Consider the following statements : 1. Distance between the longitudes becomes zero on North Pole and South Pole. 2. Distance between the longitudes is maximum on the Equator. 3. Number of longitudes is more than number of latitudes. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.1 and 3 only
- D.1,2 and 3
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is D, 1,2 and 3. All three statements are correct.
Meridians of longitude are half-circles that run from the North Pole to the South Pole, so they are farthest apart on the Equator, about 111 km per degree, and come closer towards the poles until they meet there, where the gap becomes zero. Parallels of latitude, in contrast, are evenly spaced. The globe is divided into 360 degrees of longitude (180 east and 180 west of Greenwich) but only 180 degrees of latitude (90 north and 90 south), so there are more meridians than parallels at one-degree intervals.
A is wrong because statements 2 and 3 are also true.
B is wrong because statements 1 and 3 are also true.
C is wrong because it leaves out statement 2, which is true.
Exam tip: 360 meridians, 180 parallels plus the Equator; one degree of longitude is about 111 km at the Equator and zero at the poles.
Practice Questions
View allWhich one of the following rivers was earlier known as "Vitasta" ?
- A.Tista
- B.Jhelum
- C.Tungabhadra
- D.Bharatpuzha A - EDF-F-KJU
Show answer
The Jhelum was called the Vitasta in the Rig Veda and in later Sanskrit texts. The rivers of the Punjab region carried Vedic names: Vitasta for the Jhelum, Asikni for the Chenab, Parushni for the Ravi, Vipasha for the Beas and Shutudri for the Satluj.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following is NOT a west flowing river ?
- A.Periyar
- B.Bharatpuzha
- C.Pamba
- D.Tamraparni
Show answer
The Tamraparni rises in the Agasthyamalai hills of the Western Ghats and flows east through Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts of Tamil Nadu into the Gulf of Mannar.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following is/are cold ocean current/currents ? 1. Alaska Current 2. North Atlantic Drift 3. West Wind Drift Select the answer using the code given below:
- A.1 only
- B.1 and 2
- C.2 and 3
- D.3 only
Show answer
Of the three, only the West Wind Drift is a cold current; the Alaska Current and the North Atlantic Drift are warm.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements : 1. Areas where rainfall exceeds 250 cm 2. Annual temperature 25°C - 27°C 3. Average humidity exceeds 75% 4. Trees do not shed the leaves To which one of the following types of vegetation does the above represent ?
- A.Tropical wet evergreen
- B.Tropical semi evergreen
- C.Tropical moist deciduous
- D.Tropical dry evergreen
Show answer
Very heavy rainfall, high and steady temperature, humidity above 75 per cent and trees that stay green all year are the marks of tropical wet evergreen forests.
Read the full explanation →In shifting cultivation, the ash of the burnt vegetation serves mainly as
- A.A pesticide
- B.A manure that supplies nutrients to the soil
- C.A weedicide that kills the forest roots
- D.A means of levelling the slope
Show answer
In slash-and-burn farming the felled trees and undergrowth are dried and burnt on the spot, and the ash left behind is rich in potash and other mineral nutrients, which the cultivator depends on because no chemical fertiliser or farmyard manure is used.
Read the full explanation →