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Physical Geography (UPSC) (Part-III)

📆 March 8, 2025

Total Questions: 44

1. “Climate is extreme, rainfall is scanty and the people used to be nomadic herders.” [2013-I]

Correct Answer: (b) Central Asian Steppe
Solution:The central Asian steppes run through Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Mongolia. The climate here is harsh with dust storms, little to no rainfall, and temperature ranging from –4 to 50 degrees Celsius.

2. Which of the following phenomena might have influenced the evolution of organisms? [2014-I]

  1. Continental drift
  2. Glacial cycles

 

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Correct Answer: (c) Both 1 & 2
Solution:

Continental Drift has affected the evolution of animals, the world's geographical positions, and the world's climates.

The split of the original super landmass Pangea into Gondwanaland and Laurasia created new geographical/climatic regions.

The rearrangement and displacement of huge landmasses has helped create the diversity which we see in modern-day species.

The final stages of evolution of Genus Homo occur in the last 3 glacial cycles.

3. Consider the following statements [2015-I]

  1. The winds which blow between 30° N and 60° S latitudes throughout the year are known as westerlies.
  2. The moist air masses that cause winter rains in the North-Western region of India are part of westerlies.

 

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: (b) 2 only
Solution:

The Westerlies are prevailing winds from the west toward the east in the middle latitudes between 30 and 60 degrees latitude. They originate from the high-pressure areas in the horse latitudes and tend towards the poles and steer extra tropical cyclones in this general manner. The moist air masses that cause winter rains in the North-Western region of India are part of the westerlies.

4. Tides occur in the oceans and seas due to which among the following? [2015-I]

  1. Gravitational force of the Sun
  2. Gravitational force of the Moon
  3. Centrifugal force of the Earth

 

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Correct Answer: (d) 1, 2 & 3
Solution:

Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of gravitational forces exerted by the Moon, Sun, and rotation of the Earth.

5. "Each day is more or less the same, the morning is clear and bright with a sea breeze; as the Sun climbs high in the sky, heat mounts up, dark clouds form, then rain comes with thunder and lightning. But rain is soon over." Which of the following regions is described in the above passage? [2015-I]

Correct Answer: (b) Equatorial
Solution:The passage points out the equatorial region. The region around the equator is called the equatorial region and covers about 6% of the Earth.

6. In the South Atlantic and South-Eastern Pacific regions in tropical latitudes, cyclone does not originate. What is the reason? [2015-I]

Correct Answer: (b) Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone seldom occurs
Solution:The sea surface temperatures are too cold, the primary reasons that the South Atlantic Ocean gets few tropical cyclones are that the tropospheric vertical wind shear is too strong and there is typically no inter-tropical convergence zone (ITCZ) over the ocean. Without an ITCZ to provide synoptic vorticity and convergence (i.e., large-scale spin and thunderstorm activity) as well as having strong wind shear, it becomes very difficult to nearly impossible to have the genesis of tropical cyclones.

7. What explains the eastward flow of the equatorial counter-current? [2015-I]

Correct Answer: (b) Convergence of the two equatorial currents
Solution:The Earth's rotation on its axis explains the eastward flow of the equatorial counter-current. If the Earth had been rotating east to west, the piled-up water would have come down on the west side. Therefore, essentially it's the earth's rotation that explains the eastward flow of equatorial counter-current.

8. Which of the following is/are tributary tributaries of Brahmaputra? [2016-I]

  1. Dibang
  2. Kameng
  3. Lohit

 

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Correct Answer: (d) 1, 2 & 3 ​
Solution:

The Brahmaputra enters India in the state of Arunachal Pradesh from its original source Tibet and is joined by the Dibang River and the Lohit River at the head of the Assam Valley. It is joined in Sonitpur by the Kameng River (or Jia Bhoreli).

Brahmaputra’s main left bank tributaries are Dibang or Sikang and Lohit. The important right bank tributaries are Subansiri, Kameng, Manas, and Sankosh.

9. With reference to ‘Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD)' sometimes mentioned in the news while forecasting Indian monsoon, which of the following statements is/are correct? [2017-I]

  1. IOD phenomenon is characterized by a difference in sea surface temperature between tropical Western Indian Ocean and tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean.
  2. An IOD phenomenon can influence an El Nino's impact on the monsoon.

 

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Correct Answer: (b) 2 only
Solution:
  • Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is an event in which the western Indian Ocean becomes alternately warmer and then colder than the eastern part of the Indian Ocean. So the first statement is wrong.
  • A positive IOD leads to greater monsoon rainfall and more active (above normal rainfall) monsoon days, while a negative IOD leads to less rainfall and more monsoon break days (no rainfall). So yes, IOD can influence El Niño's impact on the monsoon. Thus, the second statement is correct.

10. Consider the following statements [2018-I]

  1. The Barren Island volcano is an active volcano located in the Indian territory.
  2. Barren Island lies about 140 km east of Great Nicobar.
  3. The last time the Barren Island volcano erupted was in 1991 and it has remained inactive since then.

 

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: (a) 1 only
Solution:

Barren Island volcano became active again in March, 1991. A second phase of eruptions started in 1995. So it means the third statement is wrong, by elimination, we've the answer (a) only 1.

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