1. Assertion : Though the tropics have great potential in timber resources, commercial extraction is difficult.
Reason: The trees do not occur in homogenous strands.
[A]Both Assertion and Reason are true and reason correctly explains the assertion.
[B]Both Assertion and Reason are true but reason does not explain the assertion.
[C]Assertion is true but Reason is false.
[D]Assertion is false but Reason is true.
Option [A]
2. Which of the following are ‘erosional landforms’ ?
1.Inselbergs
2.Loess
3.Zeugen
4.Buttes
[A]1 and 2
[B]2 and 3
[C]1, 3 and 4
[D]All of them
Option [C]
Loess is a depositional landform (aeolian sediment formed by accumulation of wind-blown silt) whereas the others namely, Inselbergs, Zeugen and Buttes are erosional landforms. Inselberg is a term for an isolated hill or a lone mountain that has risen above the surrounding area, typically by surviving erosion.Zeugens are formed by wind abrasion where a surface layer of hard rock is underlain by a layer of soft rock into a ridge and furrow landscape. Buttes are formed by erosion when hard cap rock covers a layer of softer rock that is eventually worn away. The hard rock thus resists erosion.
3. Which of the following statements are correct about Denmark ?
1.It is the smallest Scandinavian country.
2.Greenland, the world’s largest island belongs to it.
3.It shares Jutland Peninsula with Germany.
[A]1 and 2
[B]1 and 3
[C]2 and 3
[D]1, 2 and 3
Option [D]
The Kingdom of Denmark consisting the country of Denmark in northern Europe and two autonomous constituent countries, the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic and Greenland in North America. Denmark is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, located southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. It is also the smallest Scandinavian country and it shares Jutland Peninsula with Germany.
4. Consider the following statements regarding the occurrence of ‘Neap Tides’ :
1.The Sun and the Moon are in one line that is ‘Syzygy’.
2.When the moon is in Apogee or the Sun is in Apehelion.
3.Neap tides occurs twice a month.
4.When Syzygy and Apogee happen at the same time, exceptionally low tides are formed.
Which of the above statement(s) is/are true?
[A]1 and 2
[B]2 and 3
[C]1, 2 and 4
[D]2, 3 and 4
Option [B]
‘Neap Tides’ occur when the Sun and the Moon are at right angles to each other that is in ‘Quadrature’ and when the moon is in Apogee or the Sun is in Apehelion. (Hence Statement 1. is incorrect and Statement 2. is correct) When Quadrature and Apogee happen at the same time, exceptionally low tides are formed. (Hence Statement 4. is incorrect)
5. Which of the following is the narrowest strait of the world ?
[A]Strait of Tartar
[B]Bab-el-Mandeb
[C]Strait of Dardenelles
[D]Foveaux Strait
Option [A]
Strait of Tartar is the narrowest Strait. It is 7.3 km wide at the narrowest point. It is a strait in the Pacific Ocean dividing the Russian island of Sakhalin from mainland Asia (South-East Russia) , connecting the Sea of Okhotsk on the north with the Sea of Japan on the south.
6. 'Paracel Islands' and 'Spratly Islands' are disputed territories among which of the following countries ?
1.China
2.Taiwan
3.Vietnam
[A]1 and 2
[B]1 and 3
[C]2 and 3
[D]1, 2 and 3
Option [D]
The Paracel Islands are a group of small islands and reefs in the South China Sea administered by the People's Republic of China but also claimed by Vietnam. Taiwan once claimed to be the legitimate government representing the entire sovereignty of China, of which it considered the Paracel Islands a part.
The Spratly Islands are even more complicated. About 45 islands are occupied by relatively small numbers of military forces from China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Brunei has established a fishing zone that overlaps a southern reef but has not made any formal claim.The Paracel Islands are surrounded by productive fishing grounds and by potential oil and gas reserves. In 1932, French Indochina annexed the islands and set up a weather station on Pattle Island; maintenance was continued by its successor, Vietnam. China has occupied the Paracel Islands since 1974, when its troops seized a South Vietnamese garrison occupying the western islands. China built a military installation on Mischief Reef in 1999. The islands are claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.
7. Which of the following volcano(es) is/are active?
1. Mt. Kilimanjaro
2. Mt. Cotopaxi
3. Mauna Loa
[A]Only 1
[B]Only 2
[C]Both 2 and 3
[D]All of them
Option [C]
Mount Kilimanjaro is an extinct volcano as it has not erupted for 400 years. It last erupted in 1600 A.D. Mt. Cotopaxi is part of the chain of volcanoes around the Pacific plateknown as the Pacific Ring of Fire. It is an active volcano which last erupted in 1940. Mauna Loa is one of five volcanoes that form the Island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaiiin the Pacific Ocean, and the largest on Earth in terms of volume and area covered. It is an active shield volcano. Mauna Loa's most recent eruption occurred from March 24, 1984, through April 15, 1984.
8. The only two landlocked countries of South American continent are :
[A]Bolivia and Paraguay
[B]Ecuador and Parana
[C]Columbia and Paraguay
[D]Surinam and Guyana
Option [A]
9. Which of the following local winds is/are not correctly matched in the region which they blow?
1.Mistral - cold northerly wind from central France and the Alps to Mediterranean
2.Sirocco - Southerly wind from north Africa to southern Europe
3.Chinook – Warm dry westerly wind off the Rocky Mountains
4.Harmattan - Dry northerly wind across central Africa
[A]1 and 4
[B]1, 2 and 3
[C]2, 3 and 4
[D]All of them
Option [D]
Mistral - is a strong, cold and usually dry regional wind in France, coming from the north or northwest, which accelerates when it passes through the valleys of the Rhone and the Durance Rivers to the coast of the Mediterranean.
Sirocco - is a Mediterranean wind that comes from the Sahara and reaches hurricane speeds in North Africa and Southern Europe.
Chinook – commonly refers to foehn winds in the interior West of North America, where the Canadian Prairies and Great Plains meet various mountain ranges, although the original usage is in reference to wet, warm coastal winds in the Pacific Northwest.
Harmattan- The Harmattan is a dry and dusty West African trade wind. It blows south from the Sahara into the Gulf of Guinea between the end of November and the middle of March (winter). The temperatures can be as low as 3 degrees Celsius. On its passage over the desert it picks up fine dust particles (between 0.5 and 10 micrometres).
10. Falkland Island is a disputed territory between :
[A]Chile and Equador
[B]West Indies and Spain
[C]Uruguay and France
[D]Argentina and UK
Argentina and UK
11. 'Oxus' is the ancient name of which of the following rivers?
[A]Tigris
[B]Euphrates
[C]Amu Darya
[D]Syr Darya
Amu Darya
12. Consider the following Statements regarding 'Hawaii':
1.Pearl Harbour is an important natural harbour on the Pacific Island of O'ahu in Hawaii.
2.Hawaii is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands.
3.Hawaii is one of two states of US that do not observe daylight saving time.
Which of the above Statement(s) is/are correct?
[A]1 and 2
[B]1 and 3
[C]2 and 3
[D]1, 2 and 3
Option [D]
The other State which does not observe daylight saving time is Arizona.
13. Which of the following main rivers of North America originate from the Rocky Mountains ?
1. Mississippi
2. Missouri
3. Colorado
4. Rio Grande
5. Columbia
[A]1, 2 and 3
[B]2, 3 and 5
[C]1, 2 , 3 and 4
[D]All of them
Option [B]
14. 'Samarqand' was invaded and destroyed by Alexander in 329 B.C. and Chengiz Khan in 1221 A.D. It is one of the important cultural and industrial city of Central Asia which is located in :
[A]Afghanistan
[B]Turkmenistan
[C]Uzbekistan
[D]Iran
Uzbekistan
15. Which of the following mountain ranges form the longest mountain chain in the world?
[A]The Rockies of North America
[B]The Andes of South America
[C]The Transantarctic Range
[D]The Great Dividing Range of Australia
Option [B]
Mountain Ranges by length -
Mid-Ocean Ridge - 65,000 km
Andes - 7,000 km
Rocky Mountains - 4,800 km
Great Dividing Range - 3,700 km
Transantarctic Mountains - 3,500 km
Himalayas - 2,400 km
