NEET UG · Biology · Ecosystem
Energy Flow in Ecosystem: NEET previous year questions
15 questions in ten years of NEET, in 8 of 10 papers. Pattern: Every year. Here is how it is asked and which ideas come back.
- Asked in 10 years
- 15
- about 1.4 per paper
- Years asked
- 8/10
- last asked 2026
- Weighted estimate
- 1.8
- model; history: 1.4 a paper on average, typically 0–3
Key findings
- 01
Asked in 8 of 10 papers, 15 questions in all: #32 of 204 topics by ten-year total.
- 02
73% of its questions since 2018 tested an idea never asked before; 1 repeated an idea from the year before.
- 03
The most repeated idea is Trophic Level Identification, asked 2 times (2020, 2026), usually as “match list on trophic levels and examples”.
- 04
NEET has asked 11 of the 82 ideas in this topic; 64 have never been asked, directly or indirectly.
- 05
Mostly asked as one-line MCQ (60%); 80% easy, 0% hard, and up from 1.2 to 2.0 questions a paper since 2024.
Questions per year
- Up to 2023
- 1.2
- per paper
- Since 2024
- 2.0
- +0.8
- Usual gap
- 1.0 yrs
- between papers asking it
- Swing
- ±1.0
- questions, year to year
Recent framings
- definition recall
- count correct statements on energy flow
- statement I/II on ecosystem productivity
Revise first
Trophic Level Identification (2020 2026); Upright Pyramid of Energy (2026); Detritivores vs. Decomposers (2022 2023)
How it is asked
Difficulty, format and skill
Across all 15 questions on Energy Flow in Ecosystem since 2017.
Difficulty
QUESTIONS- Easy12 · 80%
- Medium3 · 20%
- Hard0 · 0%
Format
SHARE- One-line MCQ · 9 Q60%
- Other · 2 Q13%
- Two statements · 2 Q13%
- Numerical · 1 Q7%
- Match the lists · 1 Q7%
Skill tested
SHARE- Concept · 7 Q47%
- Recall · 6 Q40%
- Calculation · 1 Q7%
- Application · 1 Q7%
Repeats
New idea, or one asked before?
Each column is a paper. Blue questions tested an idea NEET had not asked before; navy ones went back to an idea from an earlier paper. 2017 is the first paper, so everything in it counts as new.
- Idea asked for the first time
- Idea asked in an earlier paper
Coverage of the topic
NEET has asked 11 of the 82 ideas in this topic. 64 have never been asked yet.
- Asked directly11 · 13%
- Touched inside another question7 · 9%
- Never asked64 · 78%
Ideas come from Lumi’s syllabus map of NCERT. A never-asked idea is not a safe skip: most new questions come from exactly these.
Drill down
Idea, year, question
Every idea NEET tested in this topic, with its ten papers. Open one to read the questions.
- Repeated2 · 13%
- 2023 · Q130Identify the correct statements : A. Detrivores perform fragmentation. B. The humus is further degraded by some microbes during…
mediumOtherAsked the year before
- 2022 · Q163Detritivores breakdown detritus into smaller particles. This process is called :
easyOne-line MCQNew idea
- 2023 · Q130
- Repeated2 · 13%
- Repeated2 · 13%
- Repeated2 · 13%
- 1 · 7%
- 1 · 7%
- 1 · 7%
- 1 · 7%
- 1 · 7%
- 1 · 7%
- 1 · 7%
Squares are the ten papers, 2017 to 2026; darker means more questions. Share is of the level above.
Ideas
Every idea inside this topic
11 different ideas were tested; 4 came more than once. Trophic Level Identification is the foundation for 58 other ideas in the syllabus.
- Trophic Level Identification2×
match list on trophic levels and examples
Match the lists · 6% next · foundation for 58 - Detritivores vs. Decomposers2×
count correct statements on decomposition
Other · 6% next - Net Primary Productivity (NPP) Equation2×
definition recall
One-line MCQ · 6% next · foundation for 9 - Inverted Pyramid of Biomass2×
incorrect statement selection on ecological pyramids
One-line MCQ · 6% next · foundation for 2 - Upright Pyramid of Energy1×
count correct statements on energy flow
Other · 6% next · foundation for 2 - Energy Pyramid Units1×
identify unit of ecological quantity
One-line MCQ · 6% next - Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)1×
statement i/ii on ecosystem productivity
Two statements · 6% next · foundation for 12 - Second Law of Thermodynamics in Ecosystems1×
statement i/ii on energy flow
Two statements · 6% next · foundation for 1 - Lindeman's 10 Percent Law1×
numerical
Numerical · 6% next · foundation for 15 - Standing State vs Standing Crop Distinction1×
definition recall
One-line MCQ · 4% next - GPP vs NPP Magnitude Comparison1×
true statement selection on productivity
One-line MCQ · 4% next
Chance next is the historical rate at which an idea with this record came back in the following paper. It is low for every idea, which is why learning the topic beats memorising past questions. All repeated ideas
Every question
Energy Flow in Ecosystem questions, year by year
The opening words of each question as it appeared in the official paper, with the idea it tested.
NEET 20262 questions
- Q146Which of the following are primary consumers in a food chain?
Idea: Trophic Level Identification
EasyOne-line MCQ - Q178Which of the following statements are correct ? (a) Energy flow from producers to consumers is unidirectional (b) Energy pyramid can never…
Idea: Upright Pyramid of Energy
New ideaMediumOther
NEET 20253 questions
- Q100Given below are two statements : Statement I : The primary source of energy in an ecosystem is solar energy. Statement II : The rate of…
Idea: Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)
New ideaEasyTwo statements - Q150Which of the following is the unit of productivity of an Ecosystem?
Idea: Energy Pyramid Units
New ideaEasyOne-line MCQ - Q170Given below are two statements: Statement I: In ecosystem, there is unidirectional flow of energy of sun from producers to consumers.…
Idea: Second Law of Thermodynamics in Ecosystems
New ideaEasyTwo statements
NEET 20241 question
- Q150In an ecosystem if the Net Primary Productivity (NPP) of first trophic level is 100x (kcal m) yr, what would be the GPP…
Idea: Lindeman's 10 Percent Law
New ideaMediumNumerical
NEET 20232 questions
- Q116In the equation GPP − R = NPP GPP is Gross Primary Productivity NPP is Net Primary Productivity R here is ________.
Idea: Net Primary Productivity (NPP) Equation
EasyOne-line MCQ - Q130Identify the correct statements : A. Detrivores perform fragmentation. B. The humus is further degraded by some microbes during…
Idea: Detritivores vs. Decomposers
Asked last yearMediumOther
NEET 20221 question
- Q163Detritivores breakdown detritus into smaller particles. This process is called :
Idea: Detritivores vs. Decomposers
New ideaEasyOne-line MCQ
NEET 20213 questions
- Q112Which of the following statements is not correct ?
Idea: Inverted Pyramid of Biomass
EasyOne-line MCQ - Q118In the equation GPP − R = NPP R represents :
Idea: Net Primary Productivity (NPP) Equation
New ideaEasyOne-line MCQ - Q120The amount of nutrients, such as carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and calcium present in the soil at any given time, is referred as :
Idea: Standing State vs Standing Crop Distinction
New ideaEasyOne-line MCQ
NEET 20202 questions
- Q60Match the trophic levels with their correct species examples in grassland ecosystem. (a) Fourth trophic level | (i) Crow (b) Second…
Idea: Trophic Level Identification
New ideaEasyMatch the lists - Q69In relation to Gross primary productivity and Net primary productivity of an ecosystem, which one of the following statements is correct ?
Idea: GPP vs NPP Magnitude Comparison
New ideaEasyOne-line MCQ
NEET 20191 question
- Q137Which of the following ecological pyramids is generally inverted ?
Idea: Inverted Pyramid of Biomass
New ideaEasyOne-line MCQ
Questions from the official NEET UG papers published by NTA (CBSE before 2019). Topic and idea tags, counts and notes are Lumi’s.