Consider the following statements regarding the Indian squirrels: How many of the above statements are correct?

Answer: (b) Only two

They cache food in the ground and eat animals too, but they nest in trees, not burrows.

Statement by statement

1. ✗ WRONG — they nest in trees Indian squirrels (the palm squirrel, the giant squirrel) build leafy nests called dreys in trees. Burrowing is typical of ground squirrels such as marmots.

2. ✓ CORRECT They cache nuts and seeds in the soil — and the ones they forget grow into trees.

3. ✓ CORRECT Mostly seeds and fruit, but they also eat insects, eggs and even nestlings.

The idea

Squirrels are rodents with two ways of life. Tree squirrels (the palm squirrels and the giant squirrels of India) live and nest in trees. Ground squirrels such as marmots dig burrows. The question is about the common Indian squirrels, which are tree squirrels.

Lives in the canopy → Builds a leaf nest (drey) on a branch → Buries extra seeds in the soil → Forgets some → Seeds sprout → the squirrel plants trees

Why the others are wrong

(a) Keeps only one statement, usually because a “seed-eater” is not expected to be omnivorous.

(c) Accepts the burrow — confusing tree squirrels with ground squirrels.

The trap

Statement 2 (food in the ground) makes statement 1 (home in the ground) feel natural. Storing ≠ living.

Elimination technique

Statement 3 is a plain fact with no “only” or “all” attached. In Environment PYQs such plain statements are usually true, so keep it and test the other two.

Also know

The Indian giant squirrel (shekru) is the State animal of Maharashtra. Flying squirrels glide at night using a skin flap. The Himalayan marmot is a ground squirrel that sleeps through winter in a burrow, so “squirrels burrow” is true for marmots, not for the squirrels in this question.