Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: Madhya Pradesh
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
The number of wildlife sanctuaries in each Indian state or Union Territory reflects the effort put into biodiversity conservation and habitat protection. Although the absolute numbers can change over time as new sanctuaries are notified, many competitive examinations rely on widely cited statistics that rank states by the count of such protected areas. This question asks which state, among the given options, is recognised in many exam oriented sources as having the maximum number of wildlife sanctuaries.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The concept here is basic environmental statistics. Different educational sources sometimes vary slightly in their numbers, but many widely used general knowledge books and question banks point to Madhya Pradesh as having a very large number of wildlife sanctuaries among major states, even though a Union Territory like Andaman and Nicobar Islands may have more sanctuaries overall. The approach is therefore to recall the commonly taught ranking for major states from such study materials.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Verification / Alternative check:
Verification can be done by consulting standard general knowledge guides or environment compilations used for competitive exams, where tables of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries are listed by state. Many of these sources identify Madhya Pradesh as having a very high count of sanctuaries among major states. While official numbers may vary over time, the consistency of this statement across exam oriented materials justifies selecting Madhya Pradesh for this question.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh all host important protected areas but are not typically cited in exam manuals as having the maximum number of wildlife sanctuaries among states. Their sanctuary counts are usually lower than that of Madhya Pradesh in widely used reference tables. None of the above is incorrect because one option, Madhya Pradesh, matches the commonly taught ranking in general knowledge resources.
Common Pitfalls:
Students may get confused due to differences between updated official data and older exam guides. Some might also focus on total protected area instead of the count of sanctuaries or confuse this with the number of national parks. To avoid these problems, it is important to note exactly what is being asked and to align with the data most frequently used in the examination for which one is preparing.
Final Answer:
Among the listed states, the one commonly recognised in exam oriented materials as having the maximum number of wildlife sanctuaries is Madhya Pradesh.
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