DU Environmental Science II (AEC): Most Repeated Questions from 15 PYQ Papers

Environmental Science: Theory into Practice – II (UPC 2181002001) is the Ability Enhancement Course that follows Environmental Science I. It is a compulsory paper, so thousands of students sit it every semester, and colleges set their own versions.

We collected every paper we have for this code, removed the duplicate scans, and counted what keeps coming back. That left 15 distinct question papers, from 2022 up to the May–June 2026 exams. This post is about paper II. If you are preparing paper I, read our Environmental Science I analysis instead.

All the papers are free on the Environmental Science II PYQ page. Open a few alongside this post.

A note on the counts: "12 of 15 papers" means 12 of the 15 distinct papers mention that topic somewhere (a true/false statement, a fill-in-the-blank, a short note or an essay), not 12 exam sittings.

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What the paper looks like

• Question 1 is objective. In 12 of the 15 papers it includes a set of "State whether true or false" statements (1 mark each), and 9 of the 15 also have fill-in-the-blanks. Where both appear, they are worth about 10 marks together.

• Short notes: "attempt any two" (usually 5 marks each) appear in 12 of the 15 papers.

• "Differentiate between any two" (5 marks each) appears in 12 of the 15 papers.

• The rest is 10-mark essay questions. Some papers add a separate section for SOL or repeater students, so read your paper's instructions.

Because the objective questions carry a lot of marks and the statements repeat (below), they are the cheapest marks to win.

The topics that came back most often

True or false: statements that repeated

These appeared in more than one paper, some almost word for word. The answers are standard textbook facts, ours rather than an official key, so check anything doubtful with your own notes.

The in-situ vs ex-situ trap. Four different statements across four papers tested the same idea: sacred groves (2023), botanical gardens and zoos (2024), vulture breeding (Nov–Dec 2025) and cryopreservation (2022). The rule is simple: in the wild or its natural habitat = in-situ (national parks, sanctuaries, biosphere reserves, sacred groves); outside it = ex-situ (zoos, botanical gardens, seed banks, cryopreservation, captive breeding).

Law years. Two papers (2022 and May–June 2026) gave a wrong year for the Forest (Conservation) Act, and a third (2023) gave a wrong year for the Environment (Protection) Act. Memorise: Forest (Conservation) Act 1980, Environment (Protection) Act 1986, NGT Act 2010.

"Differentiate between" pairs that repeated

Essays that repeated

• Environmental legislation in India. A 10-mark question on environmental laws appeared in both Nov–Dec 2025 papers we have ("role of environmental legislation in protecting natural resources and biodiversity" and "significance of environmental legislation and the role of the NGT"), in May–June 2025 ("why is environmental legislation important in India?") and twice in May–June 2026 (policies and laws for biodiversity, and the key provisions of the EP Act 1986).

• Global warming and climate change. "Write an essay on the effects of global warming and climate change on the environment, economy and society" appears in both a May–June 2025 and a May–June 2026 paper.

• Environmental movements. Examples asked include "citing an example of any environmental movement in India, why it is difficult to balance development and protecting the environment" (Nov–Dec 2025), "Justify that movements have played a role in biodiversity conservation" (2022), and "the Chipko Movement in detail" (May–June 2025).

• Religion and culture in conservation. Asked as a 10-mark essay twice in Nov–Dec 2025 ("how religious beliefs and traditional practices have had a positive impact on conservation in India" and "how religions and cultural practices have contributed to wildlife or water resources").

• Environmental communication. "Analyse the role of environmental communication in educating the public" (May–June 2026) and "prepare a list of methods to spread awareness" (Nov–Dec 2025).

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Answer pointers

These are revision prompts, not full answers. Write the full answer from your class notes.

Biodiversity hotspots. A hotspot is a region with at least 1,500 endemic vascular plant species and at least 70% of its original habitat lost. The idea comes from Norman Myers, and there are 36 hotspots worldwide. India has parts of four: the Himalaya, Indo-Burma, the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka, and Sundaland (which includes the Nicobar Islands). A biosphere reserve is different: it is a protected area with core, buffer and transition zones, whereas a hotspot is a region identified by priority, not a legal protection.

In-situ vs ex-situ. Use a two-column table. In-situ: national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, biosphere reserves, sacred groves, Project Tiger reserves. Ex-situ: zoos, botanical gardens, gene/seed banks, cryopreservation, captive breeding such as the vulture programme.

Environmental legislation. Structure the essay as: why laws are needed → the main Acts (Forest (Conservation) Act 1980, Environment (Protection) Act 1986, plus whichever others your notes cover) → the role of the NGT → one limitation or implementation gap. Two named Acts with their year is what the question usually asks for.

Environmental movements. Learn four with place, year and cause: Chipko (Uttarakhand, 1970s, saving trees; Sunderlal Bahuguna), Silent Valley (Kerala, against a hydroelectric project, to save a tropical evergreen forest), Narmada Bachao Andolan (Medha Patkar, large dam projects, resettlement) and the Bishnoi community (Rajasthan, religious reverence for trees and wildlife). For the "balance development and the environment" question, the Narmada case fits best.

Ozone and climate. Ozone depletion is caused by ozone-depleting substances such as CFCs, and the Montreal Protocol (1987) phases them out. The Kyoto Protocol is an agreement under the UNFCCC to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Keep the two apart: Montreal is about the ozone layer, Kyoto is about climate.

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How to use this for your exam

1. Learn the true/false table above first. Question 1 is objective in most papers and the same statements keep returning.

2. Memorise the three law years: 1980, 1986, 2010.

3. Write one answer each for: hotspots, in-situ vs ex-situ, environmental legislation, one movement, ozone/climate. They cover the most frequent essay and short-note topics.

4. Check your college's last two papers. Format varies, especially for SOL and repeater students.

Past repetition does not guarantee what comes next. Use this list to decide what to revise first.

Get the papers: Environmental Science II PYQs · all Ability Enhancement Course papers

Also read: Environmental Science I (AEC): most repeated questions · AEC courses in DU: ability enhancement guide