Which of the following temperate grasslands are found in Eurasia ?

The correct answer is C) Steppe. Steppes are the temperate grasslands of the Eurasian interior, stretching from Hungary and Ukraine through Kazakhstan and southern Russia into Mongolia and northern China. They have cold winters, hot summers and low seasonal rainfall, which keeps them treeless.

• Downs are temperate grasslands of Australia, such as the Darling Downs in Queensland. They are not in Eurasia.
• Velds are the grasslands of South Africa, mainly the highveld plateau. They are not in Eurasia.
• Prairies (the question misspells it) are the temperate grasslands of North America, the Great Plains of the USA and Canada.

The core concept is the global distribution of grassland biomes by climate. Temperate grasslands lie in mid-latitude continental interiors, and each region has its own name: Steppe (Eurasia), Prairie (North America), Pampas (South America), Veld (South Africa) and Downs (Australia). Memorise these five as a set. For Mains, link this to agriculture, since steppe soils such as chernozems are among the world's most fertile.

Trap: Students confuse Downs and Velds because both sound like African or Australian place names, or they pick Prairie simply because it is the most familiar term.