
This is the most frequently repeated question, appearing in almost every paper.
● Question: Match the following international agreements with the year they were established.
| List-I (International Agreements) | List-II (Year) |
| :— | :— |
| (A) Antarctic Treaty | (I) 1997 |
| (B) Montreal Protocol | (II) 1992 |
| (C) Kyoto Protocol | (III) 1959 |
| (D) Rio Summit / UN Conference on Env. and Dev. | (IV) 1987 |
● Options: (Vary slightly between papers, but the correct match is always the same)
● Correct Match: (A)-(III), (B)-(IV), (C)-(I), (D)-(II)
● Answer: (1) (A)-(III), (B)-(IV), (C)-(I), (D)-(II)
● Explanation:
○ (A) Antarctic Treaty was signed in (III) 1959 to ensure Antarctica is used for peaceful purposes only.
○ (B) Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the Ozone Layer was agreed upon in (IV) 1987.
○ (C) Kyoto Protocol, which set emission reduction targets, was adopted in (I) 1997.
○ (D) The Rio Summit (also known as the UN Conference on Environment and Development) was held in (II) 1992.
● Asked In:
○ CUET 2024
○ CUET 2022
○ CUET 2023 June 17 Shift 3
○ CUET 2023June 19 Shift 3
○ CUET 2023 June 18 Shift 3
○ July 2 Shift 3
High Importance (Appeared in 3-4 Papers)
2. Identifying ‘Common Property Resources’
● Question: Which of the following is related to ‘common property resources’?
(A) The community centre
(B) Common grazing grounds
(C) The Antarctica
(D) The Earth’s atmosphere
(E) The Ocean floor
● Options:
(1) (A), (B), (C), (D) Only
(2) (A), (B), (C), (D), (E)
(3) (B), (C), (D) Only
(4) (A), (B), (C), (E) Only
● Answer: (2) (A), (B), (C), (D), (E)
● Explanation: Common property resources are those managed collectively by a group, not owned privately. This applies to local resources like community centres and grazing grounds, as well as ‘global commons’ like Antarctica, the atmosphere, and the ocean floor. All the items listed fit this definition.
● Asked In:
○ CUET 2022
○ CUET 2023 June 17 Shift 3
○ June 19 Shift 3
3. Factual Recall about the Earth Summit (Rio Summit)
● Question: Which of the following statements about the Earth Summit are correct?
A. It was held in June 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Also called Rio Summit)
B. It was attended by 170 states, thousands of NGOs and many MNCs.
C. The Summit produced conventions dealing with climate change, biodiversity, forestry and recommended a list of development practices called ‘Agenda 21’.
D. It was a UN conference on ‘Our Common Future’. (This statement is consistently used as the incorrect option).
● Answer: The correct option is always the one that combines statements A, B, and C (or a subset of these).
● Explanation: Statements A, B, and C are all correct facts about the 1992 Earth Summit. Statement D is incorrect; ‘Our Common Future’ was the 1987 Brundtland Report that preceded the summit.
● Asked In:
○ CUET 2022
○ CUET 2023 June 17 Shift 3
○ CUET 2023 June 18 Shift 3
4. Arranging Environmental Milestones in Chronological Order
● Question: Arrange the following events in chronological order:
Events typically include: Antarctic Treaty, Montreal Protocol, Earth Summit (Rio), UNFCCC, Kyoto Protocol, Paris Agreement.
● Answer: The correct chronological order is always:
1. Antarctic Treaty (1959)
2. Montreal Protocol (1987)
3. Earth Summit / Rio Summit / UNFCCC (1992)
4. Kyoto Protocol (1997)
5. Paris Agreement (2015)
● Explanation: Understanding the timeline of these major environmental agreements is crucial. The order reflects the evolution of global environmental politics from protecting a single continent to tackling global issues like ozone depletion and climate change.
● Asked In:
○ CUET 2024
○ CUET 2022
○ CUET 2023 July 2 Shift 3
Medium Importance (Appeared in 2 Papers)
5. The Principle of ‘Common but Differentiated Responsibilities’
● Question: ‘Common but differentiated responsibilities’ is one of the important principles of which one of the following?
● Options:
(1) Kyoto Protocol
(2) Rio Summit
(3) Montreal Protocol
(4) Paris Agreement
● Answer: (2) Rio Summit
● Explanation: This core principle was formally established at the 1992 Rio Summit. It acknowledges that while all nations must address environmental issues (common responsibility), the developed countries have a greater obligation (differentiated responsibility) due to their historical contribution to the problem.
● Asked In:
○ CUET 2024
○ CUET 2023 July 2 Shift 3
6. Primary Objective of the UNFCCC
● Question: What is the primary objective of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)?
● Options:
(1) To promote sustainable development in developing countries.
(2) To achieve stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.
(3) To provide financial assistance to countries affected by climate change.
(4) To regulate international trade of endangered species.
● Answer: (2) To achieve stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.
● Explanation: The UNFCCC’s ultimate goal, as stated in its text, is to prevent “dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system” by stabilizing greenhouse gases. The other options are related goals but not its primary objective.
● Asked In:
○ CUET 2024
○ CUET 2023 June 17 Shift 3
7. The ‘Limits to Growth’ Thesis
● Question: The ‘limits to growth’ thesis was presented/published by?
● Options:
(1) Club of Rome
(2) Green Peace
(3) World Council of Indigenous People
(4) United Nations
● Answer: (1) Club of Rome
● Explanation: The Club of Rome, a global think tank, published the influential book “The Limits to Growth” in 1972, which warned about the environmental consequences of exponential economic and population growth with finite resources.
● Asked In:
○ CUET 2022
○ CUET 2023 June 19 Shift 3
Other PYQ’s
8. Understanding the Kyoto Protocol’s Core Principle
● Question: Which of the following statements is not correct about the Kyoto Protocol?
● Answer: The incorrect statement is: (4) The Protocol considered the principle of “common but undifferentiated responsibilities” of states.
● Explanation: This is incorrect because the Kyoto Protocol is the key example of differentiated responsibilities, as it placed binding emission reduction targets only on industrialized nations.
● Asked In: CUET 2023June 19 Shift 3
9. Defining ‘Common but Differentiated Responsibilities’
● Question: What does the principle ‘Common but differentiated responsibilities’ mean?
● Answer: (4) All the above. (The options include global partnership, greater responsibility for developed countries, and considering the special needs of developing countries).
● Explanation: The principle is a composite idea that includes global cooperation, historical responsibility, and equity for developing nations.
● Asked In: CUET 2023 June 18 Shift 3
10. The Warning of the ‘Our Common Future’ Report
● Question: The report ‘Our Common Future’ published in 1987 warned that:
● Answer: (3) Traditional patterns of economic growth were not sustainable in the long term.
● Explanation: This 1987 report from the Brundtland Commission introduced the concept of ‘sustainable development’ to a global audience.
● Asked In: CUET 2023 July 2 Shift 3
Multiple Choice Questions for practice purpose.
1. When did environmental concerns begin to gain significant political attention globally?
a) 1950s
b) 1960s
c) 1970s
d) 1980s
2. Which global event in June 1992 significantly consolidated the focus on environmental issues in world politics?
a) Stockholm Conference
b) Kyoto Protocol
c) Earth Summit
d) Montreal Protocol
3. The 1987 Brundtland Report, “Our Common Future,” primarily warned against:
a) The decline of inter-governmental organizations
b) Unsustainable patterns of economic growth
c) The rise of new environmental movements
d) Overpopulation in developing countries
4. Which concept describes development that integrates economic growth with ecological responsibility?
a) Industrial Development
b) Economic Liberalization
c) Sustainable Development
d) Green Economy
5. What are “global commons”?
a) Resources owned by a single powerful nation
b) Resources shared by a local community
c) Areas outside the sovereign jurisdiction of any single state, requiring international governance
d) Privately owned natural reserves
6. Which of the following are considered global commons?
a) National parks, local rivers, community forests
b) Earth’s atmosphere, Antarctica, ocean floor, outer space
c) Agricultural land, territorial waters, national airspace
d) Sacred groves, village pastures, private lakes
7. What is the core idea behind the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities”?
a) All countries should bear equal responsibility for environmental degradation.
b) Developed countries, due to their historical emissions, should take more responsibility for environmental protection.
c) Developing countries should halt industrialization to protect the environment.
d) Environmental protection is solely the responsibility of international organizations.
8. The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement setting targets for industrialized countries to reduce:
a) Water pollution
b) Deforestation rates
c) Greenhouse gas emissions
d) Biodiversity loss
9. Which countries were exempted from the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol due to their historically low per capita emissions?
a) United States, Canada, Australia
b) China, India, and other developing countries
c) European Union members
d) Japan, Russia, New Zealand
10. In which year did India sign and ratify the Kyoto Protocol?
a) 1997
b) 2000
c) 2002
d) 2016
11. What are “common property resources”?
a) Resources exclusively owned by the state
b) Resources owned by multinational corporations
c) Resources shared by a community, with both rights and duties regarding their use and maintenance
d) Resources that have been privatized for commercial use
12. What is an example of common property resource management in India mentioned in the text?
a) State-owned industrial complexes
b) Sacred groves traditionally managed by village communities
c) Private farmlands
d) Urban parks maintained by municipal corporations
13. What has caused common property resources to dwindle in size, quality, and availability in many parts of the world?
a) Increased community management and cooperation
b) Privatization, agricultural intensification, population growth, and ecosystem degradation
c) Global environmental agreements
d) Decreased human settlement
14. What is “resource geopolitics” primarily concerned with?
a) The study of global climate patterns
b) The politics of who acquires, uses, and controls resources
c) The technological advancements in resource extraction
d) The cultural significance of natural resources
15. Which resource has been the most important in global strategy throughout the 20th century and continues to generate political struggles to control it?
a) Timber
b) Water
c) Oil
d) Strategic minerals (excluding oil)
16. Which region accounts for about 64% of the planet’s known oil reserves?
a) North America
b) West Asia (specifically the Gulf region)
c) East Asia
d) South America
17. What is a potential source of conflicts in the 21st century, according to some commentators, due to increasing scarcity and regional variations?
a) Air quality
b) Freshwater resources
c) Forest products
d) Mineral deposits
18. The UN defines indigenous populations as descendants of peoples who inhabited a territory at the time when:
a) The country gained independence.
b) Persons of a different culture or ethnic origin arrived and overcame them.
c) Modern political boundaries were established.
d) Industrialization began.
19. What is considered the most obvious threat to the survival of indigenous people?
a) Loss of cultural identity
b) Lack of political representation
c) Loss of land, which also means loss of economic resource base
d) Climate change
20. What did the World Council of Indigenous Peoples, formed in 1975, aim to achieve?
a) Promote global trade agreements.
b) Facilitate international tourism.
c) Advocate for the admission of indigenous people to the world community as equals.
d) Establish new national boundaries.
21. The 1992 Earth Summit was held in which city?
a) New York
b) Kyoto
c) Rio de Janeiro
d) Montreal
22. Which major concern of Northern states was highlighted at the Rio Summit?
a) Economic development and environmental management
b) Ozone depletion and global warming
c) Poverty and epidemics
d) Resource competition
23. Agenda 21, a list of development practices recommended at the Rio Summit, was criticized for being biased towards:
a) Ecological conservation
b) Social equity
c) Economic growth
d) Indigenous rights
24. The 1959 Antarctic Treaty, the 1987 Montreal Protocol, and the 1991 Antarctic Environmental Protocol are examples of agreements for the cooperation over:
a) Regional trade
b) Global commons
c) Nuclear disarmament
d) International finance
25. Which phenomenon revealed both the opportunity and dangers in tackling global environmental problems with vague scientific evidence and time frames, as discovered in the mid-1980s?
a) Coastal pollution
b) Desertification
c) The ozone hole over the Antarctic
d) Overfishing
26. The management of outer space as a global commons is heavily influenced by:
a) North-South inequalities
b) Scientific research institutions
c) Commercial interests
d) Military alliances
27. What is a key argument made by developing countries regarding environmental degradation?
a) All countries should equally bear the cost of environmental damage.
b) Developed countries, having caused more degradation through industrialization, should take greater responsibility for remediation.
c) Environmental issues are solely a national concern.
d) Technological advancements alone can solve environmental problems.
28. India’s per capita carbon emissions in 2000 were approximately:
a) 3.8 tonnes
b) 1.6 tonnes
c) 0.9 tonnes
d) 11 million hectares
29. The Energy Conservation Act, passed in India in 2001, outlines initiatives to improve:
a) Agricultural productivity
b) Energy efficiency
c) Water management
d) Forest conservation
30. What is one of the key conclusions of India’s review of the Earth Summit agreements in 1997?
a) Significant progress in transferring financial resources and environmentally-sound technology to developing nations.
b) No meaningful progress in transferring financial resources and environmentally-sound technology to developing nations.
c) Developed countries had fully met their commitments.
d) Developing countries had fully met their commitments.
31. Environmental movements across the globe are often characterized by their:
a) Centralized leadership and uniform approaches
b) Diversity and vibrant nature, often initiating new forms of political action
c) Exclusive focus on governmental policies
d) Reliance solely on scientific research
32. What distinguishes forest movements in the South from those in the North?
a) Forests in the South are largely devoid of human habitat, unlike the North.
b) Forests in the South are still inhabited by people, while those in the North are perceived as wilderness areas without human dwelling.
c) Southern movements primarily focus on wildlife conservation.
d) Northern movements advocate for deforestation.
33. Campaigns against the Western Mining Corporation (WMC) in the Philippines, an Australia-based multinational company, were often based on:
a) Support for industrial development
b) Anti-nuclear sentiments and advocacy for indigenous rights
c) Promotion of new mining technologies
d) Agreements on resource sharing
34. Narmada Bachao Andolan is a well-known example of which type of environmental movement in India?
a) Forest conservation movement
b) Anti-dam, pro-river movement
c) Wildlife protection movement
d) Urban pollution control movement
35. The critical importance of ensuring an uninterrupted supply of strategic resources, particularly oil, was well established during:
a) The post-Cold War era
b) The First and Second World Wars
c) The early 1960s environmental awareness period
d) The late 20th-century globalization period
36. Which country has a quarter of the world’s total oil reserves and is the single largest producer?
a) Iraq
b) Russia
c) Saudi Arabia
d) United States
37. What do commentators refer to when describing the possibility of violent conflict over freshwater resources in the 21st century?
a) Resource wars
b) Water wars
c) Climate wars
d) Boundary disputes
38. What is a typical disagreement between upstream (upper riparian) and downstream (lower riparian) states sharing a river?
a) Disagreements over fishing rights.
b) Downstream states objecting to pollution, excessive irrigation, or dam construction by upstream states.
c) Disagreements over navigational routes.
d) Debates on historical water usage.
39. “Since times immemorial” is a phrase used by indigenous people worldwide to refer to their:
a) Claim to modern political representation.
b) Desire for economic development.
c) Continued occupancy of the lands from which they originate.
d) Adoption of new cultural practices.
40. In India, the term “indigenous people” is usually applied to which group, constituting nearly eight percent of the population?
a) Farmers
b) Urban laborers
c) Scheduled Tribes
d) Migrant workers
Answers and Explanations
1. b) 1960s
* Explanation: Awareness of the environmental consequences of economic growth and environmental concerns gained significant political character from the 1960s onwards.
2. c) Earth Summit
* Explanation: The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, also known as the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992, firmly consolidated the focus on environmental issues in global politics.
3. b) Unsustainable patterns of economic growth
* Explanation: The 1987 Brundtland Report, “Our Common Future,” warned that traditional patterns of economic growth were not sustainable in the long term.
4. c) Sustainable Development
* Explanation: The approach to development that combines economic growth with ecological responsibility is commonly known as ‘sustainable development’.
5. c) Areas outside the sovereign jurisdiction of any single state, requiring international governance
* Explanation: Global commons are areas or regions of the world located outside the sovereign jurisdiction of any one state, requiring common governance by the international community.
6. b) Earth’s atmosphere, Antarctica, ocean floor, outer space
* Explanation: The global commons include the earth’s atmosphere, Antarctica, the ocean floor, and outer space.
7. b) Developed countries, due to their historical emissions, should take more responsibility for environmental protection.
* Explanation: The principle of ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’ states that developed countries, having contributed more to ecological degradation, must take more responsibility for undoing the damage.
8. c) Greenhouse gas emissions
* Explanation: The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement setting targets for industrialized countries to cut their greenhouse gas emissions.
9. b) China, India, and other developing countries
* Explanation: China, India, and other developing countries were exempted from the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol because their contribution to greenhouse gas emissions during the industrialization period was not significant.
10. c) 2002
* Explanation: India signed and ratified the 1997 Kyoto Protocol in August 2002.
11. c) Resources shared by a community, with both rights and duties regarding their use and maintenance
* Explanation: Common property resources are those which are not owned by anyone but rather shared by a community, where members have both rights and duties with respect to their use and maintenance.
12. b) Sacred groves traditionally managed by village communities
* Explanation: The institutional arrangement for the management of sacred groves on state-owned forest land, traditionally managed by village communities in India, fits the description of a common property regime.
13. b) Privatization, agricultural intensification, population growth, and ecosystem degradation
* Explanation: A combination of factors, including privatization, agricultural intensification, population growth, and ecosystem degradation, have caused common property to dwindle.
14. b) The politics of who acquires, uses, and controls resources
* Explanation: Resource geopolitics is about who gets what resources, when, where, and how, involving issues of power and control.
15. c) Oil
* Explanation: Oil continues to be the most important resource in global strategy, with its history intertwined with war and struggle.
16. b) West Asia (specifically the Gulf region)
* Explanation: West Asia, specifically the Gulf region, accounts for about 64 percent of the planet’s known oil reserves.
17. b) Freshwater resources
* Explanation: Regional variations and increasing scarcity of freshwater in some parts of the world point to the possibility of disagreements over shared water resources as a leading source of conflicts.
18. b) Persons of a different culture or ethnic origin arrived and overcame them.
* Explanation: The UN defines indigenous populations as comprising the descendants of peoples who inhabited the present territory of a country at the time when persons of a different culture or ethnic origin arrived there from other parts of the world and overcame them.
19. c) Loss of land, which also means loss of economic resource base
* Explanation: The loss of land, meaning the loss of an economic resource base, is the most obvious threat to the survival of indigenous people.
20. c) Advocate for the admission of indigenous people to the world community as equals.
* Explanation: The World Council of Indigenous Peoples, formed in 1975, aimed to call for the admission of indigenous people to the world community as equals.
21. c) Rio de Janeiro
* Explanation: The Earth Summit was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
22. b) Ozone depletion and global warming
* Explanation: Northern states were concerned with ozone depletion and global warming at the Rio Summit.
23. c) Economic growth
* Explanation: Some critics pointed out that Agenda 21 was biased in favor of economic growth rather than ensuring ecological conservation.
24. b) Global commons
* Explanation: These agreements are examples of cooperation over global commons.
25. c) The ozone hole over the Antarctic
* Explanation: The discovery of the ozone hole over the Antarctic in the mid-1980s revealed the opportunity as well as dangers inherent in tackling global environmental problems despite vague scientific evidence and time frames.
26. a) North-South inequalities
* Explanation: The management of outer space as a global commons is thoroughly influenced by North-South inequalities.
27. b) Developed countries, having caused more degradation through industrialization, should take greater responsibility for remediation.
* Explanation: Developing countries argue that since developed countries caused most of the ecological degradation through industrial development, they should bear more responsibility for undoing the damage.
28. c) 0.9 tonnes
* Explanation: Indian emissions were predicted to rise from 0.9 tonnes per capita in 2000.
29. b) Energy efficiency
* Explanation: The Energy Conservation Act, passed in 2001, outlines initiatives to improve energy efficiency.
30. b) No meaningful progress in transferring financial resources and environmentally-sound technology to developing nations.
* Explanation: India’s review of the Earth Summit agreements concluded that there had been no meaningful progress with respect to the transfer of financial resources and environmentally-sound technology on concessional terms to developing nations.
31. b) Diversity and vibrant nature, often initiating new forms of political action
* Explanation: Environmental movements are amongst the most vibrant, diverse, and powerful social movements across the globe, and new forms of political action are often born or reinvented within them.
32. b) Forests in the South are still inhabited by people, while those in the North are perceived as wilderness areas without human dwelling.
* Explanation: The text states that forests in the South are still populated, while those in the North are more or less devoid of human habitat or perceived as such.
33. b) Anti-nuclear sentiments and advocacy for indigenous rights
* Explanation: Much opposition to the Western Mining Corporation (WMC) in Australia was based on anti-nuclear sentiments and advocacy for the basic rights of Australian indigenous peoples.
34. b) Anti-dam, pro-river movement
* Explanation: Narmada Bachao Andolan is explicitly mentioned as one of India’s leading anti-dam, pro-river movements.
35. b) The First and Second World Wars
* Explanation: The critical importance of ensuring an uninterrupted supply of strategic resources, particularly oil, was well established during both the First World War and the Second World War.
36. c) Saudi Arabia
* Explanation: Saudi Arabia has a quarter of the world’s total reserves and is the single largest producer.
37. b) Water wars
* Explanation: Some commentators on world politics have referred to ‘water wars’ to describe the possibility of violent conflict over freshwater resources.
38. b) Downstream states objecting to pollution, excessive irrigation, or dam construction by upstream states.
* Explanation: A typical disagreement is a downstream (lower riparian) state’s objection to pollution, excessive irrigation, or the construction of dams by an upstream (upper riparian) state, which might decrease or degrade the quality of water.
39. c) Continued occupancy of the lands from which they originate.
* Explanation: ‘Since times immemorial’ is the phrase used by indigenous people all over the world to refer to their continued occupancy of the lands from which they originate.
40. c) Scheduled Tribes
* Explanation: In India, the description ‘indigenous people’ is usually applied to the Scheduled Tribes who constitute nearly eight percent of the population of the country.
