Class 12 Environment and Sustainable Development Mock Test (CBSE)

Topics in Environment and Sustainable Development

• Environment: definition and functions
• State of India's environment
• Sustainable development
• Strategies for sustainable development

Environment and Sustainable Development practice questions with answers

1. Q1Multiple choice·1 mark
   Which of the following is a major factor contributing to the degraded state of India's environment?

   1. (a)Excessive reliance on traditional agriculture
   2. (b)Implementation of strict conservation laws
   3. (c)Rapid industrialization and urbanization
   4. (d)Zero waste generation policies
   Show answer and step marks

   1. Correct option: (c) Rapid industrialization and urbanization+1

   Answer: (c)
2. Q2Multiple choice·1 mark
   Which of the following vital functions of the environment ensures that the garbage, effluents, and by-products generated by production and consumption activities are naturally processed and absorbed without causing ecological collapse?

   1. (a)Supplying renewable and non-renewable resources
   2. (b)Sustaining life by providing genetic diversity
   3. (c)Assimilating waste
   4. (d)Providing aesthetic services
   Show answer and step marks

   1. Correct option: (c) Assimilating waste+1

   Answer: (c)
3. Q3Short answer·2 marks
   Define sustainable development. State the two main aspects emphasized by this concept.
   Show answer and step marks

   1. Definition: sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.+1
   2. First aspect: intergenerational equity, i.e. resources and the environment are preserved so that future generations can meet their needs (Brundtland's idea of limits on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs also earns the mark).+0.5
   3. Second aspect: intragenerational equity, i.e. meeting the basic needs of all people today, especially the poor (Brundtland's concept of needs also earns the mark).+0.5

   Answer: Development that meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs; it emphasises intergenerational equity (preserving resources for the future) and intragenerational equity (meeting the basic needs of all, especially the poor, today).
4. Q4Short answer·3 marks
   Define the environment and state any three vital functions it performs.
   Show answer and step marks

   1. Definition: environment is the total planetary inheritance and the totality of all resources.+1
   2. It includes all the biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) factors that influence each other.+0.5
   3. First function, any one of: supplies resources (renewable and non-renewable); assimilates waste; sustains life by providing genetic and biodiversity; provides aesthetic services such as scenery; or any other valid function.+0.5
   4. Second function, a different one from the same list.+0.5
   5. Third function, a different one from the same list.+0.5

   Answer: Environment is the total planetary inheritance and the totality of all resources, biotic and abiotic. Any three of: it supplies resources, assimilates waste, sustains life through genetic and biodiversity, and provides aesthetic services.

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