A ring shaped coral reef enclosing a central lagoon is known as:
- A.A fringing reef
- B.A barrier reef
- C.An atoll
- D.A patch reef
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, an atoll. Charles Darwin explained its formation: a fringing reef grows around a volcanic island, the island slowly subsides, the reef keeps growing upward towards the light, and in the end only a ring of reef and a lagoon are left where the island stood. Lakshadweep and the Maldives are the familiar examples. Option A is wrong because a fringing reef lies directly against the shore with little or no lagoon between, the commonest and youngest form. Option B is wrong because a barrier reef runs parallel to the coast but is separated from it by a wide, deep lagoon, the Great Barrier Reef off Queensland being the largest in the world. Option D is wrong because a patch reef is only a small isolated outcrop of coral inside a lagoon or on a shelf, not a landform type in this classification.
Read the full article: Wetlands, Mangroves and Coral Reefs: Ramsar Sites and PYQs
Practice Questions
View allWhich of the following Ramsar sites is not situated in Uttar Pradesh?
- A.Sur Sarovar
- B.Samaspur Bird Sanctuary
- C.Sarsai Nawar Jheel
- D.Surinsar-Mansar Lakes
Show answer
These twin lakes lie near Jammu in the Jammu and Kashmir region, not in Uttar Pradesh, so they are the odd one out in this list.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following pairs of wetlands and the confluence of rivers they lie at:
- Harike Wetland – confluence of the Beas and the Sutlej
- Keoladeo Ghana National Park – confluence of the Banas and the Chambal
- Kolleru Lake – confluence of the Musi and the Krishna
Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?
- A.1 only
- B.2 and 3 only
- C.1 and 3 only
- D.1, 2 and 3
Show answer
The Harike Wetland in Punjab was created by building a barrage just below the point where the Beas joins the Sutlej, so the first pair is correct and it is the only one.
Read the full explanation →The Convention on Wetlands, known as the Ramsar Convention, was signed in 1971 in which country?
- A.Iran
- B.Iraq
- C.Switzerland
- D.Kenya
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The convention takes its name from Ramsar, a town on the Caspian coast of Iran, where it was signed on 2 February 1971; it came into force in 1975 and is the oldest of the modern global environmental treaties.
Read the full explanation →World Wetlands Day is observed every year on which date?
- A.22 March
- B.2 February
- C.5 June
- D.26 July
Show answer
The correct answer is B, 2 February, the anniversary of the signing of the Ramsar Convention in 1971, which is why the day carries that date.
Read the full explanation →Keibul Lamjao, the only floating national park in the world, lies on which lake?
- A.Wular Lake
- B.Chilika Lake
- C.Loktak Lake
- D.Kolleru Lake
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Keibul Lamjao National Park rests on these mats and is the last natural home of the sangai, the brow-antlered deer of Manipur.
Read the full explanation →