Protected areas & conservation

Answer: (c) 1, 3 and 4 only

Nagarhole, Sathyamangalam and Wayanad are all drained by the Kaveri (Cauvery) and its tributaries, but Papikonda National Park lies along the Godavari in Andhra Pradesh, so 2 is the only one that does not belong.

• ✓ 1. Nagarhole's own stream, the Nagarahole, joins the Kabini, and the Kabini is a right-bank tributary of the Kaveri.
• ✗ 2. Papikonda National Park is in the Papi Hills of Andhra Pradesh, where the Godavari cuts through the range; it belongs to the Godavari basin, not the Cauvery.
• ✓ 3. Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Erode district (Tamil Nadu) is drained by the Bhavani, Moyar and Suvarnavathi, which are Kaveri tributaries.
• ✓ 4. Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala is drained by the Kabini, which rises in Wayanad and joins the Kaveri in Karnataka.

Remember · Nagarhole, Wayanad and Sathyamangalam sit in the Kabini-Bhavani part of the Cauvery basin; Papikonda sits on the Godavari.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2020, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error

Answer: (a) Kanha National Park

Kanha National Park (Madhya Pradesh) is the home of the hard-ground barasingha, Rucervus duvaucelii branderi, the swamp-deer sub-species that lives on firm ground and feeds only on grass. It is Madhya Pradesh's State animal.

• ✓ (a) The Madhya Pradesh Forest Department calls the hard-ground barasingha the State animal and says it is found exclusively in Kanha; until recently Kanha held the only world population of this sub-species.
• ✗ (b) Manas (Assam) also shelters swamp deer, so it tempts, but it is known for the rhino, tiger, pygmy hog and Bengal florican; the hard-ground form is Kanha's.
• ✗ (c) Mudumalai (Tamil Nadu, Nilgiris) is known for elephant, gaur and tiger; its official fauna list has no swamp deer.
• ✗ (d) Tal Chhapar (Churu, Rajasthan) is known as a haven for blackbuck and birds, not for barasingha.

Remember · Hard-ground barasingha (Rucervus duvaucelii branderi) is Kanha's flagship deer and Madhya Pradesh's State animal.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2020, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error

Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only

Musk deer (Moschus chrysogaster) is a high-Himalayan animal, so the Uttarakhand mountain areas, Askot Wildlife Sanctuary and Gangotri National Park, are its likely homes, not the plains and foothill areas of Kishanpur and Manas.

• ✓ 1. Askot Wildlife Sanctuary in Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand, is listed as a home of musk deer, alongside snow leopard, bharal and tahr.
• ✓ 2. The Wildlife Institute of India lists Musk deer (Moschus chrysogaster) among the mammals documented in Gangotri National Park, Uttarakhand.
• ✗ 3. Kishanpur is a lowland sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh, part of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve on the Gangetic alluvial plain; its deer are swamp deer, hog deer, spotted deer and the like, not musk deer.
• ✗ 4. Manas (Assam) is known for tiger, greater one-horned rhino, swamp deer, pygmy hog and Bengal florican; musk deer is not among its species.

Remember · Musk deer lives in high, cold Himalayan forests (Uttarakhand, Kashmir, Sikkim); look for Askot and Gangotri, not the Terai or Assam plains.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2020, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error

Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only

Desert National Park in Rajasthan lies in two districts, Jaisalmer and Barmer, and shelters the Great Indian Bustard, but it is not free of people. Dozens of villages and hamlets exist inside its boundary, so statement 2 fails.

• ✓ 1. The Park covers 3,162 sq km, of which 1,900 sq km is in Jaisalmer district and 1,262 sq km in Barmer district of Rajasthan.
• ✗ 2. People live inside the Park. The official nomination lists 73 villages and other settlements (dhanis) within it, though the population density is low, about 4-5 persons per sq km.
• ✓ 3. The Park has a good population of the Great Indian Bustard, called Godawan locally, and it is one of the bird's natural habitats.

Remember · Desert National Park (Rajasthan, gazetted 1980): Jaisalmer and Barmer districts, villages inside it, and a stronghold of the Great Indian Bustard.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2020, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error

Answer: (c) Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam

Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam has the largest Critical Tiger Habitat of the four, at 2,595.72 sq km. The other three are far smaller: Sunderban 1,699.62, Ranthambore 1,113.36 and Corbett 821.99 sq km.

• ✓ (c) The National Tiger Conservation Authority lists a core area of 2,595.72 sq km for Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam; the core is the notified Critical Tiger Habitat. It is the largest core area among India's tiger reserves.
• ✗ (d) Sunderban has a core of 1,699.62 sq km. Its total area (2,584.89 sq km) is close to the winner's core figure, which makes it a tempting choice, but the question asks about the critical habitat only.
• ✗ (a) Corbett is the oldest tiger reserve in the group but its core is only 821.99 sq km.
• ✗ (b) Ranthambore has a core of 1,113.36 sq km.

Remember · A tiger reserve = core or Critical Tiger Habitat (inviolate) + buffer. Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam has the largest core, 2,595.72 sq km.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2020, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error