Official Answer Key & Detailed Solution
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Correct Answer: Option (B) — 1 and 2 only
Concept & Option Breakdown
Standard Reference VerifiedPair 1 is correctly matched: Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha hosts India's largest population of Saltwater Crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus).
Pair 2 is correctly matched: Desert National Park in Rajasthan is the main natural sanctuary and stronghold for the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps).
Pair 3 is incorrectly matched: Eravikulam National Park in Kerala is famous for the Nilgiri Tahr (mountain ungulate). The Hoolock Gibbon (India's only ape) is native exclusively to the tropical forests of Northeast India (e.g., Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary in Assam).
Hoolock Gibbon is found only in Northeast India, so it cannot be in Kerala's Eravikulam (which is famous for Nilgiri Tahr).
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