The extent of damage caused by earthquake is not influenced by which one of the following ?
- A.Strength of earthquake
- B.Population density
- C.Type of building
- D.Climate of the area
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is D, Climate of the area. The damage an earthquake does depends on how strongly the ground shakes and on what, and who, stands on it, not on the region's climate.
An earthquake's harm grows with its magnitude and with the closeness and depth of its focus, because these decide how hard the ground shakes. It also depends on exposure: a tremor in an empty desert may harm no one, while the same tremor under a crowded city can be a disaster. The design and material of buildings matter most of all, since collapsing structures cause most deaths; this is why earthquake-resistant building codes, such as India's IS 1893, are the main defence. Climate has no direct bearing on the shaking.
A is wrong because a stronger quake releases more energy and causes more damage. B is wrong because denser populations mean more people exposed. C is wrong because weak, unreinforced buildings collapse far more easily.
Exam tip: Earthquake damage depends on magnitude, depth and distance, population density and building quality; 'earthquakes don't kill, buildings do'.
Practice Questions
View allWeathering, mass wasting, erosion and transportation are indicators of which one of the following processes?
- A.Denudation
- B.Endogenetic process
- C.Diastrophism
- D.Mountain building
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Weathering, mass wasting, erosion and transportation together wear down and strip away the earth's surface, and this combined work is called denudation.
Read the full explanation →The activities or services focussed on creation, rearrangement and interpretation of new and existing ideas are referred to as
- A.quaternary activities
- B.quinary activities
- C.tertiary activities
- D.secondary activities
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Services that create, rearrange and interpret new and existing ideas, interpret data and evaluate new technologies are classed as quinary activities.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements :
1. Rocks do not remain in their original form for long and undergo transformation.
2. Transformation of rocks is caused by weathering, erosion and metamorphic action.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.Both 1 and 2
- D.Neither 1 nor 2
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Rocks are constantly changed from one form to another, and the agents of that change are weathering, erosion and metamorphism, which together make up the rock cycle.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following is not a mountain peak of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands?
- A.Saddle Peak
- B.Mount Thuillier
- C.Lhotse Peak
- D.Mount Diavolo
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Lhotse is not in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands at all; it is a Himalayan peak on the border of Nepal and Tibet, just south of Mount Everest, and at about 8,516 metres it is the fourth-highest mountain in the world.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following Indian States has the longest coastline?
- A.Tamil Nadu
- B.Gujarat
- C.Maharashtra
- D.Andhra Pradesh
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Gujarat has the longest coastline of any Indian state. Its coast runs from the Rann of Kachchh in the north, around the Gulf of Kachchh and the Saurashtra (Kathiawar) peninsula, into the Gulf of Khambhat and down to the border with Maharashtra near Daman.
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