UPSC Indian Geography 1 (Old Year Questions)

Ans c
Gumti wildlife sanctuary is in Tripura.

Ans c

Ans a

Ans b

Ans c

Ans b

Ans c

Ans b

Ans c
Bagelkhand or Baghelkhand is a region and also a mountain range in central India that covers the northeastern regions of Madhya Pradesh and a small area of western Uttar Pradesh. Bodhgaya is in Bihar.

The Khajuraho group of monuments was built during the rule of the Rajput Chandela dynasty. The building activity started almost immediately after the rise of their power, throughout their kingdom to be later known as Bundelkhand.

Vidarbha is the eastern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra, comprising Nagpur Division and Amravati Division. Shirdi is a town and falls under Ahmednagar District in Maharashtra. It is not in Vidarbha region.

Tirupati lies in the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh.

Ans c

Ans c
Integrated watershed development programme is not about inter-linking of rivers.

Ans c
Planktons are abundant where warm and cold currents meet. That make these areas important fishing grounds of the wolrd.

Ans a
The Narmada and the Tapi flow through the rift valley. Statement 3 is wrong as land slopes to the east in the region. Statement 2 is factually correct however, is not the reason for the rivers to flow to the west.

Ans d
On its path around the sun, the earth’s axis always remains inclined to one side. Because of this constant inclination in one direction, the Northern Hemisphere remains inclined towards the sun or faces the sun during one half of the year. Therefore, a larger part of this hemisphere receives sunlight. Every point in this hemisphere takes a longer time to go out of the sunlight, with the result that the days are longer. In contrast, the Southern Hemisphere is away from the sun. It, therefore, has shorter days and longer nights. During the other half of the year, the Southern Hemisphere is inclined towards the sun. Hence, it has longer days and shorter nights.

Ans d
Electro-magnetic radiation causes temperature change which induces metamorphism of rocks. Gravity besides being a directional force activating all downslope movements of matter also causes stresses on the earth’s materials. Plate movement results into continent building. The energy emanating from within the earth is the main force behind endogenic geomorphic processes. This energy is mostly generated by radioactivity, rotational and tidal friction and primordial heat from the origin of the earth. This energy due to geothermal gradients and heat flow from within induces diastrophism and volcanism in the lithosphere. Due to variations in geothermal gradients and heat flowfrom within, crustal thickness and strength, the action of endogenic forces are not uniform and hence the tectonically controlled original crustal surface is uneven.

Ans a
Land heats up and cool down very fast as compared to the water. Areas in the interior of India are far away from the moderating influence of the sea. Such areas have extremes of climate. Statement 2 is wrong as there may or may not be much difference between the altitudes of land and ocean. Statment 3 is wrong as winds do not contribute enough to the variations in temperature. Statement 4 is wrong as coastal region recieve more rainfall.

Ans d
Plants have few or no leave and foilage is either vaxy hairy or needle shaped to prevent water loss.

Ans d
Of the total water use by the industry, thermal power plants are the biggest users of water and account for 88% of the total industrial water use. They are followed by engineering (5.05%) pulp & paper (2.26%) and textiles (2.07%) industries.

Ans a

Ans d
Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. The sudden increase in pressure and temperature from lightning produces rapid expansion of the air surrounding and within a bolt of lightning. In turn, this expansion of air creates a sonic shock wave, similar to a sonic boom, which produces the sound of thunder The cause of thunder has been the subject of centuries of speculation and scientific inquiry. The first recorded theory is attributed to the Greek philosopher Aristotle in the third century BC, and an early speculation was that it was caused by the collision of clouds. Subsequently, numerous other theories were proposed. By the mid-19th century, the accepted theory was that lightning produced a vacuum. In the 20th century a consensus evolved that thunder must begin with a shock wave in the air due to the sudden thermal expansion of the plasma in the lightning channel.