Which one of the following is not a minor plate ?
- A.Cocos Plate
- B.Nazca Plate
- C.Caroline Plate
- D.Antarctic Plate
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is D, Antarctic Plate. The Antarctic Plate, carrying Antarctica and the ocean around it, is one of the seven major lithospheric plates.
Plate tectonics divides the lithosphere into seven major plates and several minor ones. The major plates are the Antarctic (with its surrounding oceanic plate), the North American, the South American, the Pacific, the India–Australia–New Zealand, the African and the Eurasian plates. Important minor plates include the Cocos plate between Central America and the Pacific, the Nazca plate between South America and the Pacific, the Arabian plate, the Philippine plate, the Caroline plate between the Philippine and Indian plates north of New Guinea, and the Fiji plate north-east of Australia.
A is wrong as an answer because the Cocos plate, off Central America, is a minor plate. B is wrong as an answer because the Nazca plate, sinking under South America to raise the Andes, is a minor plate. C is wrong as an answer because the Caroline plate, north of New Guinea, is also a minor plate.
Exam tip: minor plates – Cocos, Nazca, Arabian, Philippine, Caroline, Fiji; Antarctic is a major plate.
Practice Questions
View allWhich of the following statements with reference to shadow zones in an event of an earthquake is/are correct ? 1. Zone between 105° and 145° from epicentre was identified as the shadow zone for both P-waves and S-waves 2. The shadow zone of P-waves is much larger than that of the S-waves Select the answer using the code given below:
- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.Both 1 and 2
- D.Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
The band between 105° and 145° from the epicentre receives neither P-waves nor S-waves, but it is the S-wave shadow zone that is much larger, so statement 2 is wrong.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following statements about Ring of Fire is/are correct ? 1. It is a zone of convergence plate boundaries 2. It is an active seismic and volcanic zone 3. It is associated with deep trench Select the correct answer using the code given below :
- A.1 and 2 only
- B.2 and 3 only
- C.1 only
- D.1, 2 and 3
Show answer
The Ring of Fire around the Pacific is a belt of convergent plate boundaries, full of active volcanoes and earthquakes and lined by deep ocean trenches.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following rivers is not a tributary of river Brahmaputra ?
- A.River Manas
- B.River Kameng
- C.River Mahananda
- D.River Subansiri
Show answer
The Mahananda rises in the Darjeeling hills, flows through north Bengal and Bihar and joins the Ganga, not the Brahmaputra.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following statements regarding tropical cyclones is/are correct ? 1. These storms develop during the summer and autumn in every tropical ocean except the South Atlantic and eastern South Pacific Oceans. 2. Tropical cyclones that occur in the North Atlantic and eastern North Pacific Oceans are known as typhoons. 3. Tropical cyclones that occur in the Indian and South Pacific Oceans are called cyclones. Select the answer using the code given below :
- A.3 only
- B.1 and 2 only
- C.1 and 3 only
- D.1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Tropical cyclones of the North Atlantic and eastern North Pacific are called hurricanes, not typhoons, so statement 2 is wrong.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following statements is/are correct ? 1. Oceanic trenches are very significant in the study of plate movements 2. Oceanic trenches are associated with active volcanoes and strong earthquakes Select the answer using the code given below:
- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.Both 1 and 2
- D.Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Oceanic trenches mark the places where one plate sinks beneath another, so they are key evidence for plate movement and are lined by volcanoes and earthquakes.
Read the full explanation →