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.201
Thin, detached, feathery white clouds formed at high altitudes of about 8,000 to 12,000 m are called:
- A stratus
- B nimbus
- C cumulus
- D cirrus
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) cirrus
Cirrus clouds form at great heights and look feathery. Stratus are layered sheets, cumulus look like heaps of cotton, and nimbus are dark rain-bearing clouds.
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Q.202
Mount Elbrus, the highest peak of Europe, lies in which range?
- A Alps
- B Pyrenees
- C Caucasus
- D Urals
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Caucasus
Elbrus (about 5,642 m) is in the Caucasus in Russia. The highest peak of the Alps is Mont Blanc.
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Q.203
Which of the following country-capital pairs is correctly matched?
- A Kenya - Kampala
- B Morocco - Rabat
- C Ethiopia - Asmara
- D Zambia - Harare
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Morocco - Rabat
Rabat is the capital of Morocco. Kampala is the capital of Uganda, Asmara of Eritrea and Harare of Zimbabwe; Kenya's capital is Nairobi, Ethiopia's Addis Ababa and Zambia's Lusaka.
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Q.204
Which country did the Greek historian Herodotus call the 'Gift of the Nile'?
- A Sudan
- B Egypt
- C Ethiopia
- D Libya
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Egypt
Almost all of Egypt's farming and settlement depends on the narrow Nile valley and delta running through the desert, which is why Herodotus called it the gift of the Nile.
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Q.205
Which pair of local wind and region is correctly matched?
- A Harmattan - West Africa
- B Mistral - Sahara to Italy
- C Sirocco - Rhone valley of France
- D Loo - Australia
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Harmattan - West Africa
Harmattan is the dry wind of West Africa, called the Doctor. Mistral is the cold wind of the Rhone valley, Sirocco the hot wind from the Sahara to Italy, and Loo the hot wind of north India.
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Q.206
Precipitation of frozen raindrops and refrozen melted snow, which occurs when a layer of above-freezing air lies over a sub-freezing layer near the ground, is called:
- A sleet
- B hail
- C drizzle
- D dew
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) sleet
Snow melts in the warm layer and refreezes in the cold layer below, reaching the ground as sleet. Hailstones grow when raindrops are carried up and down through freezing layers of a thunderstorm cloud, adding layers of ice.
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Q.207
Which type of cloud is associated with thunderstorms, lightning and hail?
- A Cirrus
- B Cumulonimbus
- C Stratus
- D Altostratus
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Cumulonimbus
Cumulonimbus are towering clouds that produce thunderstorms and hail. Cirrus are high feathery ice-crystal clouds and stratus are layered clouds.
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Q.208
The San Andreas Fault in California, where the Pacific and North American plates slide past each other, is an example of a:
- A transform (conservative) boundary
- B divergent (constructive) boundary
- C convergent (destructive) boundary
- D mid-oceanic ridge
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) transform (conservative) boundary
At a transform boundary plates move horizontally past each other, and crust is neither created nor destroyed. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a divergent boundary, while ocean trenches mark convergent boundaries.
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Q.209
Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, stands on the banks of which river?
- A Euphrates
- B Jordan
- C Tigris
- D Shatt al-Arab
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Tigris
Baghdad lies on the Tigris. The Tigris and the Euphrates enclose ancient Mesopotamia and join in southern Iraq to form the Shatt al-Arab, which enters the Persian Gulf.
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Q.210
When it is 12 noon at a place on 60 degrees W longitude, what is the time at Greenwich (0 degrees)?
- A 8 am
- B 4 am
- C 4 pm
- D 8 pm
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) 4 pm
60 degrees x 4 minutes = 240 minutes, or 4 hours. Places west of Greenwich are behind it, so Greenwich is 4 hours ahead: 4 pm.
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Q.211
In the general circulation of the atmosphere, the cell in which air rises near the Equator and sinks near 30 degrees latitude is called the:
- A Ferrel cell
- B Polar cell
- C Walker cell
- D Hadley cell
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Hadley cell
Air rising at the equatorial low moves poleward aloft, sinks at the subtropical highs and returns as the trade winds; this tropical loop is the Hadley cell. The Ferrel cell lies in the middle latitudes and the polar cell near the poles.
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Q.212
The Strait of Dover, which links the English Channel with the North Sea, separates:
- A England and Ireland
- B England and France
- C Denmark and Sweden
- D France and Belgium
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) England and France
The Strait of Dover lies between Dover in England and Calais in France, and the Channel Tunnel runs beneath this stretch of sea.
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Q.213
The westerlies are planetary winds that blow from the:
- A equatorial low-pressure belt towards the subtropical highs
- B subtropical high-pressure belts towards the sub-polar low-pressure belts
- C polar highs towards the sub-polar lows
- D sub-polar lows towards the Equator
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) subtropical high-pressure belts towards the sub-polar low-pressure belts
Air flowing poleward from the subtropical highs (about 30 degrees) to the sub-polar lows (about 60 degrees) is deflected by the Coriolis force and blows from the west. The trade winds flow from the subtropical highs to the equatorial low.
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Q.214
The Three Gorges Dam of China is built on which river?
- A Huang He (Yellow River)
- B Yangtze
- C Mekong
- D Amur
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Yangtze
The dam spans the Yangtze (Chang Jiang) in Hubei province. The Yangtze is Asia's longest river and reaches the sea near Shanghai.
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Q.215
The Pygmies, forest-dwelling hunter-gatherers, are associated with:
- A the Sahara desert
- B the Arctic tundra
- C the pampas of Argentina
- D the equatorial forests of the Congo basin
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) the equatorial forests of the Congo basin
Pygmy groups such as the Mbuti and the Baka live in the dense equatorial rainforests of the Congo basin in central Africa, traditionally hunting and gathering forest produce.
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Q.216
Which vegetation region is characterised by permafrost, mosses, lichens and animals such as the reindeer?
- A Savanna
- B Tundra
- C Steppe
- D Selvas
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Tundra
Tundra occurs on the Arctic fringes of Canada, Russia and Greenland, where trees cannot grow and only mosses and lichens survive. Selvas are the Amazon rainforests.
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Q.217
Convectional rainfall with afternoon thunderstorms almost every day (4 o'clock rain) is typical of:
- A Equatorial regions
- B Mediterranean regions
- C Polar regions
- D Hot deserts
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Equatorial regions
Intense heating in equatorial regions makes air rise and gives convectional rain nearly every afternoon; Mediterranean regions get their rain in winter.
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Q.218
Marble is a metamorphic rock formed from:
- A Sandstone
- B Limestone
- C Shale
- D Granite
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Limestone
Limestone metamorphoses into marble. Sandstone becomes quartzite, shale becomes slate and granite becomes gneiss.
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Q.219
Which Himalayan country is known as the 'Land of the Thunder Dragon' (Druk Yul)?
- A Nepal
- B Myanmar
- C Bhutan
- D Mongolia
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Bhutan
Bhutan calls itself Druk Yul, 'Land of the Thunder Dragon', and a dragon appears on its national flag.
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Q.220
Tropical cyclones originate over large, warm sea surfaces where the water temperature is higher than about:
- A 0 degrees C
- B 10 degrees C
- C 18 degrees C
- D 27 degrees C
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) 27 degrees C
Warm water above about 27 degrees C supplies the moisture and latent heat that power a cyclone. The Coriolis force and small changes in wind speed with height are also needed.
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Q.221
Arrange the layers of the atmosphere in order from the Earth's surface upward:
- A Troposphere, Mesosphere, Stratosphere, Thermosphere
- B Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere
- C Stratosphere, Troposphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere
- D Troposphere, Stratosphere, Thermosphere, Mesosphere
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere
Going up, the order is troposphere, stratosphere (with the ozone layer), mesosphere, thermosphere (which contains the ionosphere) and finally the exosphere.
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Q.222
Rub' al Khali, a vast sand desert known as the 'Empty Quarter', lies in:
- A the Sahara in Libya
- B Central Asia
- C the Iranian Plateau
- D the Arabian Peninsula
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) the Arabian Peninsula
Rub' al Khali covers the southern Arabian Peninsula, mostly in Saudi Arabia with parts in Oman, the UAE and Yemen. The Iranian Plateau has the Dasht-e-Kavir and Dasht-e-Lut deserts.
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Q.223
Hardwood trees such as mahogany, ebony and rosewood are characteristic of:
- A Temperate deciduous forests
- B Coniferous forests
- C Tropical evergreen (rain) forests
- D Mediterranean vegetation
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Tropical evergreen (rain) forests
Tropical evergreen forests near the Equator receive heavy rain all year, so the trees never shed their leaves all at once, and they yield dense hardwoods like mahogany, ebony and rosewood.
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Q.224
Which intrusive (plutonic) igneous rock forms when magma cools slowly deep inside the crust?
- A Basalt
- B Sandstone
- C Slate
- D Granite
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Granite
Granite is intrusive igneous with large crystals. Basalt is extrusive, formed when lava cools quickly at the surface, as in the Deccan Traps.
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Q.225
The Earth's axis is tilted at what angle from the perpendicular to its orbital plane?
- A 66.5 degrees
- B 90 degrees
- C 23.5 degrees
- D 45 degrees
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) 23.5 degrees
The axis makes 23.5 degrees with the perpendicular and 66.5 degrees with the orbital plane; both figures are asked in exams. This tilt causes the seasons.
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Q.226
A large dome-shaped intrusive igneous body with a level base, connected to the magma source below by a pipe-like conduit, is called a:
- A sill
- B dyke
- C laccolith
- D lapolith
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) laccolith
A laccolith pushes the overlying layers up into a dome. A lapolith is saucer-shaped, a sill is a near-horizontal sheet and a dyke is a wall-like body cutting across the layers.
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Q.227
The Pyrenees mountains form a natural boundary between:
- A France and Italy
- B Spain and Portugal
- C Germany and Austria
- D France and Spain
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) France and Spain
The Pyrenees run from the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean between France and Spain, with the small state of Andorra among them. The Alps separate France and Italy.
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Q.228
The transfer of heat through the horizontal movement of air is called:
- A conduction
- B convection
- C radiation
- D advection
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) advection
Advection is horizontal heat transfer by moving air; the hot loo winds of northern India are an outcome of it. Convection is the vertical transfer of heat by rising warm air.
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Q.229
Large coffee plantations of Brazil are called:
- A Fazendas
- B Estancias
- C Kibbutzim
- D Ranches
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Fazendas
In Brazil coffee is grown on large estates called fazendas, especially on the plateau of Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais. Estancias are the cattle ranches of the Argentine pampas.
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Q.230
The concept of sea-floor spreading, based on studies of mid-oceanic ridges and the magnetism of ocean-floor rocks, was put forward in the early 1960s by:
- A Alfred Wegener
- B Arthur Holmes
- C Beno Gutenberg
- D Harry Hess
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Harry Hess
Harry Hess proposed that new oceanic crust forms at mid-oceanic ridges and spreads outwards on both sides. Wegener gave continental drift and Arthur Holmes suggested convection currents in the mantle.
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Q.231
West of the Great Lakes, much of the land boundary between the USA and Canada follows the:
- A 49th parallel
- B 38th parallel
- C 17th parallel
- D 24th parallel
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) 49th parallel
From the Lake of the Woods region west to the Pacific coast, the USA-Canada border runs along 49 degrees N, fixed by treaties of 1818 and 1846.
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Q.232
In 2006 the International Astronomical Union (IAU) reclassified Pluto as a:
- A comet
- B asteroid
- C moon of Neptune
- D dwarf planet
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) dwarf planet
Under the definition of a planet adopted by the IAU in 2006, Pluto became a dwarf planet, leaving eight planets in the solar system.
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Q.233
The Drakensberg mountains are found in:
- A Kenya and Tanzania
- B Morocco and Algeria
- C South Africa and Lesotho
- D Ethiopia and Eritrea
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) South Africa and Lesotho
The Drakensberg form the high eastern rim of the South African plateau, running through South Africa and Lesotho. The veld grasslands spread to their west.
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Q.234
Angel Falls, the highest waterfall in the world, is in:
- A Venezuela
- B Brazil
- C Zimbabwe
- D Canada
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Venezuela
Angel Falls (about 979 m) is in Venezuela. Victoria Falls is on the Zambezi (Zambia-Zimbabwe) and Niagara on the USA-Canada border.
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Q.235
An isolated pillar of rock standing in the sea off a cliffed coast, often left when the roof of a sea arch collapses, is called a:
- A spit
- B bar
- C stack
- D tombolo
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) stack
Waves cut caves into a headland that join to form an arch; when the arch roof falls, the seaward part remains as a stack. Spits, bars and tombolos are depositional features of sand.
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Q.236
In the Earth's heat budget, if 100 units of insolation reach the top of the atmosphere, about how many units are absorbed by the Earth's surface?
- A 35 units
- B 14 units
- C 51 units
- D 65 units
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) 51 units
In the NCERT heat-budget model about 35 units are reflected back to space (the albedo), 14 units are absorbed by the atmosphere and 51 units by the surface; NASA's estimate for the surface is similar, about 48 per cent. The Earth radiates the same amount back, so its average temperature stays steady.
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Q.237
Which is the largest landlocked country in the world?
- A Mongolia
- B Afghanistan
- C Kazakhstan
- D Bolivia
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country by area. Uzbekistan and Liechtenstein are doubly landlocked, as all their neighbours are also landlocked.
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Q.238
The highest peak of Antarctica is:
- A Mount Erebus
- B Mount Kosciuszko
- C Mount Cook (Aoraki)
- D Vinson Massif
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Vinson Massif
Vinson Massif, in the Ellsworth Mountains, is the highest point of Antarctica. Mount Erebus is an active volcano on Ross Island in Antarctica, but it is lower.
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Q.239
Which of the following is a cold ocean current?
- A Gulf Stream
- B Labrador current
- C Kuroshio
- D Brazil current
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Labrador current
Labrador, Canary, Benguela, Peru (Humboldt), Oyashio and California are cold currents. Gulf Stream, Kuroshio, Brazil and Agulhas are warm.
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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.