Q1. [4] deep exam-ready
Read the following information and answer the questions that follow:
In the 1970s, the Indian government recognised that certain animal species were on the verge of extinction. Among the most urgent cases was the tiger — once estimated at 55,000 in number, the population had crashed to 1,827 by 1973. The threats were multiple: poaching for skins and bones used in traditional medicines, shrinking forest habitats, depletion of prey species, and a rapidly growing human population encroaching on wildlife areas. India and Nepal, which together shelter about two-thirds of the world's surviving tiger population, became hotspots for illegal trade. In response, Project Tiger was launched in 1973, establishing several tiger reserves across the country from Uttarakhand in the north to Kerala in the south.
(i) Why were India and Nepal specifically targeted by poachers in the illegal tiger trade? [1 mark]
(ii) Apart from poaching, mention any two other threats responsible for the decline of tiger population. [1 mark]
(iii) How does tiger conservation also serve a broader ecological purpose beyond saving the species itself? [2 marks]
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 13:30 · grounding rag
Model Answer
(i) India and Nepal were prime targets for poachers because they together provide habitat to about two-thirds of the world's surviving tiger population, making them the most concentrated source for illegal trade in tiger skins and bones.
(ii) Two other threats responsible for the decline of tiger population:
- Shrinking forest habitat
- Depletion of prey base species
(iii) Tiger conservation serves a broader ecological purpose because the tiger is a key species in the faunal web — protecting it means preserving large biotypes (ecosystems) of sizeable magnitude. When tiger habitats are secured, the entire biodiversity of that ecosystem — prey species, vegetation, water bodies, and soil — is also protected, maintaining ecological balance and life support systems.
Source: Project Tiger; Conservation of Forest and Wildlife in India — Chapter 2
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Explanation
- (i) is a direct 1-mark retrieval — quote/paraphrase the passage's reason: two-thirds of world tiger population sheltered here.
- (ii) any two from: shrinking habitat, depletion of prey base, growing human population — pick the clearest two.
- (iii) examiners want TWO ideas: (a) tiger as a keystone/key species in the faunal web, and (b) conservation of biotypes/ecosystems, not just the species. Link tiger protection → habitat protection → broader biodiversity. Avoid vague statements; use textbook terms like biotypes and faunal web.