Pariksha SaathiGeneral Studies
Physical and World Geography: Practice Questions with Answers
239 practice questions on Physical and World Geography, with answers; most also have an explanation or a worked solution. Try each one before you open its answer.
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Q.1
Tropical grasslands with scattered trees, famous for Africa's Serengeti and its large herbivores, are called:
- A Steppes
- B Prairies
- C Taiga
- D Savanna
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Savanna
Savanna is tropical grassland (Africa, the campos of Brazil, the llanos of Venezuela). Steppes, prairies, pampas and veld are temperate grasslands.
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Q.2
The deepest point of the world's oceans, the Challenger Deep, lies in the:
- A Puerto Rico Trench (Atlantic)
- B Mariana Trench (Pacific)
- C Java Trench (Indian Ocean)
- D Tonga Trench
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Mariana Trench (Pacific)
The Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench is about 11,000 m deep. The Pacific is both the largest and the deepest ocean.
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Q.3
The 38th parallel is associated with the division of:
- A North Korea and South Korea
- B North and South Vietnam
- C the USA and Canada
- D Germany and Poland
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) North Korea and South Korea
Korea was divided along the 38th parallel in 1945, and the present demilitarised zone roughly follows it. The 17th parallel once divided North and South Vietnam.
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Q.4
Mushroom rocks (pedestal rocks) of deserts are shaped mainly by:
- A solution by groundwater
- B wind abrasion, which wears away the lower part of a rock faster than the top
- C glacial plucking
- D wave action
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) wind abrasion, which wears away the lower part of a rock faster than the top
Sand carried by the wind stays close to the ground, so it scours the base of a rock more than its top, leaving a broad cap on a thin stalk.
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Q.5
A traveller crossing the International Date Line from west to east (for example from Japan towards the USA) should:
- A advance the date by one day
- B set the date back by one day (gain a day)
- C keep the date unchanged
- D advance the clock by 12 hours
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) set the date back by one day (gain a day)
Crossing the Date Line eastward one gains a day, so the date is set back by one day; crossing westward one loses a day and the date is advanced.
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Q.6
The Kiel Canal in Germany connects the North Sea with the:
- A Black Sea
- B Baltic Sea
- C Mediterranean Sea
- D Caspian Sea
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Baltic Sea
The Kiel Canal cuts across the base of the Jutland peninsula in Schleswig-Holstein, so ships avoid the long voyage around Denmark.
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Q.7
Mount Kosciuszko, the highest peak of mainland Australia, lies in which mountain system?
- A Great Dividing Range
- B MacDonnell Ranges
- C Flinders Ranges
- D Darling Range
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Great Dividing Range
Kosciuszko rises in the Snowy Mountains, part of the Great Dividing Range that runs along eastern Australia. The MacDonnell Ranges are in central Australia near Alice Springs.
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Q.8
The Bering Strait separates:
- A Europe and Africa
- B Australia and New Guinea
- C Asia (Russia) and North America (Alaska)
- D Spain and Morocco
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Asia (Russia) and North America (Alaska)
The Bering Strait between Russia and Alaska joins the Arctic Ocean with the Bering Sea (Pacific); the International Date Line passes through it. Spain and Morocco are separated by the Strait of Gibraltar.
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Q.9
The highest tides in the world occur in the:
- A Gulf of Khambhat
- B Bay of Fundy, Canada
- C Gulf of Mexico
- D Bay of Bengal
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Bay of Fundy, Canada
The funnel shape of the Bay of Fundy, between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in Canada, raises the tidal range to about 15 to 16 m. In India, the Gulf of Khambhat has a large tidal range.
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Q.10
Ngultrum is the currency of:
- A Nepal
- B Myanmar
- C Bhutan
- D Maldives
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Bhutan
Bhutan's currency is the ngultrum. Nepal uses the rupee, Myanmar the kyat, Maldives the rufiyaa and Bangladesh the taka.
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Q.11
The Mekong, which rises on the Tibetan Plateau and flows through Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, empties into the:
- A South China Sea
- B Bay of Bengal
- C Andaman Sea
- D Yellow Sea
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) South China Sea
The Mekong forms a large delta in southern Vietnam on the South China Sea. The Irrawaddy and the Salween of Myanmar flow into the Andaman Sea.
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Q.12
Winds are deflected to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere because of the:
- A Coriolis force
- B Gravitational force
- C Centripetal force
- D Pressure gradient force
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Coriolis force
The Coriolis force, arising from the Earth's rotation, deflects winds (Ferrel's law); it is zero at the Equator and maximum at the poles.
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Q.13
Which pair of original rock and the metamorphic rock formed from it is correctly matched?
- A Shale - Slate
- B Granite - Marble
- C Limestone - Quartzite
- D Sandstone - Gneiss
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Shale - Slate
Shale, a fine-grained sedimentary rock, becomes slate on metamorphism. Granite becomes gneiss, limestone becomes marble and sandstone becomes quartzite.
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Q.14
The Richter scale is logarithmic. An earthquake of magnitude 6 produces a recorded wave amplitude about how many times that of a magnitude 5 earthquake?
- A 2 times
- B 5 times
- C 10 times
- D 100 times
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) 10 times
Each whole-number step on the Richter scale means a tenfold increase in measured amplitude, and roughly 32 times more energy released.
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Q.15
Jet streams are:
- A narrow belts of very fast winds, mostly westerly, high in the upper troposphere
- B local winds that blow down mountain valleys at night
- C warm ocean currents of the western Pacific
- D steady surface winds of the doldrums
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) narrow belts of very fast winds, mostly westerly, high in the upper troposphere
Jet streams are narrow, fast-moving air currents near the top of the troposphere, mostly blowing from west to east. The doldrums, by contrast, have calm, light surface winds.
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Q.16
In Koppen's classification, which pair of letter and climate group is correctly matched?
- A B - Polar climates
- B D - Cold snow-forest climates
- C C - Tropical humid climates
- D E - Dry climates
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) D - Cold snow-forest climates
Koppen's groups are A tropical humid, B dry, C warm temperate (mid-latitude), D cold snow-forest, E cold (polar) and H highland.
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Q.17
Which of the following is an INDIRECT source of information about the Earth's interior?
- A Mining
- B Seismic waves
- C Deep drilling projects
- D Volcanic eruptions
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Seismic waves
The study of seismic waves, along with meteors, gravity and magnetic surveys, gives indirect evidence. Rocks from mines and drill holes and material thrown out by volcanoes are direct sources.
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Q.18
The Maginot Line of the 1930s was:
- A a German defensive line facing France
- B the boundary between Germany and Poland
- C a line of French fortifications facing Germany
- D a Finnish defence line facing the Soviet Union
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) a line of French fortifications facing Germany
Named after the French war minister Andre Maginot, it was a chain of forts along France's border with Germany; in 1940 the German army went around it through Belgium and the Ardennes.
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Q.19
The Baltic Sea has low salinity mainly because:
- A it lies close to the Equator
- B evaporation there is very high
- C it receives large quantities of fresh river water and evaporation is low
- D it is directly connected to the Red Sea
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) it receives large quantities of fresh river water and evaporation is low
Many rivers drain into the enclosed Baltic Sea and its cool climate limits evaporation, so its water is much less salty than the open ocean. High evaporation, as over the Red Sea, raises salinity.
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Q.20
Which mountain range is conventionally regarded as the boundary between Europe and Asia?
- A Alps
- B Caucasus
- C Carpathians
- D Urals
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Urals
The Ural Mountains and the Ural river form the conventional boundary between Europe and Asia; the Urals are old fold mountains.
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Q.21
Which ocean, lying between the Americas on the west and Europe and Africa on the east, is shaped like the letter S?
- A Atlantic Ocean
- B Pacific Ocean
- C Indian Ocean
- D Arctic Ocean
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic, the second largest ocean, is S-shaped, with North and South America on its west and Europe and Africa on its east. The Pacific is almost circular in shape.
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Q.22
An air mass labelled 'cP' (continental polar) is:
- A warm and moist air from tropical oceans
- B warm and dry air from subtropical deserts
- C cold and moist air from high-latitude oceans
- D cold and dry air from high-latitude land areas
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) cold and dry air from high-latitude land areas
'c' stands for a land (continental) source, which makes the air dry, and 'P' for polar, which makes it cold. Maritime tropical (mT) air from warm oceans is warm and moist.
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Q.23
Consider the following statements: 1. The Danube, flowing past Vienna and Budapest, empties into the Black Sea. 2. The Volga, Europe's longest river, empties into the Caspian Sea. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A Only 1
- B Only 2
- C Both 1 and 2
- D Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Both 1 and 2
The Danube rises in Germany's Black Forest and ends in a delta on the Black Sea in Romania and Ukraine. The Volga flows through western Russia to a delta near Astrakhan on the Caspian, an inland sea with no outlet to the ocean.
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Q.24
The point on the Earth's surface directly above the origin (focus) of an earthquake is called the:
- A Epicentre
- B Hypocentre
- C Seismic centre
- D Fault line
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Epicentre
The origin is the focus or hypocentre; the surface point vertically above it is the epicentre, where the shock arrives first and damage is greatest.
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Q.25
Which of the following landforms is produced by glacial action?
- A Barchan
- B Stalagmite
- C Moraine
- D Delta
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Moraine
A moraine is debris deposited by a glacier. A barchan is made by wind, a stalagmite by groundwater and a delta by a river.
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Q.26
Fossils are mostly found in which type of rock?
- A Igneous
- B Sedimentary
- C Metamorphic
- D Volcanic
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Sedimentary
Sedimentary rocks form in layers by deposition, which preserves remains of organisms; the heat of igneous rocks destroys them. Coal and limestone are also sedimentary.
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Q.27
The theory of continental drift, with the supercontinent Pangaea, was proposed by:
- A Harry Hess
- B Arthur Holmes
- C Charles Richter
- D Alfred Wegener
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Alfred Wegener
Wegener gave the continental drift theory in 1912. Harry Hess proposed sea-floor spreading and Arthur Holmes the convection-current idea.
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Q.28
Roughly circular hollows drilled into the rocky bed of a hill stream by swirling pebbles and boulders are called:
- A sinkholes
- B potholes
- C cirques
- D blowouts
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) potholes
Pebbles whirled by eddies grind circular potholes into the stream bed; large, deep ones at the foot of waterfalls are plunge pools. Sinkholes form by solution of limestone and blowouts by wind.
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Q.29
When Pangaea broke up, it first split into which two large landmasses?
- A Eurasia in the north and Africa in the south
- B Gondwanaland in the north and Laurasia in the south
- C Laurasia in the north and Gondwanaland in the south
- D Panthalassa in the north and Tethys in the south
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Laurasia in the north and Gondwanaland in the south
Pangaea divided into Laurasia, the northern block, and Gondwanaland, the southern block that included India, Africa, South America, Australia and Antarctica.
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Q.30
Which of the following city-river pairs is NOT correctly matched?
- A Paris - Seine
- B Rome - Tiber
- C Vienna - Danube
- D Berlin - Thames
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Berlin - Thames
Berlin stands on the Spree; the Thames flows through London. The other three pairs are correct.
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Q.31
The ozone layer, which absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation, is found in the:
- A Troposphere
- B Stratosphere
- C Mesosphere
- D Thermosphere
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Stratosphere
The ozone layer lies in the stratosphere (about 15 to 35 km). Jet aircraft also fly in this calm, weather-free layer.
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Q.32
The Ruhr, historically a great coal-mining and iron-and-steel region, lies in:
- A France
- B Belgium
- C Germany
- D Poland
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Germany
The Ruhr valley in western Germany grew around rich coal deposits, with cities such as Essen and Dortmund; its coal mines have now closed but it remains an industrial region.
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Q.33
A temperature inversion, in which air near the ground is colder than the air above it, is most likely on:
- A a hot summer afternoon with strong winds
- B a cloudy and windy night
- C a rainy monsoon day
- D a long winter night with clear skies and still air
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) a long winter night with clear skies and still air
On clear, calm winter nights the ground loses heat quickly by radiation and cools the air touching it, so temperature rises with height for some distance. Such inversions often bring fog and frost.
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Q.34
Tropical cyclones do not form within about 5 degrees of the Equator because:
- A the sea temperature is too low there
- B there is no moisture there
- C the Coriolis force is negligible there
- D the pressure is too high there
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) the Coriolis force is negligible there
Cyclonic rotation needs the Coriolis force, which is zero at the Equator; warm seas above 27 degrees C and moisture are certainly present there.
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Q.35
Mont Blanc, the highest peak of the Alps, lies on the border of:
- A Switzerland and Austria
- B Germany and Switzerland
- C Austria and Italy
- D France and Italy
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) France and Italy
Mont Blanc (about 4,800 m) stands on the French-Italian border, with Chamonix at its foot on the French side. Europe's highest peak is usually taken to be Elbrus in the Caucasus, not Mont Blanc.
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Q.36
In limestone (karst) areas, funnel-shaped depressions formed on the surface by the dissolving action of rainwater and groundwater are called:
- A cirques
- B potholes
- C playas
- D sinkholes
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) sinkholes
Water containing carbon dioxide dissolves limestone and opens sinkholes (swallow holes); several merged sinkholes form a uvala. Cirques are carved by glaciers and playas are desert lakes.
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Q.37
A small lake that fills the bowl-shaped hollow (cirque) at the head of a glacial valley after the ice melts is called a:
- A playa
- B lagoon
- C tarn
- D ox-bow lake
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) tarn
Cirques are deep, steep-walled hollows carved by glaciers; when the ice disappears, water collecting in them forms tarn (cirque) lakes. A playa is a shallow salt lake of desert basins.
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Q.38
Which planet is called the 'Red Planet' because its surface rocks and dust are rich in iron oxide?
- A Venus
- B Mars
- C Mercury
- D Saturn
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Mars
Iron oxide (rust) in the soil and rocks of Mars gives it a reddish colour. Venus appears as the bright morning or evening star.
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Q.39
Deep ocean trenches, such as those along the margins of the Pacific, are formed where:
- A two plates move apart and magma rises
- B two plates slide past each other horizontally
- C coral reefs grow upward on a sinking island
- D an oceanic plate sinks (subducts) beneath another plate
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) an oceanic plate sinks (subducts) beneath another plate
At convergent boundaries the denser oceanic plate is pushed down into the mantle, creating a deep trench, and the sinking plate causes volcanoes and earthquakes nearby.
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Q.40
Stalactites and stalagmites are found in:
- A Limestone (karst) caves
- B Glaciated valleys
- C Desert basins
- D River deltas
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Limestone (karst) caves
They form from calcium carbonate deposited by dripping groundwater; a stalactite hangs from the ceiling and a stalagmite rises from the floor.
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Q.41
Radio waves are reflected back to the Earth by the:
- A Ionosphere
- B Troposphere
- C Mesosphere
- D Ozonosphere
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Ionosphere
The ionosphere, within the thermosphere (about 80 to 400 km), is made of charged particles that reflect radio waves; auroras are also seen here.
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Q.42
In Koppen's notation the small letters f, m, w and s describe the dry season. What does 's' indicate?
- A no dry season
- B monsoon climate
- C dry winter season
- D dry summer season
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) dry summer season
'f' means no dry season, 'm' a monsoon climate, 'w' a dry season in winter and 's' a dry season in summer, as in the Mediterranean (Cs) climate.
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Q.43
In the Northern Hemisphere, winds in a cyclone blow:
- A clockwise towards the centre
- B anticlockwise towards the centre
- C clockwise outwards
- D anticlockwise outwards
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) anticlockwise towards the centre
A cyclone has low pressure at the centre, so winds blow inward and, in the Northern Hemisphere, anticlockwise; in an anticyclone they blow clockwise outwards.
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Q.44
Relative humidity is defined as:
- A the percentage of water vapour present in the air compared with its full capacity at that temperature
- B the weight of water vapour per unit volume of air
- C the total rainfall received in a day
- D the amount of water evaporated from the oceans in a day
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) the percentage of water vapour present in the air compared with its full capacity at that temperature
Relative humidity compares the actual moisture with the most the air can hold at that temperature; it is 100 per cent when the air is saturated. The weight of water vapour per unit volume of air is absolute humidity.
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Q.45
The Bedouins and the Tuaregs are nomadic herding peoples of which desert?
- A Sahara
- B Kalahari
- C Gobi
- D Atacama
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Sahara
Both groups move with goats, sheep, camels and horses across the Sahara and its margins; the Bedouins are also found in the deserts of Arabia.
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Q.46
By weight, the most abundant element in the Earth's crust is:
- A Silicon
- B Aluminium
- C Oxygen
- D Iron
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Oxygen
Oxygen makes up about 46 per cent of the crust, silicon about 28 per cent, aluminium about 8 per cent and iron about 5 per cent.
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Q.47
The Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil shipping route, connects the Persian Gulf with the:
- A Red Sea
- B Gulf of Aden
- C Caspian Sea
- D Gulf of Oman (Arabian Sea)
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Gulf of Oman (Arabian Sea)
Hormuz, between Iran and Oman/UAE, links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. Bab-el-Mandeb links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
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Q.48
The boundary between the mantle and the core, at a depth of about 2,900 km, is called the:
- A Conrad discontinuity
- B Repetti discontinuity
- C Gutenberg discontinuity
- D Lehmann discontinuity
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Gutenberg discontinuity
The Gutenberg discontinuity marks the core-mantle boundary at about 2,900 km. The Lehmann discontinuity separates the outer and inner core, the Conrad lies within the crust, and the Repetti discontinuity is a name used in Indian textbooks for the boundary between the upper and lower mantle.
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Q.49
Which of the following countries does the Equator NOT pass through?
- A Kenya
- B Brazil
- C Sri Lanka
- D Indonesia
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Sri Lanka
The Equator passes through Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Gabon, Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, Indonesia and others. Sri Lanka lies at about 6 to 10 degrees N.
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Q.50
A long, narrow, winding ridge of sand and gravel deposited by meltwater streams flowing beneath a glacier is called:
- A an esker
- B an arete
- C an outwash plain
- D an erratic boulder
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) an esker
Meltwater flowing in tunnels under the ice leaves sinuous ridges of sorted sand and gravel called eskers. An arete is a sharp rock ridge carved between two cirques.
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How these questions were made
Authored by an AI assistant (Claude) from its own general knowledge of stable, well-established facts (no live lookup) - not reviewed by a subject-matter expert; verify against an official source before relying on any fact.