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BSSC Field Assistant practice questions

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Question 1General Awareness and Current Affairs

Which body in India prepares and conducts elections to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies?

  1. Election Commission of India Correct answer.
  2. NITI Aayog
  3. Finance Commission
  4. Union Public Service Commission

Explanation

The Election Commission of India is a constitutional body under Article 324 that supervises, directs and controls the preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of elections to Parliament, State legislatures, and the offices of President and Vice-President. The other bodies listed perform planning, recruitment, or fiscal transfer functions.

Question 2General Awareness and Current Affairs

The Tropic of Cancer passes through which of the following Indian states?

  1. Punjab
  2. Rajasthan Correct answer.
  3. Kerala
  4. Tamil Nadu

Explanation

The Tropic of Cancer crosses eight Indian states: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura and Mizoram. Rajasthan lies on this line, while Kerala, Punjab and Tamil Nadu do not.

Question 3General Awareness and Current Affairs

In the Indian Constitution, which Fundamental Right is described as the 'heart and soul' of the Constitution by Dr B R Ambedkar?

  1. Right against Exploitation
  2. Right to Constitutional Remedies Correct answer.
  3. Right to Freedom of Religion
  4. Right to Equality

Explanation

Article 32, the Right to Constitutional Remedies, was called the heart and soul of the Constitution by Dr Ambedkar because it allows citizens to move the Supreme Court directly for enforcement of Fundamental Rights. Without an enforcement mechanism, the other rights would be ineffective.

Question 4General Awareness and Current Affairs

Which of the following is the largest source of revenue receipts for the Union Government of India?

  1. Dividends from public sector enterprises
  2. Interest receipts
  3. Grants from foreign governments
  4. Direct and indirect taxes Correct answer.

Explanation

Tax revenue, comprising direct taxes such as income tax and corporation tax and indirect taxes such as GST and customs duties, accounts for the overwhelming share of the Union Government's revenue receipts. Non-tax receipts like interest and dividends are much smaller.

Question 5General Awareness and Current Affairs

Which vitamin deficiency causes the disease scurvy, historically common among sailors on long voyages?

  1. Vitamin B12
  2. Vitamin C Correct answer.
  3. Vitamin D
  4. Vitamin A

Explanation

Scurvy results from a deficiency of Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), which is needed for collagen synthesis. Sailors without fresh fruit or vegetables developed bleeding gums and poor wound healing.

Question 6General Awareness and Current Affairs

Who was the first woman to become the President of India?

  1. Sarojini Naidu
  2. Pratibha Patil Correct answer.
  3. Sucheta Kripalani
  4. Indira Gandhi

Explanation

Pratibha Patil served as President of India from 2007 to 2012 and was the first woman to hold the office. Indira Gandhi was the first woman Prime Minister, while Sarojini Naidu and Sucheta Kripalani held other prominent positions.

Question 7General Awareness and Current Affairs

Which of the following is a Kharif crop sown with the onset of the south-west monsoon in India?

  1. Mustard
  2. Wheat
  3. Paddy Correct answer.
  4. Barley

Explanation

Kharif crops are sown in June-July with the arrival of the south-west monsoon and harvested in autumn; paddy, maize, cotton and jute are typical examples. Wheat, mustard and barley are Rabi crops grown in winter.

Question 8General Awareness and Current Affairs

The headquarters of the World Trade Organization is located in which city?

  1. Vienna
  2. Geneva Correct answer.
  3. New York
  4. Paris

Explanation

The World Trade Organization, established in 1995 as the successor to GATT, is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. New York hosts the UN headquarters, Paris hosts UNESCO and the OECD, and Vienna hosts the IAEA.

Question 9General Awareness and Current Affairs

Which Article of the Indian Constitution provides for the appointment of a Finance Commission every five years?

  1. Article 370
  2. Article 324
  3. Article 356
  4. Article 280 Correct answer.

Explanation

Article 280 mandates that the President constitute a Finance Commission every five years to recommend distribution of tax proceeds between the Union and States and principles governing grants-in-aid. The other articles deal with elections, President's Rule and special status for Jammu and Kashmir respectively.

Question 10General Awareness and Current Affairs

The Indian Standard Time is based on the longitude passing through which place?

  1. 82 degrees 30 minutes East, near Mirzapur Correct answer.
  2. 75 degrees East, near Ahmedabad
  3. 90 degrees East, near Kolkata
  4. 68 degrees East, near Dwarka

Explanation

Indian Standard Time is calculated from the standard meridian of 82 degrees 30 minutes East, which passes near Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh, giving a time of UTC plus 5 hours 30 minutes. The other longitudes correspond to different local times.

Question 11General Awareness and Current Affairs

Which writ is issued by a court to a public authority that has failed to perform a duty imposed on it by law?

  1. Certiorari
  2. Quo Warranto
  3. Habeas Corpus
  4. Mandamus Correct answer.

Explanation

Mandamus is a command directing a public official or body to perform a legal duty that it has refused or failed to perform. Habeas Corpus protects personal liberty, Certiorari quashes orders of lower courts, and Quo Warranto questions the authority of a person holding public office.

Question 12General Awareness and Current Affairs

The Reserve Bank of India uses which instrument to reduce the money supply by absorbing liquidity from the banking system?

  1. Reducing the cash reserve ratio
  2. Reducing the repo rate
  3. Selling government securities in the open market Correct answer.
  4. Increasing lending to priority sectors

Explanation

When the RBI sells government securities in the open market, banks pay for them and their reserves with the central bank fall, contracting credit and money supply. Reducing the repo rate or cash reserve ratio does the opposite by making credit cheaper or more available.

Question 13General Awareness and Current Affairs

Which layer of the Earth's atmosphere contains the ozone layer that absorbs most ultraviolet radiation?

  1. Troposphere
  2. Ionosphere
  3. Mesosphere
  4. Stratosphere Correct answer.

Explanation

The ozone layer lies mainly in the stratosphere, roughly 15 to 35 kilometres above the surface, where ozone molecules absorb harmful ultraviolet radiation. The troposphere is the lowest weather layer and the mesosphere lies above the stratosphere.

Question 14General Awareness and Current Affairs

Who founded the Servants of India Society in 1905 to promote social reform and national awakening?

  1. Gopal Krishna Gokhale Correct answer.
  2. Bipin Chandra Pal
  3. Lala Lajpat Rai
  4. Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Explanation

Gopal Krishna Gokhale founded the Servants of India Society in Pune in 1905 to train dedicated workers for social and political reform. Tilak, Lajpat Rai and Bipin Chandra Pal were leaders of the assertive nationalist trio known as Lal-Bal-Pal.

Question 15General Awareness and Current Affairs

Which of the following rivers flows through a rift valley and is known as the 'Sorrow of Bihar' for its frequent floods?

  1. Godavari
  2. Krishna
  3. Kosi Correct answer.
  4. Narmada

Explanation

The Kosi, which shifts its course frequently and floods north Bihar, is called the Sorrow of Bihar. The Narmada flows through a rift valley but drains westward into Gujarat and is not associated with that title, while the Godavari and Krishna are peninsular rivers.

Question 16General Awareness and Current Affairs

The Fundamental Duties of citizens were added to the Indian Constitution on the recommendation of which committee?

  1. Sarkaria Commission
  2. Swaran Singh Committee Correct answer.
  3. Rajamannar Committee
  4. Punchhi Commission

Explanation

The Swaran Singh Committee recommended the inclusion of Fundamental Duties, and they were added by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1976 as Article 51A. The Sarkaria and Punchhi Commissions dealt with Centre-State relations.

Question 17General Awareness and Current Affairs

Which of the following is the correct sequence of the four stages of the human digestive process for a meal containing starch?

  1. Mouth, stomach, small intestine, large intestine Correct answer.
  2. Stomach, mouth, oesophagus, large intestine
  3. Mouth, oesophagus, large intestine, small intestine
  4. Oesophagus, stomach, large intestine, small intestine

Explanation

Food is chewed in the mouth where salivary amylase begins starch digestion, passes down the oesophagus to the stomach, and then enters the small intestine for main digestion and absorption before residues move to the large intestine. The other sequences place organs in a physiologically impossible order.

Question 18General Awareness and Current Affairs

Which Indian state has the longest coastline among all states?

  1. Andhra Pradesh
  2. Maharashtra
  3. Gujarat Correct answer.
  4. Tamil Nadu

Explanation

Gujarat has the longest coastline of any Indian state, at roughly 1,600 kilometres, owing to its deeply indented Gulf of Kutch and Gulf of Khambhat. Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have long coasts but shorter than Gujarat's.

Question 19General Awareness and Current Affairs

A field assistant must record the coordinates of a village well. Which of the following pairs correctly represents latitude and longitude values for a location in India?

  1. 77.21 degrees North, 28.61 degrees South
  2. 28.61 degrees South, 77.21 degrees West
  3. 28.61 degrees North, 77.21 degrees East Correct answer.
  4. 28.61 degrees East, 77.21 degrees North

Explanation

Latitude measures distance north or south of the equator and is given first, while longitude measures distance east or west of the prime meridian. Delhi lies at about 28.61 degrees North and 77.21 degrees East, so the first pair is correct.

Question 20General Awareness and Current Affairs

Which of the following is the primary function of the National Green Tribunal established in 2010?

  1. Framing the Union Budget
  2. Regulating foreign exchange transactions
  3. Adjudicating disputes relating to environmental protection and conservation Correct answer.
  4. Conducting the census of India

Explanation

The National Green Tribunal was set up under the NGT Act, 2010, to provide speedy adjudication of cases involving environmental protection, conservation of forests and enforcement of environmental laws. Budgeting, census operations and foreign exchange regulation belong to other bodies.

Question 21General Awareness and Current Affairs

Which of the following combinations of Indian states and their capitals is correctly matched?

  1. Nagaland - Kohima
  2. Mizoram - Shillong
  3. Meghalaya - Aizawl
  4. Manipur - Imphal Correct answer.

Explanation

Imphal is the capital of Manipur, so that pair is correct. Shillong is the capital of Meghalaya, Aizawl of Mizoram, and Kohima of Nagaland, meaning the other pairs swap capitals between states.

Question 22General Awareness and Current Affairs

In the context of the Indian Constitution, the doctrine of 'basic structure' means that Parliament cannot amend which of the following?

  1. Provisions dealing with the official language of the Union
  2. Any provision relating to the election of the President
  3. The essential features of the Constitution such as supremacy of the Constitution and judicial review Correct answer.
  4. The Fifth Schedule relating to Scheduled Areas

Explanation

The Supreme Court in Kesavananda Bharati v State of Kerala (1973) held that Parliament's amending power under Article 368 cannot destroy the basic structure, which includes features such as constitutional supremacy, judicial review, federalism and free elections. Ordinary provisions such as language and Scheduled Areas can be amended subject to that limit.

Question 23General Awareness and Current Affairs

A State Government wishes to obtain additional financial resources beyond its own taxes and shared taxes. Which constitutional mechanism allows Parliament to levy a tax whose proceeds are assigned wholly to the States?

  1. Article 275 grants-in-aid
  2. Article 282 discretionary grants
  3. Article 293 state borrowing
  4. Article 269 taxes levied and collected by the Union but assigned to States Correct answer.

Explanation

Article 269 covers taxes levied and collected by the Union but assigned to the States, such as taxes on inter-state trade in goods and services, giving States a constitutionally defined revenue stream. Article 275 provides statutory grants-in-aid, Article 282 allows discretionary grants, and Article 293 governs state borrowing.

Question 24General Awareness and Current Affairs

Consider a situation where the RBI wishes to tighten liquidity while the Government simultaneously runs a large fiscal deficit. Which combination of effects is most likely?

  1. Open market sales by the RBI and large government borrowing together push interest rates upward Correct answer.
  2. Both measures increase bank reserves and lower interest rates
  3. Open market sales reduce government borrowing requirements
  4. A large fiscal deficit automatically reduces the money supply

Explanation

Open market sales by the RBI drain bank reserves, and heavy government borrowing absorbs loanable funds, so both pressures tend to raise interest rates and crowd out private investment. The two measures work in the same direction on liquidity and rates rather than offsetting each other.

Question 25General Awareness and Current Affairs

Which of the following best explains why the Western Ghats receive very heavy rainfall while the Deccan Plateau to their east is comparatively dry?

  1. The Ghats block cold polar winds from reaching the plateau
  2. The plateau has higher atmospheric pressure that repels monsoon clouds
  3. The plateau is closer to the equator and therefore receives weaker monsoon winds
  4. The plateau lies in a rain shadow because the moist winds lose their moisture on the windward slopes Correct answer.

Explanation

During the south-west monsoon, moist winds from the Arabian Sea are forced up the western slopes of the Western Ghats, cool and release heavy orographic rainfall; the leeward Deccan Plateau lies in a rain shadow and receives much less rain. Latitude, polar winds and pressure differences do not explain this pattern.

Question 26General Awareness and Current Affairs

Under the Indian Constitution, a Money Bill can be introduced only in which House and with whose prior recommendation?

  1. Lok Sabha, with the prior recommendation of the Prime Minister
  2. Rajya Sabha, with the prior recommendation of the Vice-President
  3. Lok Sabha, with the prior recommendation of the President Correct answer.
  4. Either House, with the prior recommendation of the Speaker

Explanation

Article 110 defines a Money Bill, and Article 117 requires that such a Bill be introduced only in the Lok Sabha on the prior recommendation of the President. The Rajya Sabha may only make recommendations, which the Lok Sabha is free to accept or reject.

Question 27General Awareness and Current Affairs

Which of the following is the correct order of the layers of the Earth from the surface towards the centre?

  1. Crust, outer core, mantle, inner core
  2. Crust, mantle, outer core, inner core Correct answer.
  3. Mantle, crust, inner core, outer core
  4. Outer core, mantle, crust, inner core

Explanation

The Earth is layered by composition and physical state: a thin rocky crust, a thick silicate mantle, a liquid outer core and a solid inner core. The outer core lies above the inner core because the inner core is kept solid by immense pressure.

Question 28General Awareness and Current Affairs

A field assistant is asked to identify the standard meridian used for Indian Standard Time. Which longitude is it?

  1. 90 degrees East
  2. 82 degrees 30 minutes East Correct answer.
  3. 75 degrees East
  4. 68 degrees 7 minutes East

Explanation

Indian Standard Time is fixed at UTC+5:30, which corresponds to the meridian of 82 degrees 30 minutes East passing near Mirzapur. This single meridian is adopted for the whole country to avoid many local times.

Question 29General Awareness and Current Affairs

Which of the following is the main objective of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme?

  1. Providing free electricity connections to rural households
  2. Providing subsidised food grain to households below the poverty line
  3. Providing crop insurance against drought and flood damage
  4. Providing at least 100 days of unskilled wage employment per rural household in a year Correct answer.

Explanation

The scheme, enacted as the MGNREGA in 2005, guarantees at least 100 days of unskilled manual work per rural household per year on demand. It is a demand-driven legal guarantee, not a subsidy transfer or an insurance scheme.

Question 30General Awareness and Current Affairs

Which Indian institution prepares the Gross Domestic Product estimates and releases the national income data?

  1. National Statistical Office Correct answer.
  2. Securities and Exchange Board of India
  3. NITI Aayog
  4. Reserve Bank of India

Explanation

The National Statistical Office, formed by merging the Central Statistics Office with the National Sample Survey Office, compiles and releases the national accounts including GDP estimates. The RBI and NITI Aayog use this data but do not prepare the official GDP series.

Question 31General Awareness and Current Affairs

The Tropic of Cancer passes through how many Indian states?

  1. Nine
  2. Five
  3. Eight Correct answer.
  4. Six

Explanation

The Tropic of Cancer crosses India roughly through the middle of the country, passing through eight states from Gujarat in the west to Mizoram in the east. It does not pass through the southern states such as Kerala or Tamil Nadu.

Question 32General Awareness and Current Affairs

Which of the following writs is issued by a higher court to a person who has unlawfully detained another, directing that the detained person be produced before the court?

  1. Certiorari
  2. Prohibition
  3. Mandamus
  4. Habeas corpus Correct answer.

Explanation

Habeas corpus literally means 'to have the body' and is used to test the legality of a detention by ordering the detaining authority to produce the person in court. Mandamus, certiorari and prohibition address public authorities and lower courts, not unlawful detention.

Question 33General Awareness and Current Affairs

A field assistant observes that a well in a village has been fitted with a hand pump that draws water from an unconfined aquifer. Which statement best describes such an aquifer?

  1. Its upper boundary is the water table, which rises and falls with rainfall and recharge Correct answer.
  2. It is trapped between two impermeable rock layers and is under pressure
  3. It holds water only in the pore spaces of solid granite with no permeability
  4. It lies below a permanently impermeable cap rock and cannot be recharged

Explanation

An unconfined aquifer has no impermeable layer above it, so its upper limit is the water table, which moves up and down with recharge and withdrawal. Confined aquifers, by contrast, are sandwiched between impermeable layers and may be artesian.

Question 34General Awareness and Current Affairs

Which of the following is the correct pairing of a biosphere reserve with the Indian state in which it is located?

  1. Panna Biosphere Reserve - Maharashtra
  2. Simlipal Biosphere Reserve - Chhattisgarh
  3. Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve - Karnataka
  4. Nokrek Biosphere Reserve - Meghalaya Correct answer.

Explanation

Nokrek Biosphere Reserve lies in the Garo Hills of Meghalaya and is known for the citrus species Citrus indica. The other reserves listed belong to Odisha, Kerala-Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh respectively.

Question 35General Awareness and Current Affairs

Which of the following is the primary function of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India?

  1. Framing the monetary policy of the country
  2. Advising the President on the appointment of judges
  3. Auditing the accounts of the Union and the states and reporting to Parliament and legislatures Correct answer.
  4. Preparing the annual Union Budget for presentation in Parliament

Explanation

The CAG audits the receipts and expenditure of the Union and the states and submits audit reports to Parliament and state legislatures. The office is a constitutional watchdog but does not prepare budgets, set interest rates or advise on judicial appointments.

Question 36General Awareness and Current Affairs

Which of the following statements about the Indian monsoon is correct?

  1. The south-west monsoon withdraws from Kerala before it withdraws from Rajasthan
  2. The monsoon onset over Mumbai normally precedes the onset over Kerala
  3. The north-east monsoon brings most of the annual rainfall to the Konkan coast
  4. The south-west monsoon reaches Kerala first, usually around the first week of June Correct answer.

Explanation

The south-west monsoon normally sets in over Kerala around 1 June and then advances northwards. Withdrawal begins in north-west India in September and proceeds southwards, so Kerala is the last region to lose the monsoon.

Question 37General Awareness and Current Affairs

A village panchayat wants to build a check dam to raise groundwater levels. Which of the following best explains how such a structure helps?

  1. It slows the flow of the stream so water percolates into the ground and recharges the aquifer Correct answer.
  2. It filters out dissolved salts so the stream water becomes fit for drinking
  3. It raises the stream bed permanently above the surrounding fields
  4. It increases evaporation from the stream surface, which then condenses as rain nearby

Explanation

A check dam reduces the velocity of runoff, holding water in the stream bed long enough for it to seep into the soil and recharge the aquifer. This is a form of rainwater harvesting and does not purify water or change rainfall patterns.

Question 38General Awareness and Current Affairs

Which of the following is the correct sequence of events in the water cycle after rainfall reaches the ground?

  1. Discharge through springs, infiltration, percolation, groundwater storage
  2. Infiltration, percolation, groundwater storage, discharge through springs Correct answer.
  3. Percolation, infiltration, discharge through springs, groundwater storage
  4. Groundwater storage, infiltration, percolation, discharge through springs

Explanation

Water first enters the soil by infiltration, then moves downward through pores by percolation to be stored in aquifers, and later leaves as discharge through springs, wells or base flow. Storage necessarily follows the downward movement, not the reverse.

Question 39General Awareness and Current Affairs

Which of the following best explains why the Deccan Plateau remains relatively dry even though it lies close to the Arabian Sea coast?

  1. The Western Ghats force the moist winds to rise and shed rain on the windward side, leaving a rain shadow to the east Correct answer.
  2. Cold ocean currents off the coast remove all moisture from the air
  3. The plateau is covered by impermeable rock that prevents rainfall
  4. The plateau lies at a latitude where the monsoon winds never reach

Explanation

Moist south-west monsoon winds are blocked by the Western Ghats, which force them to rise and cool, producing heavy orographic rain on the coastal side. As the air descends on the eastern side it is drier, creating a rain-shadow effect over the plateau.

Question 40General Awareness and Current Affairs

The 'Doctrine of Lapse' was used by the East India Company to annex which of the following?

  1. Punjab
  2. Sindh
  3. Satara Correct answer.
  4. Awadh

Explanation

Under the Doctrine of Lapse, introduced by Lord Dalhousie, states without a natural heir were annexed, and Satara was among the first to be taken in 1848. Punjab and Sindh were annexed after military campaigns, while Awadh was annexed on grounds of misgovernment.

Question 41General Science

Which branch of science deals primarily with the study of living organisms and their life processes?

  1. Astronomy
  2. Physics
  3. Biology Correct answer.
  4. Geology

Explanation

Biology is defined as the science of living things, covering their structure, function, growth, and interactions. The other branches study non-living systems such as rocks, celestial bodies, and matter and energy.

Question 42General Science

In the SI system, which unit is used to measure the amount of a substance in terms of particle number?

  1. Kelvin
  2. Newton
  3. Pascal
  4. Mole Correct answer.

Explanation

The mole is the SI base unit for amount of substance and represents a fixed number of elementary entities (Avogadro's number). Kelvin measures temperature, newton measures force, and pascal measures pressure.

Question 43General Science

Which part of a typical plant cell performs photosynthesis?

  1. Ribosome
  2. Chloroplast Correct answer.
  3. Mitochondrion
  4. Nucleus

Explanation

Chloroplasts contain chlorophyll and the enzyme systems that convert light energy into chemical energy during photosynthesis. Mitochondria release energy through respiration, ribosomes build proteins, and the nucleus stores genetic material.

Question 44General Science

What is the chemical formula of common table salt?

  1. KCl
  2. NaHCO3
  3. CaCO3
  4. NaCl Correct answer.

Explanation

Table salt is sodium chloride, formed from one sodium ion and one chloride ion, giving the formula NaCl. The other formulas represent potassium chloride, calcium carbonate, and sodium bicarbonate respectively.

Question 45General Science

Which type of rock forms when molten magma cools and solidifies?

  1. Metamorphic rock
  2. Igneous rock Correct answer.
  3. Sedimentary rock
  4. Organic rock

Explanation

Igneous rocks crystallize from molten material called magma or lava as it cools. Sedimentary rocks form from deposited particles, and metamorphic rocks form when existing rocks are altered by heat and pressure.

Question 46General Science

Which gas makes up the largest proportion of Earth's atmosphere near the surface?

  1. Argon
  2. Nitrogen Correct answer.
  3. Carbon dioxide
  4. Oxygen

Explanation

Dry air near the surface is about 78 percent nitrogen by volume, making it the most abundant gas. Oxygen is roughly 21 percent, argon under 1 percent, and carbon dioxide only about 0.04 percent.

Question 47General Science

Which organelle is often called the powerhouse of the cell because it releases energy from food?

  1. Golgi apparatus
  2. Vacuole
  3. Lysosome
  4. Mitochondrion Correct answer.

Explanation

Mitochondria carry out aerobic respiration, converting glucose and oxygen into ATP, the cell's usable energy currency. The Golgi apparatus modifies and packages proteins, vacuoles store materials, and lysosomes digest waste.

Question 48General Science

Which of the following is a vector quantity?

  1. Temperature
  2. Time
  3. Velocity Correct answer.
  4. Mass

Explanation

A vector has both magnitude and direction, and velocity specifies speed together with a direction of travel. Mass, temperature, and time are scalars described by magnitude alone.

Question 49General Science

A field assistant measures the mass of a soil sample as 250 grams and its volume as 100 cubic centimetres. What is the density of the sample?

  1. 0.4 g/cm³
  2. 25 g/cm³
  3. 350 g/cm³
  4. 2.5 g/cm³ Correct answer.

Explanation

Density equals mass divided by volume, so 250 grams divided by 100 cubic centimetres gives 2.5 g/cm³. Adding the values or dividing in the wrong order produces the distractors.

Question 50General Science

In a food chain, what is the main reason that energy available to each successive trophic level decreases?

  1. Energy is lost as heat during metabolism and transfer Correct answer.
  2. Higher trophic levels absorb energy from soil
  3. Decomposers return energy directly to the sun
  4. Predators convert all consumed energy into new body mass

Explanation

At each transfer, much of the energy is dissipated as heat during respiration and some is lost in waste, so only a fraction passes to the next level. This is why ecological pyramids of energy typically narrow sharply upward.