Environmental Studies Question Papers, Delhi University

Environmental Studies Syllabus for Undergraduate Students of Delhi University

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Environmental Studies Syllabus

(One-Semester Compulsory Core Module for Undergraduate Programmes)
[Only For Delhi University Students]

Compulsory Course on Environmental Studies for Undergraduates of University of Delhi (One Semester)

Unit 1: Introduction to environmental studies

• Multidisciplinary nature of environmental studies;

• Scope and importance; Need for public awareness. (2 lectures)

Unit 2: Ecosystems

• What is an ecosystem? Structure and function of ecosystem; Energy flow in an ecosystem:

Food chains, food webs and ecological succession. Case studies of the following ecosystems:
a) Forest ecosystem

b) Grassland ecosystem

c) Desert ecosystem

d)Aquatic ecosystems (ponds, streams, lakes, rivers, oceans, estuaries) (6 lectures)

Unit 3: Natural Resources: Renewable and Non-renewable Resources

• Land resources and land use change; Land degradation, soil erosion and desertification.

• Deforestation: Causes and impacts due to mining, dam building on environment, forests, biodiversity and tribal populations.

• Water: Use and over-exploitation of surface and ground water, floods, droughts, conflicts over water (international & inter-state).

• Energy resources: Renewable and non-renewable energy sources, use of alternate energy sources, growing energy needs, case studies. (8 lectures)

Unit 4: Biodiversity and Conservation

• Levels of biological diversity : genetic, species and ecosystem diversity; Biogeographic zones of India; Biodiversity patterns and global biodiversity hot spots

• India as a mega-biodiversity nation; Endangered and endemic species of India

• Threats to biodiversity: Habitat loss, poaching of wildlife, man-wildlife conflicts, biological invasions; Conservation of biodiversity: In-situ and Ex-situ conservation of biodiversity.

• Ecosystem and biodiversity services: Ecological, economic, social, ethical, aesthetic and Informational value. (8 lectures)

Unit 5: Environmental Pollution

• Environmental pollution : types, causes, effects and controls; Air, water, soil and noise pollution

• Nuclear hazards and human health risks

• Solid waste management: Control measures of urban and industrial waste.

• Pollution case studies. (8 lectures)

Unit 6: Environmental Policies & Practices

• Sustainability and sustainable development.

• Climate change, global warming, ozone layer depletion, acid rain and impacts on human communities and agriculture

• Environment Laws: Environment Protection Act; Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act; Water (Prevention and control of Pollution) Act; Wildlife Protection Act; Forest Conservation Act.

• Nature reserves, tribal populations and rights, and human wildlife conflicts in Indian context.
(7 lectures)

Unit 7: Human Communities and the Environment

• Human population growth: Impacts on environment, human health and welfare.

• Resettlement and rehabilitation of project affected persons; case studies.

• Disaster management: floods, earthquake, cyclones and landslides.

• Environmental movements: Chipko, Silent valley, Bishnois of Rajasthan.

• Environmental ethics: Role of Indian and other religions and cultures in environmental conservation.

• Environmental communication and public awareness, case studies (e.g., CNG vehicles in Delhi).
(6 lectures)

Unit 8: Field work

• Visit to an area to document environmental assets: river/ forest/ flora/fauna, etc.

• Visit to a local polluted site-Urban/Rural/Industrial/Agricultural.

• Study of common plants, insects, birds and basic principles of identification.

• Study of simple ecosystems-pond, river, Delhi Ridge, etc. (Equals to 5 lectures)

Suggested Readings:

· Bharucha, E. 2003, Textbook for EnvironmentalStudies, University Grants Commission, New Delhi and Bharati VidyapeethInstitute of Environmental Education and Research, Pune. 361.

· Carson, Rachel. 1962. Silent Spring (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1962), Mariner Books, 2002

· Economy, Elizabeth. 2010. The River Runs Black: The Environmental Challenge to China's Future.

· Gadgil, M. & Ramachandra, G. 1993. This fissured land: an ecological history of India. University of California Press.

· Gleeson, B. and Low, N. (eds.) 1999. Global Ethics and Environment, London, Routledge.

· Grumbine, R. Edward, and Pandit, M.K. Threats from India’s Himalaya dams.

· Science 339.6115 (2013): 36-37. Heywood V.H. & Watson, R.T. 1995. Global Biodiversity Assessment. Cambridge University Press.

· McCully, P. 1996. Silenced rivers: the ecology and politics of large dams. Zed Books.

· McNeill, John R. 2000. Something New Under the Sun: An Environmental History of the Twentieth Century.

· Odum, E.P., Odum, H.T. & Andrews, J. 1971. Fundamentals of Ecology. Philadelphia: Saunders.

· Pepper, I.L., Gerba, C.P. & Brusseau, M.L. 2011. Environmental and Pollution Science. Academic press, 2011.

· Rao MN and Datta AK, 1987. Waste Water Treatment. Oxford and IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd.

· Raven, P.H., Hassenzahl, D.M. & Berg, L.R. 2012. Environment. 8^th edition. John Wiley & Sons.

· Ricklefs, R. E., & Miller, G.L. 2000. Ecology. W. H. Freeman, New York.

· Robbins, P. 2012. Political ecology: A critical introduction. John Wiley & Sons.

· Rosencranz, A., Divan, S. & Noble, M.L.. Environmental law and policy in India. 2001. Tripathi 1992.

· Sengupta, R. 2003. Ecology and economics (OUP): An approach to sustainable

· development." OUP Catalogue.

· Singh, J.S., Singh, S.P. and Gupta, S.R. 2006. Ecology, Environment and Resource Ecology, Environment and Resource Conservation. Anamaya Publishers.

· Sodhi, N.S., Gibson, L. & Raven, P.HG. (eds). 2013. Conservation biology: voices from the Tropics. John Wiley & Sons.

· Van Leeuwen, C. J., & Vermeire, T. G. 2007. Risk assessment of chemicals.\

· World Commission on Environment and Development. 1987. Our Common Future. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Environmental Studies Paper-5

On 01:07 By Deepesh // 2 comments:

Paper – 5

Environmental Studies (Qualifying Paper)

Compulsory Course on Environmental Studies for Undergraduates of University of Delhi [One Semester]

This question paper contains 4+2 printed pages]

S.No. of Question Paper: 1541

Unique Paper Code : ES2014

Name of the Paper : Environmental Studies

Name of the Course : Undergraduate Course [Compulsory and Qualifying]

Semester : II

Duration: 3 Hours | Maximum Marks: 75

(Write your Roll No. on the top immediately on receipt of this question paper)

Note: – Answers may be written either in English or in Hindi; but the same medium should be used throughout the paper.

Attempt any Five questions.

All questions carry equal marks.

1. (a) Fill in the Blanks

5X1=5

(i) Ozone layer depletion is caused by ___________.

(ii) Each link in a Food Chain is called ____________.

(iii) World Environment Day is observed on ________ every year.
(iv) __________ region is a biodiversity hotspot in India.

(v) ___________ is a non – renewable source of energy.

(b) Explain any five of the following:

5X2=10

i.) Food Web

ii.) Soil erosion

iii.) Poaching

iv.) Eutrophication

v.) Sustainable development

vi.) Ecosystem

vii.) Global warming

2. Write a short paragraph on the any three of the following :

3X5=15

i.) Aquatic Ecosystems

ii.) Wind energy

i iii.) India as a mega – diversity nation

iv.) Noise pollution and human health

v.) Multi – disciplinary nature of Environmental Studies.

3. (a) Describe any five services we obtain from our planet’s biodiversity.

(b) What are the major threats to the forest of India?

4. (a) What is air pollution? Differentiate between primary and secondary pollutants. How does air pollution impact humans and plants?

2+3+5

(b) Discuss the reasons for depletion of water table in Delhi. What measures should be taken to remedy this problem?

2+3

5. (a) Differentiate between ex situ and in situ conservation.

(b) What are biosphere reserves? Name any two biosphere reserves of India and explain how these help in the conservation of biological diversity?

6. (a) What are alternate sources of Energy? Give examples. Why is it important to develop alternate sources of energy?

(b) Critically evaluate the use of nuclear energy with reference to environment and human health giving suitable examples.

7. (a) How do indigenous communities and their traditional practices contribute towards conservation of natural resources?

(b) Evaluate the role of various environment related laws of India in environmental conservation.

8. (a) “Social and electronic media are playing a significant role in generating environmental awareness and education.” Comment.

(b) Do the gains from major development projects outweigh the losses due to displacement of people? Comment. 7

Environmental Studies Paper-4

On 01:03 By Deepesh // No comments:

Paper – 4

Environmental Studies (Qualifying Paper)

Compulsory Course on Environmental Studies for Undergraduates of University of Delhi [One Semester]

This question paper contains 4 printed pages]

S.No. of Question Paper: 6097

Unique Paper Code : ES-2014

Name of the Paper : Environmental Studies

Name of the Course : Undergraduate Course Compulsory and Qualifying

Semester : I

Duration: 3 Hours | Maximum Marks: 75

(Write your Roll No. on the top immediately on receipt of this question paper)

Note: Answers may be written either in English or in Hindi; but the same medium should be used throughout the paper.

Attempt any Five questions.

All questions carry equal marks.

a) Match the following:

10X1=10

I) Tundra	I) Ozone Hole
II) Silent Valley	II) June 05
III) Pokhran	III) Tiger Reserve
IV)CFC	IV) Carbon Emission
V) Earth Day	V) Biodiesel
VI) Jim Corbett	VI) Missile Testing
VII) Kyoto Protocol	VII) Kerala
VIII) Jatropha	VIII) April 22
IX) World Environment Day	IX) Grassland Ecosystem
X) Mangrove	X) Gir forest
	XI) Sunderbans

b) Define (Any Five):

5X1=5

i. Sustainability

ii. Non-renewable sources of energy

iii. Endangered species

iv. Acid Rain

v. Ecosystem

vi. Smart cities

vii. Wetlands

2. Differentiate between:

3X5=15

a) Grassland ecosystem and Forest ecosystem

b) Nutrient cycle and Gaseous cycle

c) Biotic and Abiotic components of ecosystems.

3. Write short notes on:

3X5=15

a) Ganga Action Plan

b) Climate Change

c) Chipko Movement

4. What do you understand by poaching of wildlife? Describe the various methods use to prevent poaching and role of technology.

5. (a) The major threat to India’s Environment is the increasing population. Discuss.

(b) Is sustainable development possible in Indian perspective? Elaborate.

6. (a) Explain the causes and implication of deforestation.

(b) Describe briefly impact of mining on environment.

7. (a) Traditional and local knowledge about the forests among the local tribes helps in conserving the forest. Comment.

(b) Define pollution. Name its types and describe briefly any pollution case study discussed in class.

8. Critically evaluate any recent case study of environmental disaster.

Environmental Studies Paper-3

On 01:01 By Deepesh // No comments:

Paper – 3 | 2011

Environmental Studies (Qualifying Paper)

Compulsory Course on Environmental Studies for Undergraduates of University of Delhi [One Semester]

The Question paper contains 4 printed pages | 5183

B.Sc(H)/B.Sc. Phy. Sc./Life Science

Paper-ESQP

Environmental Studies

(Admission of 2010 and onwards)

Time - 3 Hours | Maximum Marks-50

(Write your Roll No. on the top of immediately on receipt of this question paper)

Answer five questions in all, including

Question no. 1 which is compulsory.

Attempt all parts of a question together.

1. Define any ten of the following terms:

(i) Environment

(ii) Resources

(iii) Pollution

(iv) Conservation

(v) Biodiversity

(vi) Deforestation

(Vii)Biosphere

(viii) Hot Spot

(ix) Carcinogen

(x) Endemic Species

(xi) Sustainable Development

(xii) Wetland

** 10x1=10**

2. (a) Differentiate between any two of the following:

(i)Renewable and Non-renewable Resources.

(ii)Ex-situ and In-situ Conservation.

(iii)Ozone as protector and ozone as destroyer.

**2x2.5=5**

(b) Expand any five of the following abbreviations:

i)CPCB

ii)CFC

iii)IUCN

iv)SPM

v)PAN

vi)CNG

**5x1=5**

3. Write short notes on any four of the following:

i)Impact of urbanization on environment

ii)Importance of forest as a resource

(iii)Noise pollution

(iv) Global Warming

(v) Threats to biodiversity.

**4x2.5=10**

4. (a) Discuss briefly the methods employed in conservation of soil.

**5**

(b) Discuss the measure being taken in Delhi to clean the waters of Yamuna.

**5**

5. Justify any two of the following statements:

(i) "Public awareness is a must to solve environmental issues."

(ii) " The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself."

(iii)" India is a megadiversity nation."

**2x5=10**

6. (a) Discuss the strategies you will adopt as a responsible citizen for sustainable development of India.

(b) Explain the consequences of over-utilization of water resources.

**5**

7. (a) How do human population and pollution affect biodiversity?

**5**

(b) Give the significance of the following dates in environmental issues:

I) April 24, 1973

II) June 5, Every Year

III) June 3-14, 1992

IV) April 22, Every Year

V) March 21, Every Year

**5**

8. State whether the following statements are True or False:

I) Newspapers, TV and NGO's create public awareness about the environment.

II) Ozone Protects biosphere from X-rays.

III) Noise pollution is measured in decibles.

IV) Red tide is associated with soil pollution.

V) Mining has adverse effects on groundwater.

VI) Habitat is a place where an organism naturally occurs.

VII) Dodo was extinct due to pollution.

VIII) DDT is a nerve poison.

IX) Minamata disease is caused by mercury poisoning.

X) The Principal cause of acid rain is gases from burning coal and oil dispersed in water in the atmosphere.

**10X1=10**

Environmental Studies Paper-2

On 00:59 By Deepesh // 2 comments:

Paper-2

Environmental Studies (Qualifying Paper)

Compulsory Course on Environmental Studies for Undergraduates of University of Delhi [One Semester]

The Question paper contains 4 printed pages | 5176

B.Sc/B.Sc(Hons.)

ES-111 - Environmental Science

Time - 2 Hours | Maximum Marks-45

(Write your Roll No. on the top of immediately on receipt of this question paper)

Answer Section A and B on separate answer books.

**Section A**

Answer Three questions including

Question No. 1, which is compulsory.

1. (a) Define any five of the following terms: **1X5=5**

(i) Greenhouse effect

(ii) Photovoltaic Cell

(iii) Community of Plants

(iv) Degraded lands

(v) Social Forestry

(vi) Food Chain

(vii) Endangered Species

(b) Write the botanical names of any three: 0.5X3=1.5

(i) A common tree

(ii) A wild Plant

(iii) A shrub

(iv) Any tree used for afforestation

(v) Any hydrophytic plant

(i) Concept of Sustainable Development

(ii) Methodology and advantages of Alley-cropping;

(iii) Need for conservation of Natural Resources;

(iv) Environmental friendly practices in industries.

2. What are fossil fuels? How their excessive use influence the environment? **5**

What is the need for Environmental Impact Assessment? Explain the concept using an example?

4. Explain any two of the following of the following: 2X2.5=5

(a) Environmental Studies are multidisciplinary in nature.

(b) Biodiversity is under threat.

(d) Deforestation leads to soil erosion.

** Section B**

Answer Three questions in all, including Question No. 1 which is compulsory.

1. (a) Define the following:

(i) Eutrophication;

(ii) Limiting factor principle;

(iii) Smog

(iv) Flood Plain

(b) Differentiate between any three of the following:

(i) El Nono and La Nina;

(ii) Closed loop recycling and Down cycling;

(iii) Primary pollutant and Secondary pollutants;

(iv) Ecological extinction and biological extinction.

(i) Tsunami

(ii) Global Warming

(d) Give the names of any three endangered animals. **1.5**

2. What is ozone-layer depletion? Discuss its possible causes and effects.

What is seismicity? How is it responsible for natural disasters? **5**

3. River Yamuna gets highly polluted as it passes through Delhi. Give the reasons and possible remedies.

Discuss the environmental impacts of mining. **5 **

4. Write short notes on any two of the following: **5**

(a)Desertification;

(b) Effect of pollution on monuments of National Importance;