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Prelims 2021 paper

UPSC CSE Prelims 2021 · GS Paper I · Question 20 · Ecology & ecosystems

प्रकृति में, निम्नलिखित में से किस जीव का/किन जीवों के मृदाविहीन सतह पर जीवित पाए जाने की सर्वाधिक…

UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2021, General Studies Paper I, Question 20 — Ecology & ecosystems.

Prelims 2021 · Q20

Ecology & ecosystems Easy

प्रकृति में, निम्नलिखित में से किस जीव का/किन जीवों के मृदाविहीन सतह पर जीवित पाए जाने की सर्वाधिक संभावना है?

  1. 1.फर्न
  2. 2.लाइकेन
  3. 3.मॉस
  4. 4.छत्रक (मशरूम)

नीचे दिए गए कूट का प्रयोग कर सही उत्तर चुनिए।

Read this question in English

In the nature, which of the following is/are most likely to be found surviving on a surface without soil?

1. Fern

2. Lichen

3. Moss

4. Mushroom

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

(a) 1 and 4 only · (b) 2 only · (c) 2 and 3 · (d) 1, 3 and 4

उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English

Answer: (c) 2 और 3

Lichens and mosses are pioneer organisms: they cling to bare rock, walls and bark and are among the first to colonise weathered rock before any soil exists. Ferns arrive only after some soil and humus has built up, and mushrooms need dead organic matter to feed on.

  • ✗ 1. Ferns are vascular plants with roots; in soil formation they appear later, once humus has accumulated.
  • ✓ 2. A lichen is a partnership of a fungus and an alga that grows directly on rocks and tree bark.
  • ✓ 3. Mosses have root-like rhizoids rather than true roots and form green mats on damp rocks and old walls.
  • ✗ 4. Mushrooms are fungi that cannot make food; they absorb nutrients from dead and decaying matter, so they grow on soil, litter or wood.

Remember · Pioneers on bare rock: lichens and mosses. They start soil formation; ferns, grasses and trees follow.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Ch 5 (practise this chapter) · Class 11 Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Ch 5 (practise this chapter) · Class 7 Curiosity, Ch 2 (practise this chapter) · Class 9 Exploration, Ch 12 (practise this chapter) · Class 9 Exploration, Ch 12 (practise this chapter)

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2021, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·

Cite this question: UPSC CSE Prelims 2021, Q20 — minimalistias.com/pyqs/prelims/2021/q20

In the UPSC syllabus: Ecology & ecosystems › Ecological concepts: succession, niche, ecotone See it and tick it covered →

Timed · 30 minutes Take Environment & ecology · Set 1 as a test This question is in it — with UPSC's marking and an instant score. Start the set Or the whole 2021 paper →

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