UPSC Prelims Geography Practice Questions

A. 82°30′ E — India's Standard Meridian is 82°30′ E, passing near Mirzapur (Uttar Pradesh); Indian Standard Time is based on it, 5 hours 30 minutes ahead of GMT.

B. Ganga — The Ganga is the longest river within India (about 2,525 km). The Godavari is the longest river of peninsular (South) India, sometimes called the 'Dakshina Ganga'.

C. Rajasthan — Rajasthan is the largest Indian state by area. Madhya Pradesh is second; Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state, not the largest by area.

B. Kanyakumari — Kanyakumari (Cape Comorin) is the southernmost tip of the Indian mainland. Indira Point, in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, is the southernmost point of the whole of India's territory.

C. Fold mountains — The Himalayas are young fold mountains, formed by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates. Block mountains form by faulting; volcanic mountains from lava; residual mountains by erosion of older highlands.

D. Pacific Ocean — The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest ocean, covering about a third of the Earth's surface. The Atlantic is the second largest.

C. Eight — The Tropic of Cancer (23.5°N) crosses eight states: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura and Mizoram.

C. Black soil — Black soil (regur), rich in clay and highly moisture-retentive, developed over the Deccan Trap basalt and is ideal for cotton, hence its name 'black cotton soil'.

B. Nilgiri Hills — The Western and Eastern Ghats converge at the Nilgiri Hills in the south, where Doddabetta is the highest peak of the Nilgiris.

B. Loo — The 'Loo' is a strong, hot and dry wind that blows over the north Indian plains from the west in May and June and can cause heat strokes.

C. Labrador Current — The Labrador Current flows southward from the Arctic along the coast of Canada, carrying cold water; the Gulf Stream, Kuroshio and Brazil currents are all warm currents.

C. Western Ghats — Anamudi (about 2,695 m) lies in the Western Ghats in Kerala and is the highest peak in India south of the Himalayas.

B. Right — Due to the Earth's rotation, the Coriolis force deflects freely moving objects to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere (Ferrel's law).

D. Sambhar Lake — Sambhar Lake in Rajasthan is India's largest inland saline lake. Wular is the largest freshwater lake, Chilika the largest brackish lagoon, and Vembanad the longest lake.

A. Palk Strait — The Palk Strait (with the Gulf of Mannar to its south) separates the Indian mainland from the island of Sri Lanka.

B. Doldrums — The equatorial low-pressure belt is called the doldrums; intense heating causes rising air and calm surface conditions where the trade winds meet at the ITCZ.

C. Trimbakeshwar — The Godavari rises near Trimbakeshwar in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra. Amarkantak is the source of the Narmada and Son, and Mahabaleshwar of the Krishna.

B. Orographic rainfall — Orographic (relief) rainfall occurs when air rising over mountains cools, condenses and precipitates on the windward side, leaving a rain shadow on the leeward side.

B. Mariana Trench — The Mariana Trench in the western Pacific contains the Challenger Deep, the deepest point of the world's oceans at roughly 11,000 metres.

C. Africa — Africa has 54 sovereign countries, the most of any continent, more than Asia's 48 or Europe's roughly 44.

C. 180° — The International Date Line runs approximately along the 180° meridian (with deviations to avoid landmasses), where the calendar date changes by one day.

A. Brahmaputra — Majuli, in Assam, is the world's largest river island and lies in the Brahmaputra river; it is also a notable centre of Assamese Vaishnavite culture.