Previous Year Question
Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer from the codes given below the lists:
List-I (Grasslands) | List-II (Continent) |
A. Lanos | 1. North America |
B. Steppe | 2. Africa |
C. Praries | 3. Europe |
D. Veld | 4. South America |
Codes:
A-4, B-3, C-1, D-2
A-2, B-3, C-4, D-1
A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1
A-4, B-1, C-3, D-2
Correct Answer: A
Detailed Solution
The correct matching is—Lanos–South America, Steppe–Europe, Prairies–North America and Veld–Africa.
The Llanos are extensive tropical grasslands of South America, occurring mainly in the Orinoco Basin of Venezuela and Colombia. They consist of broad plains whose landscape changes considerably between the wet and dry seasons. The FAO also describes the Venezuelan Llanos as tall grasslands.
The Steppe grasslands extend broadly from Europe into Central Asia. According to the continental options given in the question, they are matched with Europe. European Environment Agency records show steppe vegetation extending from the western Black Sea plains towards the Central Russian and Volga regions.
The Prairies are temperate grasslands of North America, with their major extent across the Great Plains of central North America. Rainfall is generally insufficient to support extensive forests but greater than in desert regions, allowing grasses to dominate.
The Veld is associated with the grassland regions of Southern Africa, particularly South Africa. South Africa's Grassland Biome covers approximately 339,237 km² and occurs in eight of the country's nine provinces.