Geography – UPSC Prelims PYQs

“Climate is extreme, rainfall is scanty and the people used to be nomadic herders.” The above statement best describes which of the following regions?

During a thunderstorm, the thunder in the skies is produced by the

1. Meeting of cumulonimbus clouds in the sky
2. Lightning that separates the nimbus clouds
3. Violent upward movement of air and water particles

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

Which one among the following industries is the maximum consumer of water in India?

Which of the following is the chief characteristic of 'mixed farming'?

A particular State in India has the following characteristics :

1. It is located on the same latitude which passes through northern Rajasthan.
2. It has over 80% of its area under forest cover.
3. Over 12% of forest cover constitutes Protected Area Network in this State.

Which one among the following States has all the above characteristics?

Consider the following crops of India :

1. Cowpea
2. Green gram
3. Pigeon pea

Which of the above is/are used as pulse, fodder and green manure?

Consider the following factors :

1. Rotation of the Earth
2. Air pressure and wind
3. Density of ocean water
4. Revolution of the Earth

Which of the above factors influence the ocean currents?

Consider the following crops of India :

1. Groundnut
2. Sesamum
3. Pearl millet

Which of the above is/are predominantly rainfed crop/crops?

When you travel in Himalayas, you will see the following :

1. Deep gorges
2. U-turn river courses
3. Parallel mountain ranges
4. Steep gradients causing landsliding

Which of the above can be said to be the evidences for Himalayas being young fold mountains?

Normally, the temperature decreases with the increase in height from the Earth's surface, because

1. the atmosphere can be heated upwards only from the Earth's surface
2. there is more moisture in the upper atmosphere
3. the air is less dense in the upper atmosphere

Select the correct answer using the codes given below :

A person stood alone in a desert on a dark night and wanted to reach his village which was situated 5 km east of the point where he was standing. He had no instruments to find the direction but he located the polestar. The most convenient way now to reach his village is to walk in the

Consider the following statements :

1. The duration of the monsoon decreases from southern India to northern India.
2. The amount of annual rainfall in the northern plains of India decreases from east to west.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Which one of the following is the characteristic climate of the Tropical Savannah Region?

India is regarded as a country with “Demographic Dividend”. This is due to

A layer in the Earth’s atmosphere called Ionosphere facilitates radio communication. Why?

1. The presence of ozone causes the reflection of radio waves to Earth.
2. Radio waves have a very long wavelength.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Southeast Asia has captivated the attention of global community over space and time as a geostrategically significant region. Which among the following is the most convincing explanation for this global perspective?

La Nina is suspected to have caused recent floods in Australia. How is La Nina different from El Nino ?

1. La Nina is characterised by unusually cold ocean temperature in equatorial Indian Ocean whereas El Nino is characterised by unusually warm ocean temperature in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.
2. El Nino has adverse effect on south-west monsoon of India, but La Nina has no effect on monsoon climate.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

With reference to micro-irrigation, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. Fertilizer/nutrient loss can be reduced.
2. It is the only means of irrigation in dry land farming.
3. In some areas of farming, receding of ground water table can be checked.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

Among the following States, which one has the most suitable climatic conditions for the cultivation of a large variety of orchids with minimum cost of production, and can develop an export-oriented industry in this field?

Salinization occurs when the irrigation water accumulated in the soil evaporates, leaving behind salts and minerals. What are the effects of salinization on the irrigated land?

Westerlies in southern hemisphere are stronger and persistent than in northern hemisphere. Why?

1. Southern hemisphere has less landmass as compared to northern hemisphere.
2. Coriolis force is higher in southern hemisphere as compared to northern hemisphere

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Between India and East Asia, the navigation-time and distance can be greatly reduced by which of the following?

1. Deepening the Malacca straits between Malaysia and Indonesia.
2. Opening a new canal across the Kra isthmus between the Gulf of Siam and Andaman Sea.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

The lower Gangetic plain is characterised by humid climate with high temperature throughout the year. Which one among the following pairs of crops is most suitable for this region?

What could be the main reason/reasons for the formation of African and Eurasian desert belt?

1. It is located in the sub-tropical high pressure cells.
2. It is under the influence of warm ocean currents.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct in this context?

The jet aircrafts fly very easily and smoothly in the lower stratosphere. What could be the appropriate explanation?

1. There are no clouds or water vapour in the lower stratosphere.
2. There are no vertical winds in the lower stratosphere.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct in this context?

The Brahmaputra, Irrawady and Mekong rivers originate in Tibet and flow through narrow and parallel mountain ranges in their upper reaches. Of these rivers, Brahmaputra makes a "U" turn in its course to flow into India. This "U" turn is due to

A state in India has the following characteristics:

1. Its northern part is arid and semi-arid.
2. Its central part produces cotton.
3. Cultivation of cash crops is predominant over food crops.

Which one of the following states has all of the above characteristics?

A geographic area with an altitude of 400 metres has following characteristics: Month J F M A M J J A S O N D Average maximum temp. °C 31 31 31 31 30 30 29 28 29 30 31 Average minimum temp. °C 21 21 21 21 21 20 20 20 20 20 20 Rainfall (mm)

51 85 188 158 139 121 134 168 185 221 198 86

If this geographic area were to have a natural forest, which one of the following would it most likely be?

Though coffee and tea both are cultivated on hill slopes, there is some difference between them regarding their cultivation. In this context, consider the following statements :

1. Coffee plant requires a hot and humid climate of tropical areas whereas tea can be cultivated in both tropical and subtropical areas.
2. Coffee is propagated by seeds but tea is propagated by stem cuttings only.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

With reference to soil conservation, consider the following practices:

1. Crop rotation
2. Sand fences
3. Terracing
4. Wind breaks

Which of the above are considered appropriate methods for soil conservation in India?

Following are the characteristics of an area in India:

1. Hot and humid climate
2. Annual rainfall 200 cm
3. Hill slopes up to an altitude of 1100 metres
4. Annual range of temperature 15 °C to 30 °C

Which one among the following crops are you most likely to find in the area described above?

With reference to the mineral resources of India, consider the following pairs: Mineral — 90% Natural sources in

1. Copper — Jharkhand
2. Nickel — Orissa
3. Tungsten — Kerala

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

As per the UN-Habitat's Global Report on Human Settlements 2009, which one among the following regions has shown the fastest growth rate of urbanization in the last three decades?

Tamil Nadu is a leading producer of mill-made cotton yarn in the country. What could be the reason?

1. Black cotton soil is the predominant type of soil in the State.
2. Rich pool of skilled labour is available.

Which of the above is/are the correct reasons?

Consider the following statements:

1. On the planet Earth, the fresh water available for use amounts to about less than 1% of the total water found.
2. Of the total fresh water found on the planet Earth 95% is bound up in polar ice caps and glaciers.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Rivers that pass through Himachal Pradesh are

When you travel in certain parts of India, you will notice red soil. What is the main reason for this colour?

Which one of the following is the appropriate reason for considering the Gondwana rocks as most important of rock systems of India?

Which one of the following can one come across if one travels through the Strait of Malacca?

With reference to the river Luni,

which one of the following statements is correct?

Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched? Dam/Lake — River

A geographic region has the following distinct characteristics:

1. Warm and dry climate
2. Mild and wet winter
3. Evergreen oak trees The above features are the distinct characteristics of which one of the following regions?

What causes wind to deflect toward left in the Southern hemisphere?

If there were no Himalayan ranges, what would have been the most likely geographical impact on India?

1. Much of the country would experience the cold waves from Siberia.
2. Indo-Gangetic plain would be devoid of such extensive alluvial soils.
3. The pattern of monsoon would be different from what it is at present.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

The latitudes that pass through Sikkim also pass through

The approximate representation of land-use classification in India is

In India, the ports are categorized as major and non-major ports.

Which one of the following is a non-major port?

Which among the following has the world's largest reserves of Uranium ?

Consider the following countries :

1. Australia
2. Namibia
3. Brazil
4. Chile Through which of the above does the Tropic of Capricorn pass ?

In the structure of planet Earth, below the mantle, the core is mainly made up of which one of the following ?