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.
Read the lesson on this topic →
← Previous Page 4 / 5 Next →
-
Q.151
The Blue Nile and the White Nile meet at which city?
- A Cairo
- B Khartoum
- C Juba
- D Addis Ababa
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Khartoum
The White Nile, coming from the Lake Victoria region, and the Blue Nile, rising at Lake Tana in Ethiopia, join at Khartoum in Sudan; the united Nile then flows north through Egypt.
-
Q.152
The Llanos, tropical grasslands of Venezuela and Colombia, lie in the basin of which river?
- A Amazon
- B Parana
- C Sao Francisco
- D Orinoco
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Orinoco
The Llanos are savanna plains drained by the Orinoco and its tributaries and are flooded in the wet season. The Campos of Brazil are another tropical grassland of South America.
-
Q.153
The main belt of asteroids in the solar system lies between the orbits of:
- A Mars and Jupiter
- B Earth and Mars
- C Jupiter and Saturn
- D Venus and Earth
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Mars and Jupiter
Asteroids are numerous small rocky bodies that mostly revolve around the Sun in a belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
-
Q.154
Which natural vegetation region is known as the 'orchards of the world' for its citrus fruits, figs, olives and grapes?
- A Tropical monsoon region
- B Temperate grassland region
- C Equatorial region
- D Mediterranean region
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Mediterranean region
Lands around the Mediterranean, with hot dry summers and mild rainy winters, grow citrus fruits, olives, figs and grapes widely; their trees have thick bark and small leaves to resist summer drought.
-
Q.155
The Panama Canal connects:
- A the Pacific and Indian Oceans
- B the North Sea and the Baltic Sea
- C the Mediterranean and the Red Sea
- D the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
Opened in 1914, the Panama Canal in Central America links the Atlantic (Caribbean) with the Pacific. The Kiel Canal in Germany links the North Sea with the Baltic.
-
Q.156
Because of their huge surplus of wheat, which grasslands are called the 'granaries of the world'?
- A Llanos of Venezuela
- B Campos of Brazil
- C Savanna of East Africa
- D Prairies of North America
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Prairies of North America
Large mechanised farms on the prairies of the USA and Canada grow wheat on a vast scale, so these grasslands are called the granaries of the world. The llanos, campos and savanna are tropical grasslands used mainly for grazing.
-
Q.157
The ports along Norway's coast stay ice-free in winter, even though they lie far to the north, mainly because of the:
- A cold Labrador current
- B Kuroshio current
- C warm North Atlantic Drift
- D Benguela current
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) warm North Atlantic Drift
The North Atlantic Drift, the continuation of the Gulf Stream, carries warm water to the coasts of north-western Europe and keeps Norwegian ports open in winter. The Labrador current, by contrast, carries icebergs south along the coast of Canada.
-
Q.158
Chinook, the warm dry wind nicknamed the snow eater, blows down the eastern slopes of the:
- A Alps
- B Rockies
- C Andes
- D Himalayas
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Rockies
Chinook descends the eastern slopes of the Rockies in North America and melts snow; the similar wind in the Alps is the Foehn.
-
Q.159
The temperate grasslands called 'Downs', known for sheep rearing, are found in:
- A New Zealand
- B Argentina
- C Hungary
- D Australia
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Australia
Downs are the temperate grasslands of south-eastern Australia, especially in the Murray-Darling basin, where merino sheep are reared for wool. The Pampas are in Argentina.
-
Q.160
Consider the following statements: 1. The Suez Canal is a sea-level canal without locks. 2. The Panama Canal uses locks to raise ships to an artificial lake and lower them again. 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 Suez Canal crosses flat desert between two seas at nearly the same level, so it needs no locks. The Panama Canal lifts ships about 26 m to Gatun Lake and lowers them on the other side.
-
Q.161
Which of the following regions has an equatorial (tropical rainforest) climate?
- A Sahara
- B Siberia
- C Amazon basin
- D Arabian peninsula
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Amazon basin
The Amazon basin, Congo basin, Malaysia and Indonesia have hot, wet equatorial climate throughout the year with no distinct seasons.
-
Q.162
Volcanoes of Hawaii such as Mauna Loa, built of fluid basaltic lava with gentle slopes, are examples of:
- A composite volcanoes
- B shield volcanoes
- C calderas
- D cinder cones
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) shield volcanoes
Runny basaltic lava spreads far before cooling, building broad, gently sloping shield volcanoes; Hawaii's are the best-known examples. Composite volcanoes are steeper cones of alternating lava and ash layers.
-
Q.163
The Radcliffe Line, announced in August 1947, demarcated the boundary between:
- A India and Pakistan
- B India and China
- C Afghanistan and Pakistan
- D India and Nepal
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) India and Pakistan
Sir Cyril Radcliffe chaired the boundary commissions that partitioned Punjab and Bengal, and his award was made public on 17 August 1947.
-
Q.164
What is the capital of New Zealand?
- A Auckland
- B Christchurch
- C Dunedin
- D Wellington
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Wellington
Wellington, at the southern end of the North Island, is the capital; Auckland is the largest city but not the capital.
-
Q.165
Detroit in the USA, on the Great Lakes waterway, is famous as a centre of which industry?
- A Cotton textiles
- B Automobile manufacturing
- C Information technology
- D Shipbuilding
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Automobile manufacturing
Detroit, nicknamed 'Motor City', is the historic home of big American car makers such as Ford and General Motors. Silicon Valley in California is known for information technology.
-
Q.166
The Strait of Magellan, a passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, lies near the southern tip of:
- A Africa
- B Australia
- C South America
- D North America
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) South America
The Strait of Magellan cuts through southern Chile, separating mainland South America from Tierra del Fuego. It is named after Ferdinand Magellan, who sailed through it in 1520.
-
Q.167
Which is the only continent through which the Tropic of Cancer, the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn all pass?
- A South America
- B Asia
- C Australia
- D Africa
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Africa
Africa stretches on both sides of the Equator and is crossed by both tropics. South America is crossed by the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn but not by the Tropic of Cancer.
-
Q.168
The dry area on the leeward side of a mountain, which receives little rain, is called a:
- A Doldrum
- B Rain shadow region
- C Delta
- D Tundra
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Rain shadow region
Orographic (relief) rain falls on the windward slope and the other side becomes a rain shadow, for example the Deccan plateau east of the Western Ghats.
-
Q.169
The lowest exposed point on the Earth's land surface is found at:
- A the shore of the Caspian Sea
- B Lake Assal in Djibouti
- C the shore of the Dead Sea
- D Death Valley in the USA
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) the shore of the Dead Sea
The Dead Sea shore, in the Jordan Rift Valley, lies more than 400 m below sea level. Lake Assal is the lowest point of Africa and Death Valley the lowest of North America.
-
Q.170
When a cold front overtakes a warm front and the warm air mass is completely lifted off the ground, the resulting front is called:
- A an occluded front
- B a warm front
- C a stationary front
- D a cold front
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) an occluded front
Cold fronts usually move faster than warm fronts; when one catches up, the warm air is pushed aloft and the front becomes occluded. A stationary front forms when neither air mass advances.
-
Q.171
Which highland, where the Hindu Kush, Karakoram, Kunlun and Tien Shan ranges meet, is popularly called the 'Roof of the World'?
- A Deccan Plateau
- B Pamir Knot
- C Mongolian Plateau
- D Anatolian Plateau
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Pamir Knot
The Pamir, mostly in Tajikistan, is a knot from which several great Asian ranges radiate; its Persian name Bam-i-Dunya means roof of the world. The Tibetan Plateau is also given this name.
-
Q.172
The Grand Canyon in the USA, a deep, steep-sided gorge, was cut mainly by:
- A the Colorado River
- B the Mississippi River
- C glaciers
- D wind erosion
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) the Colorado River
The Colorado River cut down through layers of rock in a dry plateau over millions of years. Deep vertical cutting by rivers in arid regions produces canyons.
-
Q.173
Which of the following country-nickname pairs is correctly matched?
- A Japan - Land of Golden Pagodas
- B Thailand - Land of White Elephants
- C Belgium - Land of the Midnight Sun
- D Cuba - Land of the Thunder Dragon
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Thailand - Land of White Elephants
Thailand is the Land of White Elephants. Myanmar is the Land of Golden Pagodas, Japan the Land of the Rising Sun, and Cuba the Sugar Bowl of the World.
-
Q.174
The Earth's core is mainly composed of:
- A Nickel and iron (NIFE)
- B Silica and aluminium (SIAL)
- C Silica and magnesium (SIMA)
- D Carbon and oxygen
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Nickel and iron (NIFE)
The core is NIFE, nickel and iron. SIAL is the upper (continental) crust and SIMA the lower crust and oceanic layer.
-
Q.175
Water vapour condenses into cloud droplets around tiny particles of dust, smoke and sea salt. These particles are called:
- A ozone molecules
- B hygroscopic (condensation) nuclei
- C ions of the ionosphere
- D cosmic rays
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) hygroscopic (condensation) nuclei
Hygroscopic nuclei attract water molecules and give them a surface to condense on, so they are essential for the formation of clouds and fog.
-
Q.176
The meeting of the warm Gulf Stream and the cold Labrador current near Newfoundland produces:
- A a desert coast
- B coral reefs
- C hot springs
- D dense fog and rich fishing grounds (Grand Banks)
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) dense fog and rich fishing grounds (Grand Banks)
Where warm and cold currents meet, fog forms and plankton thrives, creating the world's great fishing grounds; the Kuroshio-Oyashio meeting off Japan is similar.
-
Q.177
If it is 12:00 noon at Greenwich, what is the time at 82 degrees 30 minutes E (the Indian Standard Time meridian)?
- A 6:30 am
- B 6:30 pm
- C 5:30 am
- D 5:30 pm
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) 5:30 pm
82.5 x 4 = 330 minutes = 5 hours 30 minutes. Places to the east are ahead, so it is 5:30 pm in India. IST = GMT + 5:30.
-
Q.178
Which two planets of the solar system have no natural satellite (moon)?
- A Mars and Venus
- B Mercury and Mars
- C Mercury and Venus
- D Uranus and Neptune
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Mercury and Venus
Mercury and Venus, the two planets closest to the Sun, have no moons. Mars has two small moons, Phobos and Deimos.
-
Q.179
Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative) and Bloemfontein (judicial) are the three capitals of:
- A South Africa
- B Namibia
- C Botswana
- D Zimbabwe
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) South Africa
South Africa divides its capital functions among three cities: the government sits in Pretoria, Parliament in Cape Town and the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein.
-
Q.180
Which of the following describes an anticyclone?
- A Low pressure at the centre, with rising air and heavy rain
- B A narrow belt of fast winds in the upper troposphere
- C A calm eye surrounded by the strongest winds
- D High pressure at the centre, with descending air and generally clear, calm weather
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) High pressure at the centre, with descending air and generally clear, calm weather
In an anticyclone air sinks at a high-pressure centre and spreads outward, so clouds rarely form and the weather stays fair and dry. Cyclones have low pressure at the centre.
-
Q.181
The largest island in the world (excluding Australia) is:
- A Madagascar
- B Borneo
- C New Guinea
- D Greenland
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Greenland
Greenland (Denmark) is the largest island, followed by New Guinea, Borneo and Madagascar.
-
Q.182
The Atlas Mountains, a fold mountain range, are located in:
- A north-west Africa
- B East Africa
- C southern Africa
- D the Arabian Peninsula
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) north-west Africa
The Atlas Mountains stretch across Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, separating the Mediterranean coast from the Sahara. The Drakensberg are in southern Africa.
-
Q.183
The sub-polar low-pressure belts are located around which latitudes?
- A 0 to 5 degrees N and S
- B 30 degrees N and S
- C 60 degrees N and S
- D 90 degrees N and S
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) 60 degrees N and S
Low-pressure belts lie along about 60 degrees N and S, where the westerlies meet cold polar air. The subtropical highs lie near 30 degrees and the polar highs at the poles.
-
Q.184
Which country is called the 'Land of a Thousand Lakes'?
- A Switzerland
- B Canada
- C Norway
- D Finland
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Finland
Finland's glaciated landscape is dotted with tens of thousands of lakes, which gives it this name.
-
Q.185
The island of Borneo is shared by:
- A Indonesia and Papua New Guinea
- B Indonesia and Timor-Leste
- C Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei
- D Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei
Borneo is divided among Indonesia (Kalimantan), Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak) and Brunei. The island of New Guinea is shared by Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
-
Q.186
Which of the following is NOT a landlocked country?
- A Nepal
- B Mongolia
- C Bangladesh
- D Laos
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Bangladesh
Bangladesh has a coast on the Bay of Bengal. Nepal, Mongolia, Laos, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Bolivia and Switzerland are landlocked.
-
Q.187
Oak, ash, beech and maple, trees that shed their leaves in autumn, are typical of which forests?
- A Tropical evergreen forests
- B Coniferous (taiga) forests
- C Temperate deciduous forests
- D Mangrove forests
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Temperate deciduous forests
Temperate deciduous forests grow in north-eastern USA, western Europe, eastern China and similar mid-latitude regions; the trees shed their leaves to survive the cold winter.
-
Q.188
Extra-tropical (temperate) cyclones develop mainly:
- A along the polar front in the middle and high latitudes
- B over hot deserts in summer
- C over warm seas within the tropics
- D within the equatorial doldrums
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) along the polar front in the middle and high latitudes
They form where cold polar air meets warm subtropical air along the polar front, and they move eastward with the westerlies. Unlike tropical cyclones, they can form over both land and sea.
-
Q.189
Counting outward from the Sun, which is the seventh planet?
- A Saturn
- B Neptune
- C Jupiter
- D Uranus
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Uranus
The order is Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. Uranus is seventh and Neptune the eighth and farthest.
-
Q.190
In Koppen's classification, the symbol BW stands for:
- A steppe climate
- B tundra climate
- C desert climate
- D savanna climate
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) desert climate
Within the dry (B) group, BW denotes desert and BS denotes steppe (semi-arid) climate; the letters 'h' and 'k' then separate hot subtropical from cold mid-latitude types.
-
Q.191
A seamount with a flat top, found below the ocean surface, is called a:
- A trench
- B continental rise
- C atoll
- D guyot
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) guyot
Guyots are flat-topped submerged mountains that show evidence of gradual subsidence. An atoll, by contrast, is a ring-shaped coral reef around a lagoon.
-
Q.192
Igneous rocks are called primary rocks because:
- A they always contain fossils
- B they form only on the ocean floor
- C they are the youngest rocks of the crust
- D they form directly from magma and lava, and other rocks are ultimately derived from them
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) they form directly from magma and lava, and other rocks are ultimately derived from them
Igneous rocks solidify from molten magma or lava, the original material of the crust, so they are called primary rocks. Sedimentary and metamorphic rocks form later from existing rocks.
-
Q.193
Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi (Nyasa), long and deep lakes of East Africa, lie in which landform?
- A Congo Basin
- B Kalahari Basin
- C Great Rift Valley
- D Sahel
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Great Rift Valley
Both lakes fill parts of the East African Rift Valley, a long trough formed where the crust is being pulled apart; that is why they are long, narrow and very deep.
-
Q.194
The equatorial low-pressure belt of calm, light winds is known as the:
- A Horse latitudes
- B Doldrums
- C Roaring Forties
- D Polar front
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Doldrums
Near the Equator hot air rises, producing a calm low-pressure zone, the doldrums or ITCZ. The horse latitudes are the subtropical highs at 30 to 35 degrees.
-
Q.195
Shifting (slash-and-burn) cultivation is known as 'Milpa' in:
- A Mexico and Central America
- B Brazil
- C Indonesia
- D North-east India
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Mexico and Central America
Shifting cultivation has many local names: milpa in Mexico and Central America, roca in Brazil and jhumming in north-east India.
-
Q.196
The Himalayas were formed by the collision of which two plates?
- A Indian and Eurasian
- B African and Eurasian
- C Pacific and North American
- D Indian and African
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Indian and Eurasian
The Indian plate collided with the Eurasian plate at a convergent boundary to raise the Himalayas. The Alps rose from the African-Eurasian collision.
-
Q.197
Which is the hottest planet in the solar system, even though it is not the closest to the Sun?
- A Mercury
- B Mars
- C Venus
- D Jupiter
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Venus
Venus has a thick carbon dioxide atmosphere that traps heat (runaway greenhouse effect), giving a surface temperature of about 465 degrees C. Mercury is closest to the Sun but has almost no atmosphere.
-
Q.198
The Gobi, a cold desert of Asia, lies in:
- A Iran and Afghanistan
- B Saudi Arabia and Yemen
- C Mongolia and northern China
- D Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Mongolia and northern China
The Gobi stretches across southern Mongolia and northern China and has very cold winters. The Karakum lies in Turkmenistan and the Thar in India and Pakistan.
-
Q.199
The Prime Meridian (0 degrees longitude) passes through:
- A Greenwich (London)
- B Paris
- C Washington DC
- D Berlin
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Greenwich (London)
The 1884 International Meridian Conference fixed the line through Greenwich, London, as 0 degrees longitude, which also defines GMT.
-
Q.200
Which African river crosses the Equator twice?
- A Niger
- B Nile
- C Congo
- D Zambezi
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Congo
The Congo (Zaire) flows north across the Equator, then curves west and south-west, crossing it again before reaching the Atlantic. It drains the equatorial rainforest of central Africa.
← Previous Page 4 / 5 Next →
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.