UPSC Prelims 2018 · Question 13 of 99
UPSC Prelims 2018 question on Aral Sea Shrinking
- ExamUPSC CSE
- Year2018
- PaperGeneral Studies Paper I
- SubjectGeography
- TopicIndian Map-Based Geography
- DifficultyHard
- TypeStatement
Which of the following has/have shrunk immensely/dried up in the recent past due to human activities?
1. Aral Sea
2. Black Sea
3. Lake Baikal
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Show answer
Answer: A. 1 only
Analysis
Only the Aral Sea qualifies, so the answer is (a) 1 only.
Statement by statement
Statement 1 is CORRECT. As per NASA, the Aral Sea has shrunk by about 75 percent of its original size over the last 50 years, mainly because of water diversion for agriculture in surrounding areas. Its depth has fallen from 68 metres in the 1960s to less than 10 metres.
Statement 2 is INCORRECT. The Black Sea is not a case of immense shrinkage or drying up from human activity.
Statement 3 is INCORRECT. In Lake Baikal the water level has gone below the critical mark of 456 metres eleven times since 1962, but that is a fluctuating regime rather than sustained drying, and the shrinkage is not comparable to the Aral Sea.
Source
The Hindu feature on the Aral Sea region in ecological tailspin.
How to crack it
Read the qualifier, not just the name. The stem demands shrinking immensely or drying up, which is a far stronger claim than being polluted or stressed. Baikal and the Black Sea are genuinely troubled water bodies, and that is exactly why they were placed here. When a stem uses an intensifier, grade each option against the intensifier rather than against a vague sense that the place is in the news for environmental reasons.