With reference to 'palm oil', consider the following statements :
- 1.The palm oil tree is native to Southeast Asia.
- 2.The palm oil is a raw material for some industries producing lipstick and perfumes.
- 3.The palm oil can be used to produce biodiesel.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Show answer
Answer: B. Statement 1 is wrong: the oil palm is native to West Africa, though Indonesia and Malaysia now grow most of it. Statement 2 is correct: palm oil is used in lipsticks, perfumes and other cosmetics. Statement 3 is correct: palm oil is used to make biodiesel. So 2 and 3.
Watch for: Southeast Asia is the top producer, which makes students think it is the native region.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Wrong because the oil palm is not native to Southeast Asia.
- C. Wrong because the oil palm is native to West Africa.
- D. Wrong because statement 1 is false.
Source to check: National Mission on Edible Oils - Oil Palm (Ministry of Agriculture, 2021); FAO crop profiles
Answer from the official UPSC key. Written and fact-checked by AI against the official key. Spotted a mistake? Report it.