The organisms "Cicada, Froghopper and Pond skater" are :
- (a) Birds
- (b) Fish
- (c) Insects ✓ UPSC's answer
- (d) Reptiles
Why the answer is (c)
• Cicadas are large sap-sucking insects of the order Hemiptera, famous for their loud summer song and for species that emerge every 13 or 17 years.
• Froghoppers (spittlebugs) are small jumping hemipteran insects whose nymphs hide in frothy 'cuckoo spit' on plant stems.
• Pond skaters (water striders) are hemipteran bugs that walk on the surface film of still water using surface tension.
• All three are insects — specifically 'true bugs' — not birds, fish or reptiles, despite names suggesting frogs or skating.
• Hence option (c).
Why the other options are wrong
- (a) Birds
- None of these is a bird.
- (b) Fish
- None of these is a fish; the pond skater merely walks on water.
- (d) Reptiles
- None of these is a reptile.
Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2024, held on 16 June 2024. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.