Match List-I with List-II
| List-I | List-II |
|---|---|
| Population interaction | Example |
| (A) Parasitism | (I) Herbivores and plants |
| (B) Commensalism | (II) Human liver fluke |
| (C) Mutualism | (III) Egret and grazing cattle |
| (D) Competition | (IV) Lichens |
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → (A)-(II), (B)-(III), (C)-(IV), (D)-(I)
(A) Parasitism — this matches (II) Human liver fluke. The fluke lives inside the human liver and takes food from its host, harming it (+/−). It also needs a snail and a fish to finish its life cycle.
(B) Commensalism — this matches (III) Egret and grazing cattle. Grazing cattle stir up insects that the egrets catch. The egret gains and the cattle are neither helped nor harmed (+/0).
(C) Mutualism — this matches (IV) Lichens. A lichen is a fungus living with an alga or cyanobacterium. The alga makes food and the fungus gives shelter and water, so both gain (+/+).
(D) Competition — this matches (I) Herbivores and plants, by elimination. The printed pair does not really match. Herbivores eating plants is predation, since NCERT calls herbivores the predators of plants.
Note: It seems that there is a mistake in the original NTA paper. As per NCERT, herbivores and plants are an example of predation, not competition. The other three pairs fit only Option (2), so it is the most appropriate answer.