उपर्युक्त परिच्छेद के आधार पर, निम्नलिखित पूर्वधारणाएँ बनाई गई हैं :
- 1.प्राकृतिक वनों में, अंजीर के वृक्ष प्रायः आधारिक जातियाँ (की-स्टोन स्पीशीज़) हो सकती हैं ।
- 2.अंजीर के वृक्ष वहाँ भी उग सकते हैं, जहाँ अन्य बड़े काष्ठीय वृक्ष की जातियाँ नहीं उग सकती हैं ।
- 3.जैव-विविधता के संरक्षण में पवित्र वृक्षों की भूमिका हो सकती है ।
- 4.अन्य वृक्ष जातियों के बीजों के प्रकीर्णन में अंजीर वृक्षों की भूमिका है ।
उपर्युक्त में से कौन-सी पूर्वधारणा/पूर्वधारणाएँ मान्य है/हैं ?
Read this question in English
On the basis of the passage given above, the following assumptions have been made:
1. Fig trees can often be keystone species in natural forests.
2. Fig trees can grow where other large woody species cannot grow.
3. Sacred trees can have a role in biodiversity conservation.
4. Fig trees have a role in the seed dispersal of other tree species.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
(a) 1 and 2 only · (b) 3 only · (c) 2 and 4 only · (d) 1, 3 and 4 only
उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English
Answer: (d) केवल 1, 3 और 4
Fig trees feed a dense, varied crowd of frugivores when other food is scarce (a keystone role), sacred figs keep frugivores around even in disturbed sites (a conservation role), and seedlings of other trees come up around them because visiting birds and bats drop seeds. The passage only says other large trees are absent in such places, not that they cannot grow.
- ✓ 1. Fig trees 'provide food for wildlife when other resources are scarce and support a high density and diversity of frugivores' — many species depend on them, which is what a keystone species is.
- ✗ 2. The passage says figs are common where other large trees 'are absent' — absence (perhaps because they were cleared) is not the same as 'cannot grow'.
- ✓ 3. Sacred fig trees 'may promote frugivore abundance' even in sites with high human disturbance — their sacred status helps sustain wildlife.
- ✓ 4. Frugivorous birds and bats visit fig trees and 'plenty of seedlings of other tree species' grow around them — the visitors bring seeds of other trees, so figs aid their dispersal.
Remember · Don't turn 'absent' into 'cannot exist' — assumptions that harden an observation into an impossibility are usually invalid.
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2021, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·