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UPSC Prelims 2025 GS Paper 1, question 39

Topic: Environment and ecology

Q39

Consider the following pairs :

Plant : Description

I. Cassava : Woody shrub

II. Ginger : Herb with pseudostem

III. Malabar spinach : Herbaceous climber

IV. Mint : Annual shrub

V. Papaya : Woody shrub

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

  1. (a) Only two
  2. (b) Only threeCorrect answer
  3. (c) Only four
  4. (d) All the five

Solution.

Answer: (b) Only three

  1. Pair I is correctly matched: Cassava (Manihot esculenta / tapioca) is a perennial woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae family.
  2. Pair II is correctly matched: Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial whose rolled leaf sheaths form an erect pseudostem.
  3. Pair III is correctly matched: Malabar spinach (Basella alba) is a fast-growing, succulent herbaceous climbing vine.
  4. Pairs IV and V are incorrectly matched: Mint (Mentha) is an aromatic perennial herb (not an annual shrub), and Papaya (Carica papaya) is a giant arborescent herb with a hollow, non-woody stem (not a woody shrub).