Geography Mixed Quiz: Set 4

The correct answer is B, Venus. Almost every planet, the Earth included, rotates from west to east, which is why the Sun appears to rise in the east. Venus and Uranus are the two exceptions and rotate from east to west, so on Venus the Sun would appear to rise in the west. Venus also turns extremely slowly, taking longer to complete one rotation than to complete one revolution around the Sun.

Option A, Mercury, rotates in the usual direction and is remembered instead as the smallest planet and the fastest to complete a revolution, in about 88 days. Option C, Mars, also rotates west to east and has a day close in length to ours. Option D, Saturn, is a fast-spinning gas giant rotating in the normal direction. The pair to remember for this question is simply Venus and Uranus.

The correct answer is C, Neither I nor II. Both pairs are reversed: in Punjab rice is a commercial crop, while in Odisha it is a subsistence crop. The same crop can be commercial in one state and subsistence in another; it depends on why the farmer grows it. A subsistence crop feeds the farmer's own family, and a commercial crop is grown mainly for sale. Punjab and Haryana farmers do not eat much rice, yet they grow it on irrigated land with high-yielding seeds and sell almost all of it to the government at the minimum support price. In Odisha, West Bengal and Assam rice is the staple food, grown mostly on small rain-fed plots for the family's own kitchen. A is wrong because Punjab rice is sold, not eaten at home, so it is commercial. B is wrong because Odisha rice is largely eaten by the growers, so it is subsistence. D fails because neither pair is correct. Exam tip: NCERT line to remember, rice is commercial in Punjab and Haryana but subsistence in Odisha.

The correct answer is D, the mid-day sun is exactly overhead. Vertical rays pour the Sun's energy onto a small area, so this zone gets the most heat. The Torrid Zone lies between the Tropic of Cancer (23½° N) and the Tropic of Capricorn (23½° S), and it is the only belt where the mid-day sun is exactly overhead at least once a year. North and south of it the rays fall at a slant, so the same energy spreads over a larger area. That is why the Temperate Zones get moderate heat and the Frigid Zones near the poles stay very cold. A is wrong because slanting rays give less heat, which is the case in the Temperate and Frigid Zones. B is wrong because the zone is not landlocked, and being landlocked does not decide how much heat the Sun gives. C is wrong because oceans only make the climate milder, they do not add solar heat. Exam tip: Torrid, between the two Tropics; Temperate, from the Tropics to the Arctic and Antarctic Circles; Frigid, beyond the Circles.

The correct answer is A, Waterways. Water transport needs no track or road to be built, and a ship or barge can carry huge loads on little fuel, so the cost per tonne is the lowest. That is why coal, iron ore, food grains, cement and containers travel across oceans and along rivers and canals in ships and barges. NCERT's geography textbook calls waterways the cheapest way of carrying heavy and bulky goods over long distances. India's inland waterways, such as National Waterway 1 on the Ganga from Prayagraj to Haldia, use the same idea. The price paid for the low cost is slow speed. B is wrong because railways are cheaper than roads for bulk goods but still cost more than waterways. C is wrong because airways are the fastest but the costliest, and suit light and valuable goods. D is wrong because roadways are best for short distances and door-to-door delivery. Exam tip: cheapest, waterways; fastest, airways; door-to-door, roadways.

The correct answer is B, Local winds. Land and sea breezes blow over a small coastal area and change direction every day, so they are local winds. By day the land heats up faster than the sea, the warm air over the land rises, and cooler air moves in from the sea as a sea breeze. At night the land cools faster, so the breeze blows from the land towards the sea as a land breeze. NCERT groups winds into three kinds: permanent, seasonal and local. Another local wind is the loo, the hot and dry wind of north India in summer. A is wrong because a cyclone is a large low-pressure storm system, not a daily coastal breeze. C is wrong because seasonal winds, like the monsoons, change direction with the seasons, not between day and night. D is wrong because permanent winds, such as the trade winds and the westerlies, blow in the same direction all year round. Exam tip: permanent, trade winds and westerlies; seasonal, monsoons; local, land and sea breeze and loo.

The correct answer is D, 74.04%. This is the overall literacy rate the Census of 2011 reported for India, the figure used in textbooks and exam papers. The Census counts a person aged seven or above who can read and write with understanding in any language as literate, so small children are left out. The same Census gave 82.14 percent for males and 65.46 percent for females, and the paper has cleverly put both of those numbers in the options. Kerala was the most literate state and Bihar the least. A is wrong because 16.68 is the gap between the male and female rates (82.14 minus 65.46), not a literacy rate at all. B is wrong because 65.46 percent is the female literacy rate of 2011, not the overall rate. C is wrong because 82.14 percent is the male literacy rate of 2011. Exam tip: Census 2011 literacy is 74.04 overall, 82.14 male and 65.46 female; the overall figure always lies between the two.

The correct answer is C, Cherrapunji and Mawsynram. Both are in the East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya and each gets well over 1,080 cm of rain in a year. The Bay of Bengal branch of the south-west monsoon enters a funnel-shaped valley south of the Khasi Hills, is forced to rise sharply and pours its moisture on the windward slopes. Mawsynram, about 15 km west of Cherrapunji (Sohra), is usually counted as the wettest place on Earth, with an average near 1,187 cm. A is wrong because Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra and Neriamangalam in Kerala are rainy places in the Western Ghats but get far less rain. B is wrong because Gangtok is the capital of Sikkim and Amboli is a Maharashtra hill station, and neither comes close to that total. D is wrong because Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh and Agumbe in Karnataka, called the 'Cherrapunji of the South', also receive much less. Exam tip: the wettest pair is Mawsynram and Cherrapunji, both on the windward side of Meghalaya's Khasi Hills.

The correct answer is D, Manipur. Nepal touches five Indian states: Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim. Manipur lies far to the east in the North-East and shares its international border only with Myanmar. Bihar has the longest border with Nepal, and the India-Nepal border is an open border of about 1,750 km along which people move without a visa. Two easy memory hooks: the Kali river separates Uttarakhand from Nepal, and the Siliguri corridor of West Bengal lies between Nepal and Bangladesh. A is wrong because Sikkim lies between Nepal and Bhutan and shares its western border with Nepal. B is wrong because Bihar has the longest boundary with Nepal among all states. C is wrong because the Darjeeling district of West Bengal borders eastern Nepal. Exam tip: Nepal's five neighbours are Uttarakhand, UP, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim; Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal touch Myanmar.

The correct answer is C, 2, 1, 4, 3. Going from north to south, the order is Aravalli, Vindhya, Satpura and then Ajanta. The Aravalli Range runs across Rajasthan in the north-west and is among the oldest fold mountains in the world. South of it, the Vindhya Range stretches across central India and marks the northern edge of the Narmada valley. The Narmada flows west through a rift valley between the Vindhyas and the Satpura Range, and the Tapi flows along the southern side of the Satpura. The Ajanta Range, famous for the Ajanta caves, lies further south in Maharashtra, between the Tapi and Godavari basins. A is wrong because it puts Ajanta north of Satpura. B is wrong because it places Vindhya north of Aravalli. D is wrong because it makes both of those mistakes. Exam tip: Aravalli → Vindhya → (Narmada) → Satpura → (Tapi) → Ajanta.

The correct answer is A, Borneo. Of the four islands listed, Borneo has the largest area; it is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. The world's top islands by area run Greenland, New Guinea, Borneo, Madagascar, Baffin and Sumatra, with Australia counted as a continent rather than an island. Borneo lies in South-East Asia and is the only island shared by three countries: Indonesia, whose part is called Kalimantan, Malaysia, with Sabah and Sarawak, and the small nation of Brunei. Option B is wrong because Great Britain, though the largest island in Europe, ranks only around ninth in the world. Option C is wrong because Madagascar, off the east coast of Africa, is the fourth-largest, just behind Borneo. Option D is wrong because Sumatra, also in Indonesia, is sixth, well behind Borneo. Exam tip: remember the top four as Greenland, New Guinea, Borneo, Madagascar, and that Borneo belongs to three countries.

The correct answer is A, Karakoram, Ladakh, Zaskar, Pir Panjal, Siwalik. Across Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir, the ranges step down from the lofty north to the low foothills in the south. The Karakoram is the northernmost and carries K2 (8,611 m), the highest peak in India, and the Siachen Glacier. South of it runs the Ladakh Range, and the Indus flows through the valley between the Ladakh and Zaskar ranges. Further south, the Pir Panjal of the Lesser Himalaya holds the Banihal and Rohtang passes, with the Atal Tunnel cut beneath Rohtang. The Siwalik forms the lowest and youngest outer range. Option B is wrong because it puts the Karakoram fourth, when it is the northernmost. Option C is wrong because it starts with the Pir Panjal, one of the southern ranges. Option D is wrong because it gives the whole order in reverse, from south to north. Exam tip: from the north, "K-L-Z-P-S": Karakoram, Ladakh, Zaskar, Pir Panjal, Siwalik.

The correct answer is A, Orange River. The Orange River is the longest river of South Africa, about 2,200 km long. It rises in the Drakensberg mountains of Lesotho, flows west across South Africa and falls into the Atlantic Ocean at Alexander Bay. For part of its course it forms the border between South Africa and Namibia. Its main tributary is the Vaal, and the Augrabies Falls lie on the Orange. The Limpopo is the other big river of South Africa, flowing east into the Indian Ocean. B is wrong because the Nile, the longest river in the world, flows north through countries such as Uganda, Sudan and Egypt into the Mediterranean Sea. C is wrong because the Congo flows through Central Africa, crosses the Equator twice and enters the Atlantic. D is wrong because the Niger flows through West Africa (Guinea, Mali, Niger and Nigeria) into the Gulf of Guinea. Exam tip: South Africa = Orange and Limpopo; Nile = north-east Africa; Congo = crosses the Equator twice; Niger = West Africa; Zambezi = Victoria Falls.

The correct answer is D, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka. The Nilgiri Hills, the 'Blue Mountains', rise where the borders of these three states meet, at the junction of the Western and Eastern Ghats. Their highest peak is Doddabetta (2,637 m), near Ooty (Udhagamandalam) in Tamil Nadu. The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, set up in 1986, was India's first biosphere reserve and covers parts of all three states. The hills are home to the Toda tribe and the Nilgiri tahr. A is wrong because Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh lie in the Himalayas, which are young fold mountains far to the north. B is wrong because the Gujarat-Rajasthan-Haryana belt is the region of the Aravallis, among India's oldest fold mountains, but they are not the Nilgiris. C is wrong because Assam, Nagaland and Tripura are in the north-east, far from these southern hills. Exam tip: the Nilgiris join the Western and Eastern Ghats at the Tamil Nadu-Kerala-Karnataka tri-junction; the highest peak is Doddabetta.

The correct answer is D, (a) and (b). Mount Kilimanjaro and Fujiyama were both built up by volcanic eruptions, while the Alps were formed by folding. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is the highest mountain in Africa, and Fujiyama, or Mount Fuji, is the highest mountain in Japan. Both are cone-shaped mountains made of layers of lava and ash piled up over many eruptions. The Alps in Europe are young fold mountains, raised when the African plate pushed against the Eurasian plate and the rock layers crumpled, much like the Himalayas. A is wrong because it includes the Alps, which are fold mountains. B is wrong for the same reason, even though Fujiyama is volcanic. C is wrong because the Alps alone are not volcanic, and this option leaves out both of the real volcanic mountains. Exam tip: volcanic, Kilimanjaro and Fujiyama; fold, Himalayas, Alps and Andes; block, the Vosges and the Black Forest along the Rhine valley.

The correct answer is C, Godavari river. The Wardha rises in the Satpura range near Multai in the Betul district of Madhya Pradesh, flows south-east through Vidarbha and meets the Wainganga; the combined stream is called the Pranhita, which is the largest tributary of the Godavari and joins it at Kaleshwaram in Telangana. So the Wardha reaches the Godavari through the Pranhita, and both names appear in exams. The Godavari is the longest river of peninsular India, about 1,465 km, rising at Trimbakeshwar near Nashik and ending in the Bay of Bengal. A, Mahanadi, is fed by the Seonath, Ib, Tel and Ong, not the Wardha. B, Tapi, receives the Purna, Girna and Panzara. D, Narmada, has tributaries like the Tawa and Hiran. Exam tip: Wardha + Wainganga = Pranhita, and Pranhita, Indravati, Manjra all feed the Godavari, the "Dakshin Ganga".

The correct answer is B, North Atlantic Ocean. The Sargasso Sea lies in the middle of the North Atlantic and is the only sea in the world with no coastline. Instead of land, it is bounded by four ocean currents that circle clockwise around it: the Gulf Stream on the west, the North Atlantic Current on the north, the Canary Current on the east and the North Atlantic Equatorial Current on the south. Because it sits in the calm centre of this gyre, its water is warm, clear and very salty. It is named after sargassum, a brown seaweed that floats on its surface in huge mats, and it is the breeding ground of the American and European eels. Option A is wrong because the Arctic Ocean lies around the North Pole, far from this sea. Option C is wrong because the Sargasso Sea is north of the equator, not in the South Atlantic. Option D is wrong because the Indian Ocean is on the other side of Africa. Exam tip: Sargasso Sea means North Atlantic, no coastline, walled by currents, named after floating seaweed.

The correct answer is C, Uttarakhand. Nainital, the eye-shaped lake, lies in the Kumaon hills of Uttarakhand at a height of about 1,938 metres. The town grew around it after the British trader P. Barron reached the lake in 1841, and it became the summer capital of the United Provinces. The lake is a natural crescent, with Mallital at its northern end and Tallital at its southern end, and the Naina Devi temple on its bank gives it its name. Nearby lakes of the same district are Bhimtal, Sattal and Naukuchiatal, which is why the area is called the Lake District of India. A is wrong because Assam's well-known lakes are Chandubi and Deepor Beel. B is wrong because Himachal Pradesh has Renuka, Rewalsar and Chandra Tal. D is wrong because Nainital was part of Uttar Pradesh only until Uttarakhand was carved out in November 2000. Exam tip: Nainital, Bhimtal, Sattal and Naukuchiatal all lie in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand.

The correct answer is C, iii iv i ii. Kalahandi in Odisha is known for the large bauxite deposits of the Eastern Ghats; Zawar near Udaipur in Rajasthan is India’s best-known zinc and lead mine, worked since ancient times; Kolar in Karnataka is famous for the Kolar Gold Fields, among the deepest gold mines in the world until they closed in 2001; and Mosabani in the Singhbhum copper belt of Jharkhand is a major copper mining centre. Paper setters like to pair each mineral with one famous place, so learning one landmark site per mineral pays off quickly. Option A is wrong because it gives gold to Kalahandi and bauxite to Kolar. Option B is wrong because it also gives Kalahandi gold instead of bauxite and Kolar bauxite instead of gold. Option D is wrong because it pairs Zawar with copper and Kolar with zinc and lead. Exam tip: Kalahandi bauxite, Zawar zinc and lead, Kolar gold, Mosabani copper.

The correct answer is C, Kolkata. Kolkata is the only major port of India built on a river, the Hooghly, about 200 km upstream from the sea. It became a Port Trust in 1870 and since 2020 has been named the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port. It works as a twin system: the Kolkata Dock System handles smaller ships, while the Haldia Dock Complex, nearer the sea, takes larger ones. Silt carried by the river keeps the channel shallow, so constant dredging is needed, and the Farakka Barrage was built partly to push more Ganga water into the Hooghly to flush it. Option A is wrong because Mormugao is a natural harbour at the mouth of the Zuari in Goa, known for iron ore exports. Option B is wrong because Deendayal, earlier called Kandla, is a tidal port on the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat. Option D is wrong because Paradip is a deep-water sea port on the Odisha coast. Exam tip: the only riverine major port is Kolkata on the Hooghly, with Haldia as its deep-water dock.

The correct answer is C, 1971 and 1981 respectively. A ‘million city’ is a city or urban agglomeration with a population of ten lakh or more. Kanpur, the leather and textile centre on the Ganga once called the ‘Manchester of the East’, crossed this mark in the 1971 Census and became the first million city of Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow, the state capital, followed ten years later in the 1981 Census. The order is worth noting: in those decades the mills and factories drew workers from the countryside, so the industrial city grew faster than the capital. In later censuses more cities of the state, such as Agra, Varanasi, Meerut and Ghaziabad, crossed the mark too. Option A is wrong because in 1951 and 1961 neither city had yet reached ten lakh. Option B is wrong because Kanpur reached the mark in 1971, not 1961, and Lucknow only in 1981. Option D is wrong because both years are ten years too late. Exam tip: Kanpur first (1971), Lucknow next (1981): the mill town crossed ten lakh before the capital.