UGC NET LAW – ENVIRONMENTAL LAW TEST SERIES (TEST 1)

Total Questions: 50 | Time: 1 Hour | Marks: 100

SECTION A — ENVIRONMENTAL LAW: BASIC PRINCIPLES

1. Environmental protection is included in the Indian Constitution under:

a) Article 14
b) Article 21
c) Article 19
d) Article 25

2. Polluter Pays Principle was recognized in India in:

a) M.C. Mehta v. Union of India (Oleum Gas Leak)
b) Vellore Citizens’ Welfare Forum v. Union of India
c) Subhash Kumar v. State of Bihar
d) Rural Litigation Kendra v. State of UP

3. Precautionary Principle means:

a) Take action after harm occurs
b) Burden of proof on polluter
c) Avoid harm even if scientific certainty is lacking
d) No liability for pollution

4. Sustainable Development includes:

a) Only environmental protection
b) Only economic growth
c) Both environment and development
d) No development in protected areas

5. Public Trust Doctrine asserts that:

a) Environment belongs to private owners
b) State holds natural resources as trustee for the public
c) Polluters own the resources
d) Courts own rivers

SECTION B — INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW

6. Stockholm Conference was held in:

a) 1970
b) 1972
c) 1982
d) 1990

7. Rio Declaration was adopted in:

a) 1987
b) 1990
c) 1992
d) 1999

8. Kyoto Protocol deals with:

a) Biodiversity
b) Climate change
c) Desertification
d) Hazardous waste

9. Paris Agreement aims to limit global temperature rise to:

a) 3°C
b) 2°C
c) 1.5°C–2°C
d) 4°C

10. The principle of “Common but Differentiated Responsibilities” is from:

a) Basel Convention
b) Stockholm Declaration
c) Rio Declaration
d) Cartagena Protocol

SECTION C — INDIAN CONSTITUTION & ENVIRONMENT

11. Article 48A deals with:

a) Wildlife protection
b) Forest management
c) Protection and improvement of environment
d) Water conservation

12. Article 51A(g) imposes duty on:

a) State
b) NGOs
c) Citizens
d) Police

13. Right to clean environment is a part of Article 21 due to:

a) Maneka Gandhi case
b) M.C. Mehta series of cases
c) Menaka Mills case
d) Kesavananda Bharati case

14. The leading case on groundwater as a public trust:

a) Subhash Kumar v. State of Bihar
b) M.C. Mehta v. Kamal Nath
c) Vellore Citizens’ Welfare Forum
d) A.P. Pollution Control Board v. Prof. Nayudu

15. “Absolute Liability” principle was laid down in:

a) Oleum Gas Leak case
b) Bhopal Gas case
c) Rural Litigation case
d) M.C. Mehta v. Union of India (Ganga Pollution)

SECTION D — ENVIRONMENTAL ACTS: KEY PROVISIONS

16. The Water Act was enacted in:

a) 1970
b) 1972
c) 1974
d) 1981

17. The Air Act was enacted in:

a) 1970
b) 1974
c) 1981
d) 1987

18. Environment Protection Act (EPA) was enacted in:

a) 1981
b) 1986
c) 1990
d) 1992

19. Forest Conservation Act was enacted in:

a) 1980
b) 1986
c) 1956
d) 1992

20. Wildlife Protection Act was enacted in:

a) 1962
b) 1972
c) 1980
d) 1995

SECTION E — POLLUTION CONTROL MECHANISMS

21. SPCB stands for:

a) State Pollution Control Board
b) State Pollution Check Bureau
c) State Pollution Control Branch
d) State Protection Board

22. CPCB was established under:

a) Water Act
b) Air Act
c) EPA 1986
d) Wildlife Act

23. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is mandated under:

a) Forest Act
b) Wildlife Act
c) EPA 1986
d) Air Act

24. Noise pollution was added to EPA through:

a) 1987 Rules
b) 1992 Rules
c) 2000 Rules
d) 2010 Rules

25. National Green Tribunal Act was passed in:

a) 2008
b) 2010
c) 2012
d) 2014

SECTION F — BIODIVERSITY, FORESTRY & WILDLIFE

26. Biological Diversity Act was enacted in:

a) 1992
b) 1994
c) 2002
d) 2005

27. National Biodiversity Authority is located in:

a) Delhi
b) Chennai
c) Bengaluru
d) Kolkata

28. The three-tier biodiversity mechanism includes:

a) UN, State, Panchayat
b) National, State, Local bodies
c) National, State, NGOs
d) UNEP, NGT, SPCB

29. Tiger conservation is governed by:

a) Wildlife Act, 1972
b) Project Tiger (1973)
c) National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)
d) All of the above

30. Biosafety Protocol refers to:

a) Kyoto
b) Cartagena
c) Basel
d) Stockholm

SECTION G — LAND, WATER & AIR PROTECTION

31. Air pollution definition under Air Act includes:

a) Noise
b) Solid waste
c) Smoke, dust, fumes, vapours
d) Radioactive waste

32. Water pollution includes:

a) Only industrial waste
b) Thermal pollution
c) Any contamination altering physical, chemical, biological properties
d) Only chemical discharge

33. “No-objection certificate” (NOC) for industries is issued by:

a) CPCB
b) SPCB
c) NGT
d) Ministry of Environment

34. Forest is defined under:

a) EPA
b) Forest Act
c) As per Supreme Court in T.N. Godavarman case
d) Water Act

35. Eco-sensitive zones are declared under:

a) Wildlife Act
b) EPA 1986
c) Air Act
d) COP Decisions

SECTION H — ENVIRONMENTAL LIABILITY

36. Strict liability is based on:

a) Rylands v. Fletcher
b) Oleum Gas case
c) Bhopal disaster
d) Stockholm Declaration

37. Absolute liability developed due to:

a) Hazardous industries
b) Charity organizations
c) Urban development
d) Public-private partnerships

38. Compensation under NGT Act must be:

a) Minimum
b) Maximum
c) Reasonable & adequate
d) Symbolic

39. Environmental relief fund created under:

a) EPA
b) Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991
c) Water Act
d) Wildlife Act

40. “Reverse burden of proof” means:

a) Victim must prove harm
b) Polluter must prove he did NOT cause harm
c) No burden
d) Police proves guilt

SECTION I — CASE LAWS & JUDICIAL ACTIVISM

41. Right to pollution-free environment recognized in:

a) A.K. Gopalan
b) Subhash Kumar
c) Kharak Singh
d) Sajjan Singh

42. Taj Trapezium case relates to:

a) Oil spill
b) Air pollution
c) Forest encroachment
d) Noise pollution

43. Ganga Pollution case was filed by:

a) M.C. Mehta
b) Greenpeace
c) WWF
d) ULFA

44. Leading case on EIA:

a) Vellore Citizens
b) Narmada Bachao Andolan
c) Oleum Gas
d) M.C. Mehta v. Union of India (Taj Trapezium)

45. “Precautionary Principle is part of Indian law” declared in:

a) Narmada Bachao Andolan
b) Rural Litigation Kendra
c) Vellore Citizens’ Welfare Forum
d) Subhash Kumar

SECTION J — CONTEMPORARY ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

46. Plastic Waste Management Rules amended in:

a) 2011
b) 2016
c) 2020
d) 2022

47. Climate Change Performance Index relates to:

a) UNHRC
b) UNEP
c) Germanwatch
d) UNFCCC

48. National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) launched in:

a) 2011
b) 2014
c) 2019
d) 2021

49. COP stands for:

a) Conference of Parties
b) Council of Parliament
c) Committee on Pollution
d) Court of Protection

50. India’s first environment-related tax:

a) Water tax
b) Green tax
c) Carbon tax
d) Coal cess (Clean Energy Cess)

#️⃣ ANSWER KEY + EXPLANATIONS

SECTION A

  1. b) Article 21 includes right to clean environment.
  2. b) Vellore case recognized Polluter Pays Principle.
  3. c) Act before harm even if unsure.
  4. c) Integration of development + ecosystem protection.
  5. b) Resources like rivers/forests belong to the public.

SECTION B

  1. b) First global environmental conference.
  2. c) Rio Earth Summit.
  3. b) Kyoto = climate change.
  4. c) Paris aims at 1.5°C–2°C.
  5. c) Introduced in Rio Declaration.

SECTION C

  1. c) Article 48A = DP of environment protection.
  2. c) Duty of citizens.
  3. b M.C. Mehta cases expanded Article 21.
  4. b) Kamal Nath: public trust doctrine.
  5. a) Absolute liability from Oleum Gas Leak.

SECTION D

  1. c) Water Act 1974.
  2. c) Air Act 1981.
  3. b) EPA enacted post-Bhopal disaster.
  4. a) Forest Conservation Act 1980.
  5. b) Wildlife Protection Act 1972.

SECTION E

  1. a) SPCB = State Pollution Control Board.
  2. a) CPCB created under Water Act.
  3. c) EIA mandated under EPA.
  4. c) Noise rules introduced in 2000.
  5. b) NGT Act enacted in 2010.

SECTION F

  1. c) Biodiversity Act 2002.
  2. b) NBA located in Chennai.
  3. b) Three-tier: National–State–Local Biodiversity Committees.
  4. d) All options form tiger protection regime.
  5. b) Cartagena Protocol = biosafety (GMOs).

SECTION G

  1. c) Air pollutants include smoke, vapour, etc.
  2. c) Any contamination affecting properties of water.
  3. b) Industries need NOC from SPCB.
  4. c) “Forest” defined judicially in Godavarman case.
  5. b) ESZs declared under EPA.

SECTION H

  1. a) Based on Rylands v. Fletcher.
  2. a) Hazardous industries → absolute liability.
  3. **c) ** Compensation must be adequate.
  4. b) Public Liability Insurance Act created relief fund.
  5. b) Polluter must prove innocence.

SECTION I

  1. b) Subhash Kumar recognized right to pollution-free environment.
  2. b) Taj Trapezium = air pollution case.
  3. a) Filed by M.C. Mehta.
  4. b) EIA challenged in Narmada Bachao case.
  5. c) Precautionary principle declared part of Indian law.

SECTION J

  1. b) Plastic rules amended in 2016.
  2. c) CCPI published by Germanwatch.
  3. c) NCAP launched in 2019.
  4. a) COP = Conference of Parties.
  5. d) First environmental tax = coal cess (2010).

Leave a Reply