Q1. [3] medium thorough-understanding
Tiger populations in India declined drastically during the twentieth century due to human activities. Identify TWO distinct human-driven causes behind this decline and explain how each factor specifically threatened the tiger's survival.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 13:29 · grounding rag
Model Answer
Two human-driven causes behind the decline of tiger population:
- Poaching for trade: Tigers were illegally hunted for their skins and bones. Tiger skins were sold in markets, and bones were used in traditional medicines especially in Asian countries. This directly reduced tiger numbers, pushing them to the verge of extinction.
- Shrinking habitat due to growing human population: Expanding human settlements and activities led to large-scale deforestation, destroying tiger habitats. Loss of habitat also caused depletion of prey base species, leaving tigers without adequate food and space to survive.
Source: Forest and Wildlife Resources, Chapter 2 (Project Tiger section)
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Explanation
- The question asks for TWO distinct causes — examiners want separate points, not overlapping ones. Pick poaching + habitat loss (or prey depletion) as these are explicitly stated in the passage.
- Each cause needs a brief explanation of how it threatened survival — don't just name the cause.
- At 3 marks, two developed points (not just headings) are expected. About 60–80 words is ideal.
- Use textbook terminology: "depletion of prey base species," "shrinking habitat," "trade of tiger skins," "traditional medicines."