Prelims 2013 · archive
EasyWhich of the following is/are unique characteristic/characteristics of equatorial forests?
- 1.Presence of tall, closely set trees with crowns forming a continuous canopy
- 2.Coexistence of a large number of species
- 3.Presence of numerous varieties of epiphytes
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3
Equatorial (tropical evergreen) forests grow where it is hot and wet all year. Their tall trees form a dense, continuous canopy. They hold a very large number of species. Their trees carry abundant epiphytes. All three statements describe them.
- ✓ 1. The forest is well stratified, with shrubs and creepers near the ground, shorter trees above them and tall trees on top that can reach 60 m or more. This dense canopy cover is typical of the equatorial climate.
- ✓ 2. Constant warmth and moisture support very high biodiversity. A very large number of plant and animal species live together in these forests.
- ✓ 3. The humid, shaded forest suits epiphytes such as orchids and ferns. These plants grow on tree trunks and branches and are abundant in rain forests, especially the wetter types.
- ✓ (d) All three features belong to equatorial forests, so '1, 2 and 3' is right. Options (a), (b) and (c) each wrongly leave out at least one of them.
Remember · Equatorial rain forest: hot and wet all year, tall layered evergreen trees with a dense canopy, very high species diversity, and abundant epiphytes and lianas.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Ch 11 (practise this chapter) · Class 11 India: Physical Environment, Ch 5 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 11 · Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Chapter 11 “Tropical evergreen forests with dense canopy cover and large biodiversity are found in this climate.”
- NCERT Class 11 · India: Physical Environment, Chapter 5 “Tropical evergreen forests are well stratified, with layers closer to the ground and are covered with shrubs and creepers, with short structured trees followed by tall variety of trees.”
- FAO – Global ecological zoning for the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2000 (tropical rain forest) ↗ “the forest is evergreen or semi-evergreen. Epiphytes are abundant, particularly in the wetter types.”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2013, General Studies paper. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·