World & Physical Geography MCQs
World Geography Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) Quiz for State and UPSC Civil Services Examinations. Objective Questions on Physical Geography and World Geography for competitive examinations.
1. In which among the following states of United States, “Death Valley” is located?
[A] Miami
[B] Pennsylvania
[C] texas
[D] California
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [California]
Notes:
California is known as Death Valley. This is because Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert.
2. What is the number of Galilean moons of Jupiter discovered by Galileo Galilei in January 1610?
[A] 2
[B] 3
[C] 4
[D] 5
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [4]
Notes:
Four satellites of Jupiter Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto are popularly referred to as the Galilean moons. This is because these moons were discovered by astronomer Galileo Galilei in January 1610.
3. Which among the following regions of Earth’s surface are called Horse Latitudes?
[A] Equatorial Low Pressure Belt
[B] Sub Tropical High Pressure Belt
[C] Sub Polar Low Pressure Belt
[D] Polar belts
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Sub Tropical High Pressure Belt]
Notes:
There are two sub-tropical high-pressure belts extending approximately between latitudes 15 and 30 degrees to the north and south of the Equator. Horse latitudes are generally areas of high pressure marked by calm, subsiding air that gets heated during descent. It receives little precipitation and has variable winds mixed with calm.
4. The only planet that shows phases is _________?
[A] Earth
[B] Venus
[C] Jupiter
[D] Saturn
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Venus]
Notes:
Through a small telescope, it is possible to see Venus undergo phases, just like the Moon. This occurs because, from our point of view on Earth, we see only the parts of Venus that are illuminated by sunlight at any given time. However, unlike the Moon, though, Venus is usually brighter to our view in its crescent phase than in its full phase.
5. Which of the following regions were included in the supercontinent “Gondwanaland” during the Upper Paleozoic and Mesozoic Era along with India?
[A] Africa, South America, Australia
[B] Africa, Australia
[C] Australia only
[D] Africa only
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Africa, South America, Australia]
Notes:
The term Gondwanaland was coined by geologist Eduard Suess after the forested, gondwana regions of India where the fossilized evidence of this megacontinent was first found. Alfred Wegener’s theory of continental drift suggests that about 280 million years ago, our globe’s landmass was a single supercontinent called Pangea. Pangea split roughly 200 million years ago into two landmasses known as Laurasia and Gondwanaland. Gondwanaland comprised Antarctica, South America, Africa, Australia, New Guinea, and the Indian subcontinent which have now moved into the Northern Hemisphere.
6. Eyjafjallajökull volcano is located in which country?
[A] Ireland
[B] Iceland
[C] Switzerland
[D] Italy
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Iceland]
Notes:
Eyjafjallajökull is one of the smaller ice caps of Iceland. It is north of Skógar and west of Mýrdalsjökull. The ice cap covers the caldera of a volcano with a summit elevation of 1,651 metres.
7. Acasta Gneiss is located in which country?
[A] Brazil
[B] Chile
[C] Canada
[D] Peru
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Canada]
Notes:
The Acasta Gneiss is located in the Northwest Territories of Canada. The rock is exposed on an island about 300 kilometers north of Yellowknife. The Acasta Gneiss is one of the oldest known intact crustal fragments on Earth. The rock was metamorphosed between 3.58 and 4.031 billion years ago. The Acasta Gneiss was first described in 1989. It was discovered during fieldwork in 1983 by Geological Survey of Canada geologist Janet King. Gneiss is a type of rock that has been metamorphosed by intense heat and pressure at depth in Earth’s crust. The original, unmetamorphosed rock was a granite, an intrusive igneous rock.
8. Which of the following ocean currents is a warm water current located in the Pacific Ocean?
[A] California Current
[B] Okhotsk Current
[C] Kuroshio Current
[D] Humboldt Current
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [ Kuroshio Current]
Notes:
The Kuroshio is a north-flowing warm ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean. It is similar to the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic Ocean.
9. In context with Equator, consider the following statements:
- The length of Day & Night are practically equal always
- Places on the Equator experience the quickest rates of sunrise and sunset in the world
- Equator is the only line of latitude which is also a great circle
Which among the above statements is / are correct?
[A] Only 1 & 2
[B] Only 1 & 3
[C] Only 2 & 3
[D] 1, 2 & 3
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Only 2 & 3]
Notes:
Please note that the first statement is not correct. Equator has theoretical constant 12 hours of day and night throughout the year, though in practice there are variations of a few minutes due to the effects of atmospheric refraction and because sunrise and sunset are measured from the time that the edge of the Sun’s disk is on the horizon, rather than the center of the disk.
10. Indentify an island in Asia Pacific on the basis of given information:
- It is world’s most populous island and also one of the densely populated islands of the world
- It was once upon a time famous for Barley Crops and in late medieval era served as a Dutch Colony
- It is home to famous volcanoes such as Mount Semeru and Mount Merapi.
Select the correct option from the codes given below:
[A] Sumatra
[B] Java
[C] Kalimantan
[D] Maluku
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Java]
Notes:
Java is an island of Indonesia, which with a population of 136 million, is the world’s most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia’s population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java. Area wise, Java is the 13th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in Indonesia.
