UPSC Prelims 2015 · Question 9 of 98

UPSC Prelims 2015 question on Keibul Lamjao National Park

Which of the following National Parks is unique in being a swamp with floating vegetation that supports a rich biodiversity?

  1. Bhitarkanika National Park
  2. Keibul Lamjao National Park
  3. Keoladeo Ghana National Park
  4. Sultanpur National Park
Show answer

Answer: B. Keibul Lamjao National Park

Verdict

The answer is Keibul Lamjao National Park. It is the world's only floating national park.

Analysis

Keibul Lamjao lies on Loktak Lake in Manipur and rests on phumdis, floating masses of decomposed vegetation, soil and organic matter thick enough to bear the weight of animals. It is the last natural habitat of the sangai, the Manipur brow antlered deer. Bhitarkanika in Odisha is a mangrove and crocodile habitat. Keoladeo Ghana at Bharatpur is a man made shallow wetland famous for waterbirds. Sultanpur in Haryana is a small wetland bird sanctuary. None of the three floats.

Source

Conservation reporting on Keibul Lamjao.

How to crack it

The stem gives you the diagnostic word, floating, and only one Indian protected area is defined by it. Whenever a stem describes a park as unique in some respect, look for the single feature rather than running through the list of parks. Tie Keibul Lamjao, Loktak Lake, phumdis and the sangai together as one memory block, because UPSC has asked this cluster from more than one direction and the sangai was in the news for translocation.

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