Test is part of Rau’s IAS Test series f or Preliminary Exam 2024

Test ID
GENERAL STUDIES (PAPER–I) 0081
WORLD GEOGRAPHY-1

Time Allowed: 1 Hour Maximum Marks: 100

INSTRUCTIONS

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comprises four responses (answers). You will select the response which you want to mark on the
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which you consider the best. In any case, choose ONLY ONE response for each item.

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Read the directions in the Answer Sheet.

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THERE WILL BE PENALTY FOR WRONG ANSWERS MARKED BY A CANDIDATE IN THE
OBJECTIVE TYPE QUESTION PAPERS.

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wrong answer has been given by the candidate, one-third of the marks assigned to that
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that question.

This test is part of Rau’s IAS Test series for Preliminary Exam 202 4
1. Consider the following statements: 2. Land slumping involves significant
1. Exogenic forces are responsible for backward rotational movement of the
creating various landforms. particles.
2. Endogenic forces are responsible for 3. Solifluction refers to the flowage of
creating various landforms. water-saturated soil down a steep
3. The phenomenon of wearing down of slope in the permafrost regions.
relief variations of the surface of the How many of the above statements is/are
Earth through erosion is known as correct?
gradation. (a) Only one
How many of the above statements is/are
(b) Only two
correct?
(c) All three
(a) Only one
(d) None
(b) Only two
(c) All three
5. Consider the following statements:
(d) None
1. When the stream beds turn gentler,
downward cutting becomes more
2. Consider the following statements:
dominant and lateral erosion of banks
1. Endogenetic forces are generated by
increases.
radioactive heat, rotational and tidal
forces. 2. Monadnocks are the erosional
remnants lying over the peneplains in
2. Geothermal gradients are responsible
the humid areas.
for inducing volcanism in the
lithosphere. 3. During old stage of the rivers, lakes,
Which of the statements given above swamps and marshes are very
is/are correct? common.
(a) 1 only How many of the above statements is/are
(b) 2 only correct?

(c) Both 1 and 2 (a) Only one

(d) Neither 1 nor 2 (b) Only two
(c) All three
3. Consider the following statements (d) None
regarding ‘exfoliation’:
1. Exfoliated domes are produced due to 6. Consider the following factors:
thermal changes. 1. Wind
2. Exfoliated tors are produced due to 2. Diurnal range of temperature
pressure changes.
3. Precipitation
Which of the statements given above
4. Evaporation
is/are correct?
5. Rock structure
(a) 1 only
6. Rock composition
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 Which of the above factors affect the
geomorphic processes?
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
(a) 1, 2, 3 and 5 only

4. Consider the following statements: (b) 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 only

1. Weathering is a pre-requisite for mass (c) 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 only

movement. (d) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6

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7. Consider the following statements: 10. Consider the following statements
1. Potholes and plunge pools are the regarding the landforms found in the
depressions created because of stream Karst topography region:
erosion and the impact created by the 1. Dolines are a natural enclosed
rotation of the boulders. depression formed due to erosional
2. Incised meanders are formed in the action of groundwater.
areas experiencing vertical
2. A stalactite is an upward-growing
subsidence.
mound of mineral deposits, that have
3. River terraces are the depositional
precipitated from water dripping onto
features marked by old valley floor or
the floor of a cave.
floodplain levels.
How many of the above statements is/are Which of the statements given above
correct? is/are correct?
(a) Only one (a) 1 only
(b) Only two (b) 2 only
(c) All three
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) None
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
8. Consider the following characteristics:
“They are formed when the streams 11. ‘Cirque’, ‘horn’ and ‘tarn lakes’ are the
flowing from the higher levels break into chief characteristic landforms found in
the foot slope plains of low gradient and which of the following landscapes?
the coarse deposits get dumped and
spread as a broad low to high cone (a) Aeolian landscape
shaped deposit.” (b) Karst landscape
Which of the following landforms best
(c) Fluvial landscape
describes the above characteristics?
(a) Deltas (d) Glacial landscape
(b) Point bars
(c) Alluvial fans 12. Consider the following statements:
(d) Natural levees
1. Drumlins are smooth oval-shaped
ridge-like features in glacial areas.
9. Consider the following statements
regarding the river meandering: 2. A fjord is a long, deep, narrow body of
water at the coasts, that reaches far
1. It is most common in mature and old
inland.
stages of rivers.
2. Active deposition takes place along 3. Tombolo is a depositional feature
the concave bank. created by the sea waves, which joins
3. The Coriolis Force acts on the moving the mainland and an island.
fluid and hence, deflects the river How many of the above statements is/are
water. correct?
How many of the above statements is/are (a) Only one
correct?
(a) Only one (b) Only two

(b) Only two (c) All three

(c) All three (d) None
(d) None

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13. Consider the following statements: 16. Consider the following statements:
1. Rocks closer to the mid-oceanic ridges 1. Hypocentre is the actual point where
have normal polarity and are the the energy of the earthquake is
youngest. released.
2. Mid-oceanic ridges experience deep 2. Epicentre is the point which is directly
focus earthquakes. above the focus of an earthquake.
Which of the statements given above Which of the statements given above
is/are correct? is/are correct?
(a) 1 only (a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

14. Consider the following statements

17. With reference to the earthquake waves,
regarding the minor tectonic plates:
consider the following statements:
1. The Cocos plate is located between
South America and the Pacific plate. 1. The primary waves are the first to
arrive at the surface and can travel
2. The Nazca plate is located between
only through solid materials.
Central America and the Pacific plate.
3. The Philippine plate is located 2. The secondary waves are similar to
between the Asiatic plate and the the sound waves.
Pacific plate. 3. The surface waves are most
4. The Caroline plate is located between destructive and cause displacement of
the Philippine plate and the Indian rocks, and the collapse of the
plate. structures.
5. The Fuji plate is located north-east of How many of the above statements is/are
Australia. correct?
Which of the statements given above are (a) Only one
correct? (b) Only two
(a) 1, 2 and 3 only (c) All three
(b) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 (d) None
(c) 3, 4 and 5 only
(d) 1, 4 and 5 only 18. With reference to the shadow zone of the
earthquake waves, consider the following
15. Consider the following: statements:
1. Surface rocks 1. The ‘shadow zone’ is an area where
2. Volcanic eruptions the earthquake waves are not
3. Magnetic field reported.
4. Gravity 2. The shadow zone of the P waves is
5. Seismic activities much larger than that of the S waves.
How many of the above are the indirect Which of the statements given above
sources of information about the Earth’s is/are correct?
interior? (a) 1 only
(a) Only two (b) 2 only
(b) Only three (c) Both 1 and 2
(c) Only four (d) Neither 1 nor 2
(d) All five

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19. With reference to the structure of the How many of the above statements is/are
Earth, consider the following statements: correct?
1. Crust is the outermost solid part of (a) Only one
the Earth and brittle in nature.
(b) Only two
2. The oceanic crust is thicker, as
(c) All three
compared to the continental crust.
(d) None
3. The outer core is in the solid state,
while the inner core is in the liquid
state. 22. Consider the following statements:
How many of the above statements is/are 1. Batholiths are large dome-shaped
correct? intrusive bodies with a level base and
(a) Only one connected by a pipe-like conduit from
(b) Only two below.
(c) All three 2. Lacolith is a large body of magmatic
(d) None material that cools in the deeper
depth of the crust.
20. With reference to the mantle of the Earth, 3. Lapolith is a large igneous intrusion
consider the following statements: that develops into a saucer shape,
1. The portion of the interior beyond the which is concave to the sky body.
core is called the mantle.
How many of the above statements is/are
2. The upper portion of the mantle is correct?
called asthenosphere, which is the
(a) Only one
main source of magma.
(b) Only two
3. The Moho Discontinuity is the
boundary between the core and the (c) All three
mantle. (d) None
How many of the above statements is/are
correct?
23. Consider the following statements:
(a) Only one
1. Phacolith is a lens-shaped mass of
(b) Only two
igneous rock intruded in the folded
(c) All three sedimentary beds.
(d) None
2. Sills are horizontal bodies of intrusive
igneous rocks that form between the
21. Consider the following statements with pre-existing layers of rock.
reference to volcanoes:
3. Dykes are the wall-like structures
1. The shield volcanoes are mostly made
which are formed when lava solidifies
up of basalt and characterized by
almost perpendicular to the ground.
steep slopes.
2. The composite volcanoes are the most How many of the above statements is/are
explosive of the Earth’s volcanoes and correct?
they mostly collapse on themselves. (a) Only one
3. Calderas are the large volcanoes, (b) Only two
generally composed of lava flows, (c) All three
pyroclastic deposits and mudflow
(d) None
deposits.

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24. With reference to waves in the ocean,
consider the following statements:
1. The actual motion of the water
beneath the waves is rectangular,
similar to that of the meridional air
cells.
2. Wind is the primary cause for the
waves to travel in the ocean and they
release the energy on the shorelines.
3. Steep waves originate from faraway
places.
How many of the above statements is/are
correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
25. Consider the following statements:
1. Wave amplitude is the vertical
distance from the bottom of a trough
to the top of a crest of a wave.
2. Wave frequency is the number of
waves passing a given point during a
one second time interval.
Which of the statements given above
is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
26. Consider the following statements:
1. Tides are the movement of water
caused by meteorological effects, like
wind and pressure.
2. The tidal bulges on wide continental
shelves have greater height.
Which of the statements given above
is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
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27. Consider the following statements:
1. Neap tides occur when the Sun, the
Moon and the Earth are in a straight
line.
2. Ebb is the time between the high tide
and the low tide, when the water level
is falling.
3. The tidal range is greater than normal
when the Moon is the farthest from
the Earth.
How many of the above statements is/are
correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
28. With reference to the ocean currents,
consider the following statements:
1. Differences in water density mainly
affect the horizontal mobility of the
ocean currents.
2. Surface currents constitute majority
per cent of all the water in the ocean.
Which of the statements given above
is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
29. With reference to the ocean currents,
consider the following statements:
1. In the middle latitudes, the ocean
water is higher in level than near the
Equator.
2. Cold currents are usually found on
the west coast of the continents in the
low and middle latitudes.
3. In the northern hemisphere, warm
currents are found on the west coasts
of the continents in high latitudes.
How many of the above statements is/are
correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
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30. Consider the following ocean currents: 1. The continental shelf is the shallowest
1. Labrador Current part of the ocean.
2. Gulf Stream 2. Canyons are observed in the region of
the continent shelf part of the ocean.
3. Kuroshio Current
3. The continental shelf, along the coast
4. California Current
of Chile, is the largest in the world.
How many of the above is/are the cold How many of the above statements is/are
ocean current(s)? correct?
(a) Only one (a) Only one
(b) Only two (b) Only two
(c) Only three (c) All three
(d) All four (d) None

31. Consider the following ocean currents:
1. Oyashio Current
2. East Australian Current
3. Okhotsk Current
4. Mozambique Current
How many of the above is/are the warm
ocean current(s)?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) Only three
(d) All four
32. Consider the following statements:
1. The presence of warm ocean currents
on the west coast of the middle
latitude continent is responsible for
their distinct marine climate.
2. The best fishing grounds in the world
exist mainly in the mixing zones of the
cold and the warm ocean currents.
3. Presence of the cold ocean currents on
the west coasts of the continents in
the tropical latitude results into arid
environment.
How many of the above statements is/are
correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
33. With reference to the physical geography
of the world, consider the following
statements:
34. Consider the following statements with
reference to the physical features of the
ocean floors:
1. The continental slope is the seaward
border of the continental shelf.
2. The gradient of the continental slope
is the lowest off the coasts with
narrow continental shelves.
3. The gradient of the continental slope
is the flattest in the Indian Ocean.
How many of the above statements is/are
correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
35. With reference to the physical geography
of the world, consider the following
statements:
1. The mid-oceanic ridges are formed
along the convergent plate
boundaries.
2. The East Pacific Rise ocean ridge has
given rise to a rift valley in the Pacific
Ocean.
3. Seamounts are the volcanic origin
mountains with flat summits.
4. The Emperor seamount is an
extension of the Hawaiian Islands in
the Pacific Ocean.
How many of the above statements is/are
incorrect?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) Only three
(d) All four

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36. With reference to the minor relief features 2. In the Arctic circle, there is greater
of the ocean floor, consider the following variation in temperatures of different
statements: layers of ocean water.
1. Submarine canyons are generally 3. The warmer layer with 20-25 degrees
found along the areas where one C is present throughout the year in
tectonic plate slides beneath another. the tropical and mid-latitude regions.
2. Guyots are underwater volcanic How many of the above statements is/are
mountains with pointed summits. correct?
3. An atoll is formed due to the upward (a) Only one
growth of the fringing coral reefs from (b) Only two
a volcanic island.
(c) All three
How many of the above statements is/are
(d) None
correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two 39. With reference to the temperature
variations in the oceans, consider the
(c) All three
following statements:
(d) None
1. The highest temperature of surface
water of the oceans is recorded at the
37. Consider the following statements with Equator.
reference to the factors affecting the
2. In the Northern Atlantic, there is high
temperature distribution of the ocean
decrease of temperature with
water:
increasing latitudes towards north.
1. The latitudinally extensive seas in the
3. The vertical decrease of the
low attitude regions have cooler
temperature is uniform throughout
surface waters, than the
longitudinally extensive seas. the different layers of ocean waters.

2. The oceans in the northern How many of the above statements is/are
hemisphere receive more heat due to correct?
their contact with larger extent of (a) Only one
land. (b) Only two
3. The open seas in the high latitudes (c) All three
have higher temperature, compared to (d) None
the enclosed seas.
4. The Gulf Stream, a cold current,
40. Consider the following statements:
lowers the temperature near the
1. The rate of evaporation and ocean
eastern coast of North America.
salinity are negatively related.
How many of the above statements is/are
incorrect? 2. The salinity of ocean water is directly
proportional to the precipitation level.
(a) Only one
3. The presence of anti-cyclonic
(b) Only two
conditions increases the salinity of the
(c) Only three
oceanic surface water.
(d) All four
How many of the above statements is/are
incorrect?
38. Regarding the temperature distribution of (a) Only one
the ocean waters, consider the following
(b) Only two
statements:
(c) All three
1. Thermocline is the boundary region at
which there is rapid decrease of (d) None
temperature.

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41. With reference to the salinity of the ocean How many of the statements given above
water, consider the following statements: is/are correct?
1. Ocean water salinity is the highest in (a) Only one
the Equatorial regions and it (b) Only two
decreases towards the Poles. (c) All three
(d) None
2. The North Sea, due to its location in
the higher latitudes, records lower
44. Consider the following statements:
salinity.
1. Bolivia, Peru and Colombia form the
Which of the statements given above lithium triangle.
is/are correct? 2. Brazil is the only country which
(a) 1 only shares land boundary with all the
(b) 2 only countries of the South America
continent.
(c) Both 1 and 2
Which of the statements given above
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
42. Regarding the distribution of salinity in (b) 2 only
ocean water, consider the following (c) Both 1 and 2
statements: (d) Neither 1 nor 2
1. The Halocline is a transition zone
45. Consider the following:
between the upper layer of maximum
1. Lake Superior
salinity and the lower layer of
2. Lake Michigan
minimum salinity.
3. Lake Huron
2. At the Thermocline zone, salinity
4. Lake Erie
decreases with an increase in depth at
5. Lake Volta
lower latitudes.
6. Lake Eyre
3. At the Pycnocline zone, seawater How many of the lakes mentioned above
density changes rapidly. are part of the Great Lakes of North
How many of the above statements is/are America?
correct? (a) Only three
(a) Only one (b) Only four
(c) Only five
(b) Only two
(d) All six
(c) All three
(d) None 46. Arrange the following mountain ranges of
North America in North to South
43. Consider the following statements with direction:
reference to the continent of South 1. Brooks Range
America: 2. Appalachian Mountains
3. Rocky Mountains
1. Atacama Desert is the driest desert of
4. Norte Dame mountains
the world.
Select the correct answer using the code
2. Andes is the longest continental given below:
mountain range in the world. (a) 2 – 1 – 4 – 3
3. Drake passage separates the (b) 3 – 1 – 2 – 4
continent of South America from (c) 4 – 1 – 2 – 3
North America. (d) 1 – 3 – 4 – 2

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47. Consider the following countries: 49. Consider the following pairs:
1. Nigeria S.N. Name of Connects
2. Burkina Faso strait
3. Mali 1. Malacca Strait Java Sea and
4. Kenya Indian Ocean
How many of the countries given above 2. Sunda Straits Andaman Sea
share (s) border with Niger? and South China
(a) Only one Sea
(b) Only two 3. Bab-el- Red Sea and Gulf
(c) Only three Mandeb of Aden
(d) All four Straits
How many of the pairs given above is/are
48. Consider the following countries: correctly matched?
1. Azerbaizan (a) Only one
2. Kazakhstan (b) Only two
3. Uzbekistan (c) All three
4. Turkmenistan (d) None
How many of the countries given share (s)
border with the Caspian Sea? 50. Consider the following pairs:
(a) Only one S.N. Ports Country
(b) Only two 1. Busan North Korea
(c) Only three
2. Antwerp Belgium
(d) All four
3. Tanger Med Morocco
How many of the pairs given above is/are
correctly matched?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None

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Answers &
Explanations
of

TEST ID: 0081

GENERAL STUDIES (PAPER – I)

World Geography-1

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ANSWERS & EXPLANATIONS OF

World Geography-1
GS Paper-I (0081)

1. Answer: (c) Exfoliation is a result, but not a process.

Explanation:
The Earth’s surface is being continuously
subjected to external forces, induced
basically by energy (Sunlight). Of course,
the internal forces are still active, though
with different intensities. That means, the
Earth’s surface is being continuously
subjected to by external forces originating
within the Earth’s atmosphere and by
internal forces from within the Earth.
The external forces are known as the
4.
‘exogenic forces’ and the internal forces
are known as the ‘endogenic forces’. The
actions of the exogenic forces result in
wearing down (degradation) of
relief/elevations and filling up
(aggradation) of basins/depressions, on
the Earth’s surface. The phenomenon of
wearing down of relief variations of the
surface of the Earth through erosion is
known as gradation.
2. Answer: (c)
Explanation:
The energy emanating from within the
Earth is the main force behind the
endogenic geomorphic processes. This
energy is mostly generated by
radioactivity, rotational and tidal friction,
and primordial heat from the origin of the
Earth.
This energy, due to geothermal gradients
and heat flow from within, induces
diastrophism and volcanism in the
lithosphere.
3. Answer: (d)
Explanation:
Exfoliation comes under physical
weathering processes of unloading,
thermal contraction and expansion.
Flaking off of more or less curved sheets
of shells from over rocks or bedrock
results in smooth and rounded surfaces.
Exfoliation can occur due to the
expansion and contraction induced by
temperature changes.
Exfoliation domes and tors result due
to unloading and thermal expansion,
respectively.
Answer: (b)
Explanation:
The movements of mass may range from
slow to rapid, affecting shallow to deep
columns of materials and include creep,
flow, slide and fall.
Gravity exerts its force on all matters,
both bedrock and the products of
weathering. So, weathering is not a pre-
requisite for mass movement, though
it aids mass movements.
Slump is slipping of one or several units
of rock debris with a backward rotation
with respect to the slope over which the
movement takes place. Rapid rolling or
sliding of earth debris, without backward
rotation of mass, is known as debris
slide.
Solifluction refers to the flowage of water-
saturated soil down a steep slope.
Because permafrost is impermeable to
water, soil overlying it may become
oversaturated and slide downslope under
the pull of gravity. Soil, that has been
opened and weakened by frost action, is
most susceptible. Movement is at a
maximum rate of a few inches per day,
eventually producing smooth, gentle
concave slopes.

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5. Answer: (b)
Explanation:
With time, stream channels over steep
gradients turn gentler due to continued
erosion, and as a consequence, lose their
velocity, facilitating active deposition.
There may be depositional forms
associated with the streams flowing over
steep slopes. But these phenomena will
be on a small scale, compared to those
associated with the rivers flowing over
medium to gentle slopes. When the
stream beds turn gentler due to
continued erosion, downward cutting
becomes less dominant and lateral
erosion of banks increases and, as a
consequence, the hills and the valleys are
reduced to plains.
Monadnock is an isolated hill of bedrock
standing conspicuously above the general
level of the surrounding area.
Monadnocks are left as erosional
remnants because of their more resistant
rock composition. In contrast to
inselbergs (island mountains), a similar
tropical landform, monadnocks are
formed in the humid regions.
Smaller tributaries during old age are few
with gentle gradients. Streams meander
freely over vast floodplains, showing
natural levees, oxbow lakes, etc. Divides
are broad and flat with lakes, swamps
and marshes. Most of the landscape is at
or slightly above the sea level.
6. Answer: (d)
Explanation:
The density, type and distribution of
vegetation, which largely depend upon
precipitation and temperature, exert
influence indirectly on the exogenic
geomorphic processes.
Within different climatic regions, there
may be local variations of the effects of
different climatic elements, due to
altitudinal differences, aspect variations
and the variation in the amount of
insolation received by the north and the
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south facing slopes, as compared to the
east and the west facing slopes.
Further, due to differences in wind
velocities and directions, amount and
kind of precipitation, its intensity, the
relation between precipitation and
evaporation, daily range of
temperature, freezing and thawing
frequency, depth of frost penetration, the
geomorphic processes vary within any
climatic region.
The climatic factors being equal, the
intensity of action of the exogenic
geomorphic processes depends upon the
type and structure of the rocks. The
term ‘structure’ includes such aspects of
rocks as folds, faults, orientation and
inclination of beds, presence or absence
of joints, bedding planes, hardness or
softness of constituent minerals,
chemical susceptibility of mineral
constituents, the permeability or
impermeability. Different types of rocks
with differences in their structure offer
varying resistances to various geomorphic
processes.
7. Answer: (a)
Explanation:
Over the rocky beds of hill-streams, more
or less circular depressions, called
potholes form because of stream erosion
aided by the abrasion of rock fragments.
Once a small and rationalised shallow
depression forms, pebbles and boulders
get collected in those depressions and get
rotated by the flowing water and
consequently the depressions grow in
dimensions. A series of such depressions
eventually join and the stream valley gets
deepened. At the foot of the waterfalls
also, large potholes, quite deep and wide,
form because of the sheer impact of water
and rotation of the boulders. Such large
and deep holes at the base of waterfalls
are called plunge pools.
A meandering river valley, that has cut
down its bed into the bedrock, because
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of uplift or lowered base level, is called
an incised meander.
River terraces are the surfaces
marking old valley floor or floodplain
levels. They may be bedrock surfaces
without any alluvial cover or alluvial
terraces consisting of stream deposits.
River terraces are basically the
products of erosion, as they result due
to vertical erosion by the stream into its
own depositional floodplain. There can be
a number of such terraces at different
heights, indicating former river bed levels.
The river terraces may occur at the same
elevation on either side of the rivers, in
which case they are called paired
terraces.
8. Answer: (c)
Explanation:
Alluvial fans are formed when the
streams flowing from the higher levels
break into the foot slope plains of low
gradient. Normally, very coarse load is
carried by the streams flowing over the
mountain slopes. This load becomes too
heavy for the streams to be carried over
gentler gradients and gets dumped and
spread as a broad low to high cone
shaped deposit, called alluvial fan.
Usually, the streams which flow over the
fans are not confined to their original
channels for long, and shift their position
across the fan, forming many channels,
called distributaries. Alluvial fans in the
humid areas show normally low cones
with gentle slope from head to toe and
they appear as high cones with steep
slope in the arid and the semi-arid
climates.
9. Answer: (c)
Explanation:
In large flood and delta plains, the rivers
rarely flow in straight courses. Loop-like
channel patterns, called meanders,
develop over flood and delta plains.
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This is because of: (i) propensity of water
flowing over very gentle gradients to work
laterally on the banks; (ii) unconsolidated
nature of alluvial deposits making up the
banks with many irregularities, which
can be used by water exerting pressure
laterally; and (iii) the Coriolis Force acting
on the fluid water, deflecting it like it
deflects the wind.
When the gradient of the channel
becomes extremely low, water flows
leisurely and starts working laterally.
If there is no deposition and no erosion or
undercutting, the tendency to meander is
reduced. Normally, in the meanders of
large rivers, there is active deposition
along the concave bank and undercutting
along the convex bank. The concave bank
is known as the cut-off bank, which
shows up as a steep scarp, and the
convex bank presents a long, gentle
profile. As meanders grow into deep
loops, the same may get cut-off due to
erosion at the inflection points and are
left as the ‘ox-bow lakes’.
10. Answer: (a)
Explanation:
A doline (or sinkhole, as it is more
commonly called in North America) is a
natural enclosed depression found in the
Karst landscapes. Dolines are the most
common landform in the Karst areas.
They are described as small- to medium-
sized closed depressions, ranging from
metres to tens of metres in both diameter
and depth.
Stalactites hang as icicles of different
diameters. Normally, they are broad at
their bases and taper towards the free
ends, showing up in a variety of forms.
Stalagmites rise-up from the floor of
the caves. In fact, stalagmites form
due to dripping water from the surface
or through the thin pipe, of the
stalactite, immediately below it.
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11. Answer: (d)
Explanation:
Cirques are the most common of
landforms in glaciated mountains. The
cirques, quite often, are found at the
heads of the glacial valleys. The
accumulated ice cuts these cirques while
moving down the mountain tops. They
are deep, long and wide troughs or basins
with very steep concave to vertically
dropping high walls at its head, as well as
sides. A lake of water can be seen quite
often within the cirques after the glacier
disappears. Such lakes are called
‘cirques’ or ‘tarn lakes’. There can be
two or more cirques, one leading into
another down below in a stepped
sequence.
Horns form through the head ward
erosion of the cirque walls. If three or
more radiating glaciers cut headward
until their cirques meet, high, sharp
pointed and steep sided peaks, called
horns, form.
12. Answer: (c)
Explanation:
Drumlins are smooth oval-shaped ridge-
like features composed mainly of glacial
till with some masses of gravel and sand.
The long axes of drumlins are parallel to
the direction of ice movement.
A fjord is a long, deep, narrow body of
water that reaches far inland. Fjords are
often set in a U-shaped valley with steep
walls of rock on either side. Fjords are
found mainly in Norway, Chile, New
Zealand, Canada, Greenland and the US
state of Alaska. Fjords were created by
glaciers. In the Earth's last ice age,
glaciers covered just about everything.
Glaciers move very slowly over time, and
can greatly alter the landscape once they
have moved through an area. This
process is called glaciation.
A tombolo is formed when a spit connects
the mainland coast to an island. A spit is
a feature that is formed through
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deposition of material at the coastlines.
The process of longshore drift occurs, and
this moves the material along the
coastline.
13. Answer: (a)
Explanation:
Mapping of the ocean floor and
palaeomagnetic studies of rocks from
oceanic regions revealed the following
facts:
(i) It was realised that all along the mid-
oceanic ridges, volcanic eruptions are
common and they bring huge
amounts of lava to the surface in this
area.
(ii) The rocks equidistant on either sides
of the crest of the mid-oceanic ridges
show remarkable similarities in terms
of period of formation, chemical
compositions and magnetic
properties. Rocks closer to the mid-
oceanic ridges have normal polarity
and are the youngest. The age of the
rocks increases as one moves away
from the crest.
(iii) The ocean crust rocks are much
younger than the continental rocks.
(iv) The deep trenches have deep-seated
earthquake occurrences, while in
the mid-oceanic ridge areas, the
quake foci have shallow depths.
14. Answer: (c)
Explanation:
Some important minor plates are listed
below:
(i) The Cocos plate: Between Central
America and the Pacific plate.
(ii) The Nazca plate: Between South
America and the Pacific plate.
(iii) The Arabian plate: Mostly the
Saudi Arabian landmass.
(iv) The Philippine plate: Between the
Asiatic plate and the Pacific plate.
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(v) The Caroline plate: Between the
Philippine plate and the Indian plate
(North of New Guinea).
(vi) The Fuji plate: North-east of
Australia.
15. Answer: (b)
Explanation:
Sources of information about the
interior of the Earth:
Direct sources:
 Surface rocks
 Volcanic eruptions
Indirect sources:
 Magnetic field
 Gravity
 Seismic activities
16. Answer: (c)
Explanation:
 The point where the energy of the
earthquake is released is called the
focus of an earthquake, alternatively,
it is called the hypocentre. The energy
waves travelling in different directions
reach the surface.
 The point on the surface, nearest to
the focus, is called the epicentre. It is
the first one to experience the waves.
It is a point directly above the focus.
17. Answer: (a)
Explanation:
 The earthquake waves are basically of
two types — body waves and surface
waves. The body waves are generated
due to the release of energy at the
focus and move in all directions,
travelling through the body of the
Earth. Hence, the name ‘body waves’.
 The body waves interact with the
surface rocks and generate a new set
of waves, called the surface waves.
These waves move along the surface.
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 There are two types of body waves.
They are called the P waves and the S
waves.
 The P waves move faster and are the
first to arrive at the surface. These are
also called the ‘primary waves’. The P
waves are similar to the sound
waves. They travel through
gaseous, liquid and solid materials.
 The S waves arrive at the surface with
some time lag. These are called the
‘secondary waves’. An important fact
about the S waves is that they can
travel only through solid materials.
 The surface waves are the last to
report on the seismograph. These
waves are more destructive. They
cause displacement of rocks, and
hence, the collapse of structures
occurs.
18. Answer: (a)
Explanation:
 The earthquake waves get recorded in
the seismographs located at far off
locations. However, there exist some
specific areas, where the waves are
not reported. Such a zone is called the
‘shadow zone’.
 It was observed that the seismographs
located at any distance within 105°
from the epicentre, recorded the
arrival of both the P waves and the S
waves. However, the seismographs,
located beyond 145° from the
epicentre, record the arrival of the P
waves, but not that of the S waves.
 Thus, a zone between 105° and 145°
from the epicentre was identified as
the ‘shadow zone’ for both types of
waves. The entire zone beyond 105°
does not receive the S waves.
 The shadow zone of the S waves is
much larger than that of the P
waves. The shadow zone of the P
waves appears as a band around the
Earth, between 105° and 145° away
from the epicentre.
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19. Answer: (a)
Explanation:
 Core is the outermost solid part of
the Earth. It is brittle in nature.
 The thickness of the crust varies
under the oceanic and the continental
areas.
 The oceanic crust is thinner, as
compared to the continental crust.
The mean thickness of the oceanic
crust is 5 km, whereas that of the
continental is around 30 km. The
continental crust is thicker in the
areas of major mountain systems.
 The outer core is in liquid state,
while the inner core is in solid
state. The core is made up of very
heavy material, mostly constituted by
nickel and iron. It is sometimes
referred to as the ‘nife layer’.
20. Answer: (a)
Explanation:
 The portion of the interior beyond
the crust is called the mantle. The
mantle extends from the Moho
Discontinuity to a depth of 2,900 km.
 The upper portion of the mantle is
called asthenosphere. The word
‘astheno’ means weak. It is considered
to be extending upto 400 km. It is the
main source of magma that finds its
way to the surface during the volcanic
eruptions.
 The crust and the uppermost part of
the mantle are called lithosphere. Its
thickness ranges from 10-200 km.
The lower mantle extends beyond the
asthenosphere. It is in solid state.
Note: The Moho Discontinuity is the
boundary between the crust and the
mantle.
21. Answer: (d)
Explanation:
 Barring the basalt flows, the shield
volcanoes are the largest of all the
volcanoes on the Earth. The Hawaiian
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volcanoes are the most famous
examples. These volcanoes are mostly
made up of basalt, a type of lava that
is very fluid when erupted. For this
reason, these volcanoes are not
steep. They become explosive if
somehow water gets into the vent;
otherwise, they are characterized by
low-explosivity.
 Composite volcanoes are
characterized by eruptions of cooler
and more viscous lavas than basalt.
These volcanoes often result in
explosive eruptions. Along with lava,
large quantities of pyroclastic material
and ashes find their way to the
ground. This material accumulates in
the vicinity of the vent openings
leading to the formation of layers, and
this makes the mounts appear as
composite volcanoes.
 Calderas are the most explosive of
the Earth’s volcanoes. They are
usually so explosive that when they
erupt, they tend to collapse on
themselves, rather than building any
tall structure. The collapsed
depressions are called calderas. Their
explosiveness indicates that the
magma chamber supplying the lava is
not only huge, but is also in close
vicinity.
22. Answer: (a)
Explanation:
Batholiths: A large body of magmatic
material that cools in the deeper depth
of the crust develops in the form of
large domes. They appear on the surface
only after the denudational processes
remove the overlying materials. They
cover large areas, and at times, assume
depth that may be several km. These are
granitic bodies. Batholiths are the cooled
portion of magma chambers.
Lacoliths: These are large dome-shaped
intrusive bodies with a level base and
connected by a pipe-like conduit from
below. It resembles the surface volcanic
domes of composite volcano, only these
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are located at deeper depths. It can be
regarded as the localised source of lava
that finds its way to the surface. The
Karnataka plateau is spotted with domal
hills of granite rocks. Most of these, now
exfoliated, are examples of lacoliths or
batholiths.
Lapolith, Phacolith and Sills: As and
when the lava moves upwards, a portion
of the same may tend to move in a
horizontal direction wherever it finds a
weak plane. It may get rested in different
forms. In case it develops into a saucer
shape, concave to the sky body, it is
called lapolith. A wavy mass of intrusive
rocks, at times, is found at the base of
synclines or at the top of anticline in
folded igneous country.
23. Answer: (c)
Explanation:
 A wavy mass of intrusive rocks, at
times, is found at the base of
synclines or at the top of anticline in
folded igneous country. Such wavy
materials have a definite conduit to
source beneath in the form of magma
chambers (subsequently developed as
batholiths). These are called the
phacoliths.
 The near horizontal bodies of the
intrusive igneous rocks are called sill
or sheet, depending on the thickness
of the material. The thinner ones are
called sheets, while the thick
horizontal deposits are called sills.
Sills are the horizontal bodies of
intrusive igneous rocks that form
between the pre-existing layers of
rock.
 When the lava makes its way through
cracks and the fissures developed in
the land, it solidifies almost
perpendicular to the ground. It gets
cooled in the same position to develop
a wall-like structure. Such structures
are called dykes. These are the most
commonly found intrusive forms in
the western Maharashtra area. These
are considered the feeders for the
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eruptions that led to the development
of the Deccan Traps.
24. Answer: (a)
Explanation:
 Waves are actually the energy, not the
water as such, which moves across
the ocean surface. Water particles
only travel in a small circle as a wave
passes. The actual motion of the
water beneath the waves is circular.
It indicates that the things are carried
up and forward as the wave
approaches, and down and back as it
passes.
 Wind provides energy to the waves.
Wind causes waves to travel in the
ocean and the energy is released on
the shorelines. The motion of the
surface water seldom affects the
stagnant deep bottom water of the
oceans. As a wave approaches the
beach, it slows down. This is due to
the friction occurring between the
dynamic water and the sea floor.
 A wave’s size and shape reveal its
origin. Steep waves are fairly young
ones and are probably formed by
local wind. Slow and steady waves
originate from faraway places,
possibly from another hemisphere.
The maximum wave height is
determined by the strength of the
wind, i.e., how long it blows and the
area over which it blows in a single
direction.
25. Answer: (b)
Explanation:
 The highest and the lowest points of a
wave are called the wave crest and
wave trough, respectively. Wave
height is the vertical distance from
the bottom of a trough to the top of
a crest of a wave. Wave amplitude is
one-half of the wave height.
 The wave period is merely the time
interval between two successive wave
crests or troughs, as they pass a fixed
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point. Wavelength is the horizontal
distance between two successive
crests. Wave speed is the rate at
which the wave moves through the
water, and is measured in knots.
 Wave frequency: It is the number of
waves passing a given point during a
one second time interval.
26. Answer: (b)
Explanation:
 The periodical rise and fall of the sea
level, once or twice a day, mainly due
to the attraction of the Sun and the
Moon, is called a tide. The movement
of water caused by meteorological
effects (winds and atmospheric
pressure changes) are called surges.
Surges are not regular like tides. The
study of tides is very complex,
spatially and temporally, as it has
great variations in frequency,
magnitude and height.
 The Moon’s gravitational pull to a
great extent and to a lesser extent the
Sun’s gravitational pull, are the major
causes for the occurrence of the tides.
Another factor is the centrifugal force,
which is the force that acts to counter
balance the gravity. Together, the
gravitational pull and the centrifugal
force are responsible for creating the
two major tidal bulges on the Earth.
The tidal bulges on wide continental
shelves have greater height. When
tidal bulges hit the mid-oceanic
islands, they become low. The shape
of bays and estuaries along a
coastline can also magnify the
intensity of the tides.
27. Answer: (a)
Explanation:
 The position of both the Sun and the
Moon in relation to the Earth has
direct bearing on tide height. When
the Sun, the Moon and the Earth
are in a straight line, the height of
the tide will be higher. These are
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called spring tides and they occur
twice a month, one on the Full Moon
period and another during the New
Moon period.
 The time between the high tide and
the low tide, when the water level is
falling, is called the ebb. The time
between the low tide and the high
tide, when the tide is rising, is called
the flow or flood.
 Once in a month, when the Moon’s
orbit is the closest to the Earth
(perigee), unusually high and low
tides occur. During this time the
tidal range is greater than normal.
Two weeks later, when the Moon is
the farthest from the Earth
(apogee), the Moon’s gravitational
force is limited and the tidal ranges
are less than their average heights.
28. Answer: (d)
Explanation:
 Differences in water density affect
the vertical mobility of the ocean
currents. Water with high salinity is
denser than water with low salinity,
and in the same way, cold water is
denser than warm water. Denser
water tends to sink, while relatively
lighter water tends to rise. Cold-water
ocean currents occur when the cold
water at the Poles sinks and slowly
moves towards the Equator. Warm-
water currents travel out from the
Equator along the surface, flowing
towards the Poles to replace the
sinking cold water.
 The ocean currents may be
classified, based on their depth, as
surface currents and deep water
currents: (i) surface currents
constitute about 10 per cent of all
the water in the ocean, these
waters are the upper 400 m of the
ocean; (ii) deep water currents
make up the other 90 per cent of
the ocean water.
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29. Answer: (b) coast of the continents in the low

Explanation:
 The primary forces that influence the
currents are: (i) heating by solar
energy; (ii) wind; (iii) gravity; and (iv)
The Coriolis Force. Heating by solar
energy causes the water to expand.
That is why, near the Equator the
ocean water is about 8 cm higher in
level than in the middle latitudes.
 Ocean currents can also be classified
based on temperature: as cold
currents and warm currents:
(i) Cold currents bring cold water into
warm water areas. These currents
are usually found on the west
and middle latitudes (true in both
hemispheres) and on the east
coast in the higher latitudes in the
northern hemisphere;
(ii) Warm currents bring warm water
into cold water areas and are
usually observed on the east coast
of the continents in the low and
middle latitudes (true in both
hemispheres). In the northern
hemisphere, they are found on the
west coasts of the continents in
high latitudes.

30. Answer: (b)

Explanation:
 Labrador Current - Cold ocean current flowing from the Arctic Ocean south along the east
coast of Canada.
 California Current - Southward flowing cold current off the west coast of the United States
in the Pacific Ocean.

 Gulf Stream - Warm ocean current originating in the Gulf of Mexico along the east coast of
the United States.
 Kuroshio Current - North-flowing warm current off the coast of Japan in the Pacific Ocean.

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31. Answer: (b)

Explanation:
 Oyashio Current - This is a cold ocean current which originates in the Bering Strait and
flows from north to south near the Kamchatka Peninsula’s eastern shore.
 Okhotsk Current - It is a cold ocean current in the Northern Pacific, passes by Sakhalin
on its way to Hokkaido’s Oyashio Current.

 East Australian Current - It is a warm current which flows along the coast of Australia.
The East Australian Current is formed when the South Equatorial Current, which is driven
by the south-east trade wind, flows southwards down the Queensland coast and the coast of
New Guinea under the influence of the Coriolis Force.
 Mozambique Current - It is warm and stable ocean current at Madagascar, the South
Equatorial Current splits into two branches. One of them travels between the beaches of
Madagascar and Mozambique through the Mozambique Channel.

32. Answer: (c) and the sub-tropical latitudes. This

Explanation:
 West coasts of the continents in the
middle and higher latitudes are
bordered by warm waters which cause
a distinct marine climate. They are
characterised by cool summers and
relatively mild winters, with a narrow
annual range of temperatures. Warm
currents flow parallel to the east
coasts of the continents in the tropical
results in warm and rainy climates.
These areas lie in the western margins
of the sub-tropical anti-cyclones.
 Ocean currents have a number of
direct and indirect influences on
human activities. West coasts of the
continents in the tropical and the
sub-tropical latitudes (except close to
the Equator) are bordered by cool
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are relatively low with a narrow
diurnal and annual ranges. There is
fog, but generally the areas are arid.
 The mixing of warm and cold currents
helps to replenish the oxygen and
favour the growth of planktons, the
primary food for fish population. The
best fishing grounds of the world exist
mainly in these mixing zones.
33. Answer: (a)
Explanation:
The ocean floors can be divided into
four major divisions:
(i) The Continental Shelf
(ii) The Continental Slope
(iii) The Deep Sea Plain
(iv) The Oceanic Deeps
Besides these divisions, there are also
major and minor relief features in the
ocean floors, like ridges, hills, sea
mounts, guyots, trenches, canyons, etc.
Continental Shelf:
 The continental shelf is the extended
margin of each continent, occupied by
relatively shallow seas and gulfs.
 It is the shallowest part of the ocean,
showing an average gradient of 1° or
even less. The shelf typically ends at a
very steep slope, called the ‘shelf
break’.
 The width of the continental shelves
varies from one ocean to another. The
average width of the continental
shelves is about 80 km. The shelves
are almost absent or very narrow
along some of the margins, like the
coast of Chile, the west coast of
Sumatra, etc.
 On the contrary, the Siberian Shelf
in the Arctic Ocean, the largest in
the world, stretches to 1,500 km in
width. The depth of the shelves also
varies. It may be as shallow as 30 m
in some areas, while in some areas it
is as deep as 600 m.
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 The continental shelves are covered
with variable thicknesses of sediments
brought down by the rivers, glaciers,
wind, from the land and distributed
by waves and currents.
 Massive sedimentary deposits,
received over a long time by the
continental shelves, become the
source of fossil fuels.
Canyons and trenches are observed in
the continental slope region.
34. Answer: (b)
Explanation:
Continental Slope:
 The continental slope connects the
continental shelf and the ocean
basins. It is the seaward border of
the continental shelf.
 It begins where the bottom of the
continental shelf sharply drops off
into a steep slope. The gradient of the
slope region varies between 2-5°.
 Canyons and trenches are observed in
this region.
 The gradient of the slope is the
lowest off the stable coasts without
major rivers and the highest off the
coasts with young mountain ranges
and narrow continental shelves.
 Most Pacific slopes are steeper than
the Atlantic slopes. The gradients are
the flattest in the Indian Ocean. About
one-half of all continental slopes
descend into the deep-sea trenches or
shallower depressions, and most of
the remainder terminate in the fans
of marine sediment or in continental
rises.
 The continental slopes are indented
by numerous submarine canyons and
mounds. The Blake Plateau, off the
south-eastern United States and the
continental borderland off southern
California, are the examples of the
continental slopes separated from the
continental shelves by the plateaus of
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intermediate depth. Slopes off the
mountainous coastlines and narrow
shelves often have outcrops of rock.
35. Answer: (c)
Explanation:
A mid-oceanic ridge is composed of two
chains of mountains, separated by a large
depression. The mountain ranges can
have peaks as high as 2,500 m and some
even reach above the ocean’s surface.
 The mid-ocean ridges occur
along the divergent plate
boundaries, where new ocean floor
is created, as the Earth’s tectonic
plates spread apart.
 As the plates separate, molten rock
rises to the seafloor, producing
enormous volcanic eruptions of
basalt.
 The speed of spreading affects the
shape of a ridge – slower spreading
rates result in steep, irregular
topography, while faster spreading
rates produce much wider profiles and
more gentle slopes.
 Two well-studied mid-ocean ridges
within the global system are the Mid-
Atlantic Ridge and the East Pacific
Rise.
o The Mid-Atlantic Ridge runs down the
centre of the Atlantic Ocean, and
forming a rift valley, that is about the
depth and width of the Grand
Canyon.
o In contrast, in the East Pacific
Rise, due to the fast spreading
rates, there is no rift valley in the
Pacific, but just a smooth volcanic
summit with a crack along the
crest, that is much smaller than the
Atlantic rift valley.
Seamount:
o It is a mountain with pointed
summits, rising from the seafloor,
that does not reach the surface of
the ocean.
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o Seamounts are volcanic in origin.
o The Emperor Seamount, an extension
of the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific
Ocean, is a good example.
36. Answer: (a)
Explanation:
Submarine Canyons:
o These are deep valleys, some
comparable to the Grand Canyon of
the Colorado river.
o They are sometimes found cutting
across the continental shelves and
slopes, often extending from the
mouths of large rivers.
o The Hudson Canyon is the best
known submarine canyon in the
world.
o Unlike deep-sea trenches, which are
found in the areas where
one tectonic plate slides beneath
another, undersea canyons are
found along the slopes of most
continental margins.
o The majority of these V-shaped
depressions have steep, rocky walls,
thousands of metres high.
Guyots:
 These are flat-topped seamounts.
 They show evidences of gradual
subsidence through stages to become
flat-topped submerged mountains.
 Guyots are most commonly found in
the Pacific Ocean, but they have been
identified in all the oceans, except
the Arctic Ocean.
Atolls:
 These are low islands found in the
tropical oceans, consisting of coral
reefs surrounding a central
depression.
 It may be a part of the sea (lagoon), or
sometimes form enclosing a body of
fresh, brackish, or highly saline water.
 An atoll is a ring-shaped coral reef,
island, or series of islets.
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 Atolls develop with underwater
volcanoes, called seamounts. First,
the volcano erupts, piling up lava on
the seafloor. As the volcano continues
to erupt, the seamount's elevation
grows higher, eventually breaking the
surface of the water. The top of the
volcano becomes an oceanic island.
 In the next stage, tiny sea animals,
called corals, begin to build a reef
around the island. The type of corals
that build reefs are called hermatypic
corals, or hard corals. This coral reef,
called a fringing reef, surrounds the
island just below the ocean surface.
The thin, shallow strip of water
between the fringing reef and the
island is the lagoon.
 When a fringing reef continues to grow
upward from a volcanic island, that
has sunk entirely below the sea level,
an atoll is formed.
Barrier reefs are similar to the fringing
reefs, in that they also border a
shoreline. However, instead of growing
directly out from the shore, they are
separated from the land by an expanse of
water. This creates a lagoon of open, often
deep water between the reef and the
shore.
37. Answer: (b)
Explanation:
The ocean waters get heated up by the
solar energy, just as land. The process of
heating and cooling of the oceanic water
is slower than land.
Factors Affecting Temperature
Distribution:
 Latitude: The temperature of surface
38. Answer: (a)
water decreases from the Equator
towards the Poles, because the
amount of insolation decreases
poleward.
 Unequal distribution of land and
water: The oceans in the northern
hemisphere receive more heat due to
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their contact with larger extent of
land, than the oceans in the southern
hemisphere.
 Prevailing winds: The winds blowing
from the land towards the oceans
drive warm surface water away from
the coast, resulting in the upwelling of
cold water from below. It results into
the longitudinal variation in the
temperature. Contrary to this, the
onshore winds pile up warm water
near the coast and this raises the
temperature.
 Ocean currents: The warm ocean
currents raise the temperature in the
cold areas, while the cold currents
decrease the temperature in the warm
ocean areas. The Gulf Stream (a
warm current) raises the
temperature near the eastern coast
of North America and the west
coast of Europe, while the Labrador
Current (a cold current) lowers the
temperature near the north-east
coast of North America.
 The enclosed seas in the low latitudes
record relatively higher temperature,
than the open seas; whereas the
enclosed seas in the high latitudes
have lower temperature, than the
open seas.
 The shape of the ocean: The
latitudinally extensive seas in the
low latitude regions have warmer
surface waters, than the
longitudinally extensive seas. (The
Mediterranean Sea records higher
temperature than the longitudinally
extensive Gulf of California).
Explanation:
The temperature-depth profile for the
ocean water shows how the temperature
decreases with the increasing depth.
 The profile shows a boundary region
between the surface waters of the
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ocean and the deeper layers. The
boundary usually begins around 100 -
400 m below the sea surface and
extends several hundred of metres
downward.
 This boundary region, from where
there is a rapid decrease of
temperature, is called the
thermocline.
 About 90 per cent of the total volume
of water is found below the
thermocline in the deep ocean. In this
zone, temperatures approach 0° C.
 The temperature structure of the
oceans over the middle and the low
latitudes can be described as a three-
layer system from the surface to the
bottom.
o The first layer represents the top layer
of the warm oceanic water and it is
about 500 m thick, with temperatures
ranging between 20° and 25° C. This
layer, within the tropical region, is
present throughout the year, but in
the mid-latitudes, it develops only
during summer.
o The second layer, called the
thermocline layer, lies below the first
layer and is characterised by rapid
decrease in temperature with
increasing depth. The thermocline is
500 -1,000 m thick.
o The third layer is very cold and
extends upto the deep ocean floor. In
the Arctic and the Antartic circles,
the surface water temperatures are
close to 0° C and so, the
temperature change with the depth
is very slight and only one layer of
cold water exists, which extends
from the surface to deep ocean
floor.
39. Answer: (d)
Explanation:
 The average temperature of surface
water of the oceans is about 27°C and
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it gradually decreases from the
Equator towards the Poles.
 The rate of decrease of temperature
with increasing latitude is generally
0.5°C per latitude. The average
temperature is around 22°C at 20°
latitudes, 14° C at 40° latitudes and
0° C near the Poles. The oceans in the
northern hemisphere record relatively
higher temperature than in the
southern hemisphere. The variation of
temperatures in the northern and the
southern hemispheres is because of
unequal distribution of land and
water, as the northern hemisphere is
made up of more land, while the
southern hemisphere is made up of
more oceans
 The highest temperature is not
recorded at the Equator, but
slightly towards north of it.
 It is a well-known fact that the
maximum temperature of the oceans
is always at their surfaces, because
they directly receive the heat from the
Sun and the heat is transmitted to the
lower sections of the oceans through
the process of convection. It results
into decrease of temperature with
the increasing depth, but the rate
of decrease is not uniform
throughout. The temperature falls
very rapidly upto the depth of 200
m and thereafter, the rate of
decrease of temperature is slowed
down.
 In the Northern Atlantic, there is
a very low decrease of
temperature with increasing
latitudes towards north. This is
because of the Gulf Stream currents,
which are warm currents. However, in
the Southern Atlantic, the decrease of
temperature with increasing latitude
is more pronounced.
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40. Answer: (b)
Explanation:
Factors Affecting the Salinity of the
Seawater – Evaporation: The rate of
evaporation and salinity are positively
related. It is observed that with higher the
evaporation rate, the higher the salinity.
With high temperature and low humidity,
more evaporation takes place and salt
concentration increases and total salinity
increases too. It is found that salinity is
higher in the Tropics than at the Equator.
• Precipitation: It is inversely
proportional to salinity. Higher
precipitation results in lower salinity
and vice versa. Hence, the regions of
high precipitation record lesser
salinity, than the regions of low
precipitation. The melting water of ice
from the Polar areas in the temperate
regions increases the volume of ocean
water and results in lower salinity.
Basically, high precipitation raises the
amount of ocean water and reduces
the salt-to-water ratio.
• The Influx of River Water: Rivers
reduce the salinity by diluting the salt
concentration of the sea and the
ocean. If a number of rivers are
flowing into a specific location of the
ocean, then there is a high chance for
low salinity. As big rivers contain a
large amount of fresh water, which is
enough to decline the salinity of the
ocean. For example, lower levels of
salinity are found near the mouths of
the Ganga-Brahmaputra, the Amazon,
the Congo, etc., and the effect of river
water is more when it discharges in
the enclosed sea. Such as in the Gulf
of Bothnia situated in the Baltic Sea,
salinity reduces by five parts per
thousand as river water adds in it.
• Ocean Currents: They affect the
spatial distribution of ocean salinity.
Oceanic currents affect the salinity by
increasing and decreasing it. Oceanic
currents have less impact on the
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enclosed sea’s salinity. However, the
impact on the salinity of the marginal
seas with open sea ducts is
significant.
• Atmospheric Pressure and Wind
Direction: Anti-cyclonic conditions
generally raise the salinity of the
oceanic surface water when it has
stable air and a higher temperature.
At the high-pressure zone of the sub-
tropics, higher salinity can be
observed. Winds and currents provide
assistance in the redistribution of
oceanic salinity.
41. Answer: (d)
Explanation:
• The basic principle of salinity
distribution is that it decreases from
the Equator to the Poles. Though the
highest salinity is never found on
the Equator due to high rainfall, it
is found maximum in the tropical
regions. These regions have high
temperatures and humidity, and less
precipitation as compared to the
Equator. The Equator has 34‰
salinity, whereas the highest salinity
is found between 20 degrees to 40
degrees north. Salinity decreases
towards the Polar zones due to the
influx of melting ice water.
• The salinity for normal open ocean
ranges between 33o/oo and 37 o/oo.
• The highest salinity is recorded
between 15° and 20° latitudes.
Maximum salinity (37 o/oo) is
observed between 20° N and 30° N
and 20° W - 60° W. It gradually
decreases towards the north.
• The North Sea, in spite of its
location in the higher latitudes,
records higher salinity due to more
saline water brought by the North
Atlantic Drift.
• The Baltic Sea records low salinity
due to the influx of river waters in
large quantity.
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• The Mediterranean Sea records higher
salinity due to high evaporation.
• Salinity is, however, very low in the
Black Sea, due to enormous fresh
water influx by the rivers.
• The average salinity of the Indian
Ocean is 35 o/oo. The low salinity
trend is observed in the Bay of Bengal
due to influx of river water. On the
contrary, the Arabian Sea shows
higher salinity due to high
evaporation and low influx of fresh
water.
42. Answer: (a)
Explanation:
• Salinity changes with depth, but the
way it changes depends upon the
location of the sea. Salinity at the
surface increases by the loss of water
to ice or evaporation, or decreased by
the input of fresh waters, such as
from the rivers.
• Salinity at depth is very much fixed,
because there is no way that the water
is ‘lost’, or the salt is ‘added.’ There is
a marked difference in the salinity
between the surface zones and the
deep zones of the oceans.
• The lower salinity water rests above
the higher salinity dense water.
Salinity, generally, increases with
depth and there is a distinct zone,
called the ‘halocline’, where salinity
increases sharply. Other factors
being constant, increasing salinity of
seawater causes its density to
43. Answer: (b)
increase. High salinity seawater,
generally, sinks below the lower
salinity water. This leads to
stratification by salinity. Upto 200
fathoms, the salinity increases with
an increase in depth, and beyond it
the salinity decreases with an increase
in depth. The zone which shows a
drastic change in salinity is called
the Halocline zone. In this zone,
salinity decreases with an increase in
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depth at lower latitudes, and salinity
increases with an increase in depth at
higher latitudes.
• A thermocline zone is a transition
zone between the upper layer of
maximum salinity and the lower
layer of minimum salinity. Though
this pattern should not be taken as a
general principle, because the salinity
of the ocean is very complicated,
particularly when it is vertical
distribution.
• At the Equator, salinity is low due to
higher precipitation and water
transfer by the Equatorial currents.
Below the surface water, the highest
salinity is observed due to the
addition of water by rainfall and
salinity becomes low again at the
bottom. At depth of 300 metres to
around 1,000 metres salinity
decreases at the Equatorial latitudes,
though it becomes almost constant
after the 1,000 m depth zone.
• At the depth zone of between 300 m
and 1,000 m, the vertical distribution
of temperature varies, the density of
seawater also varies and due to this,
the salinity of oceanic water also
varies. In this zone, seawater
density changes rapidly and this
zone is called Pycnocline. In this
zone, density increases with an
increase in the depth at lower
latitudes, but has a higher salt
density at higher latitudes.
Explanation:
• Atacama is the driest desert of the
world.
• Andes mountain is the longest
continental mountain range in the
world.
• Drake passage separates South
America from Antarctica.
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44. Answer: (d)

Explanation:
• Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia —together referred to as the “Lithium Triangle” — hold
more than 75 percent of the world’s supply beneath their salt flats.
• Brazil is the only country which shares land boundary with all South American countries
except Ecuador and Chile.

45. Answer: (b)

Explanation:
The Great Five lakes of North America include: Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron,
Lake Erie, Lake Ontario.

46. Answer: (d)

Explanation:
Order of mountain ranges from North to South direction:
Brooks Range – Rocky Mountains – Norte Dame mountains – Appalachian Mountains.

47. Answer: (c)

Explanation:
Niger is bounded on the northwest by Algeria, on the northeast by Libya, on the east by Chad,
on the south by Nigeria and Benin, and on the west by Burkina Faso and Mali. The capital
is Niamey.
The country takes its name from the Niger River, which flows through the south-western part of
its territory.

48. Answer: (c)

Explanation:

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49. Answer: (a)

Explanation:
S.N. Name of strait Connects
1. Malacca Strait Andaman Sea and South China Sea
2. Sunda Straits Java Sea and Indian Ocean
3. Bab-el-Mandeb Straits Red Sea and Gulf of Aden

50. Answer: (b)

Explanation:
S.N. Ports Country
1. Busan South Korea
2. Antwerp Belgium
3. Tanger Med Morocco

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