Match List – I with List – II and the correct answer using the code given below the lists: List –I (Vegetation Type) A) Maquis B) Fynbos C) Chaparral D) Matorral List –II (Region) 1) California 2) Mediterranean Sea Coastal Region 3) South Africa 4) Chile

Maquis, Fynbos, Chaparral and Matorral are all Mediterranean-type vegetation: hot dry summers, mild wet winters, and evergreen, drought-adapted shrub communities. The climate type is the common thread, and each term is tied to one specific region.

• Maquis (A) matches 2: dense evergreen scrub of the Mediterranean Sea coastal region of southern Europe and North Africa.
• Fynbos (B) matches 3: heath-like shrubland of the Cape Floristic Region in South Africa, known for very high plant endemism.
• Chaparral (C) matches 1: fire-adapted dense shrub belt of California.
• Matorral (D) matches 4: shrub vegetation of central Chile, the South American counterpart of Mediterranean scrub.

So the correct code is A-2, B-3, C-1, D-4, which is option A. Students most often swap California and Chile because both lie on the western margin of a continent under similar climate. Fynbos is sometimes confused with African savanna, but it is a separate, nutrient-poor shrubland.

Mains angle: these regions are global biodiversity hotspots and face pressure from fire regimes, urbanisation and invasive species, a useful point for environment answers on ecosystem conservation.

Trap: assigning the Mediterranean Sea to whichever term you half-remember. Anchor each term to one country first, then match.