Match List-I with List-II
| List-I | List-II |
|---|---|
| Organisms | Trophic levels |
| (A) Man, lion | (I) Third |
| (B) Zooplankton, cow | (II) First |
| (C) Phytoplankton, trees | (III) Fourth |
| (D) Birds, wolves | (IV) Second |
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → (A) - (III), (B) - (IV), (C) - (II), (D) - (I)
(A) Man, lion — this matches (III) Fourth. They are top carnivores, at the highest level of the food chain that the question uses.
(B) Zooplankton, cow — this matches (IV) Second. They are herbivores. They eat the producers, so they are the primary consumers.
(C) Phytoplankton, trees — this matches (II) First. They are producers. They make food by photosynthesis, so they form the first trophic level.
(D) Birds, wolves — this matches (I) Third. They are carnivores that feed on the herbivores.
Note 1: Man is an omnivore, so he can feed at more than one level. In NCERT’s grass → goat → man chain he is a secondary consumer, which is the third level. Birds too can feed at more than one level. Here the question places man and lion at the fourth level and birds and wolves at the third. Option (3) is still the only possible answer. The pair (C) with (II) is clear, and only Option (3) has it.
Note 2: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2026 on 29-05-2026 (Slot 2).