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. The Helsinki Commission or HELCOM aims to call for international coordination to protect the marine environment of ____?
[A] North Sea
[B] Baltic Sea
[C] Arctic sea
[D] Caspian sea
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Baltic Sea]
Notes:
The Helsinki Commission, or HELCOM, specifically focuses on the protection of the marine environment of the Baltic Sea. Established in 1974, HELCOM aims to reduce pollution and promote sustainable management of the Baltic Sea, which is one of the most polluted seas in the world due to heavy maritime traffic and industrial activities. The Baltic Sea is unique as it is a brackish body of water, with a lower salinity than oceanic waters, affecting its ecosystem.
3. Which line marks the boundary of the zone where the Sun never sets during June solstice and never rises during December Solstice?
[A] Antarctic Circle
[B] Arctic Circle
[C] Tropic of Cancer
[D] Tropic of Capricorn
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Arctic Circle]
Notes:
The Arctic Circle is an imaginary line around the arctic. It’s defined as the latitude above which the sun does not set on the day of the summer solstice and never rises during the December Solstice. This is because the arctic and Antarctic circle have sunlight for 6 months continuously.
4. In geographical context, the terms mesa and butte are:
[A] Small tracts of saline and alkaline soils
[B] The upland and marshy areas of the delta region
[C] Fluvial and Aeolian landforms in the Ganga Plains
[D] A hill and a flat land
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [A hill and a flat land]
Notes:
In geography, a mesa is a flat-topped mountain with steep sides, while a butte is a flat-topped hill with steep sides. The choice between mesa and butte depends on the shape and size of the landform.
A mesa is an isolated, broad, flat-topped mountain with at least one steep side. Mesas are smaller in area than a plateau. Mesas are abundant in the southwestern states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona.
A butte is a small isolated flat-topped hill with steep sides. Buttes are smaller in area than a mesa. Buttes are typically isolated landmarks that appear steep-sided and flat-topped, though often only from certain angles. Buttes were created through the process of erosion, the gradual wearing away of earth by water, wind, and ice.
The word butte comes from the French word butte, meaning knoll. The word mesa comes from the Spanish word for “table”.
5. Identify the correct order of the processes of soil-erosion from the following: (UPSC Prelims 2001)
[A] Splash erosion, Sheet erosion, Rill erosion, Gully erosion
[B] Sheet erosion, Splash erosion, Gully erosion, Rill erosion
[C] Rill erosion, Gully erosion, Sheet erosion, Splash erosion
[D] Gully erosion, Rill erosion, Sheet erosion, Splash erosion
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Splash erosion, Sheet erosion, Rill erosion, Gully erosion]
Notes:
The correct order of soil erosion process is splash erosion, sheet erosion, rill erosion and gully erosion. Splash occurs when the raindrop hits the surface; explosive impact soil into individual particles. Sheet erosion is the detachment of soil particles by rain drop and their removal down slope by water flowing overland as a sheet in definite channels. Rill erosion refers to the development of small ephemeral concentrated flow paths which function as both sedimentary source and sediment delivery systems for erosion on hill slopes. Sheet erosion removes the this top layer by raindrop kill or orion occurs in lines which are less than 30 cm deep when these rills are deeper than 30 forming channels are called as gully erosion. Gully erosion occurs when water flows in narrow channels after heavy rain and melting snow.
6. Which is the northern-most coral atoll in the world?
[A] Kure Atoll
[B] Great Chagos Bank
[C] Reed Bank
[D] Rosalind Bank
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Kure Atoll]
Notes:
Kure Atoll is the northern-most coral atoll in the world and is the most remote of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, in the Pacific Ocean. Major Island of this atoll is called Green Island.
7. Which among the following is not a gulf in the Pacific Ocean?
[A] Gulf of Alaska
[B] Gulf of California
[C] Hauraki Gulf
[D] Gulf of Mannar
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Gulf of Mannar]
Notes:
Gulf of Mannar is not a part of the Pacific Ocean. It is a large shallow bay forming the part of the Laccadive Sea in the Indian Ocean. It lies between Sri Lanka and the Coromandel Coast region of India.
8. Which among the following bay is the finest deep water shelter in the southeast Asia?
[A] Cam Ranh Bay
[B] Alexander Bay
[C] Bay of Bengal
[D] Korea Bay
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Cam Ranh Bay]
Notes:
Cam Ranh Bay is considered as the finest deep water shelter in the southeast Asia. It is a deep water bay in Vietnam, located at an inlet of the South China Sea.
9. Which of the following is an artificial beach?
[A] Cox’s Bazar Beach
[B] Odaiba Beach
[C] Marina Beach
[D] Varkala Beach
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Odaiba Beach]
Notes:
Odaiba Beach is an artificial beach in Tokyo Bay, Japan. It lies across the famous Rainbow Bridge from Central Tokyo. Odaiba is also a large artificial island in Japan.
10. The Isthmus of Potidea is located in which continent?
[A] Asia
[B] Africa
[C] Europe
[D] North America
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Europe]
Notes:
The Isthmus of Potidea is located in the continent of Europe. It connects the landmasses of the Kassandra Peninsula with the mainland of Greece.