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 of the following human geography approaches believes that physical geographies determine human behaviour and the existence of different forms of societies?
[A] Possibilism
[B] Environmental determinism
[C] Neo-determinism
[D] Stop and go determinism
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Environmental determinism]
Notes:
Environmental determinism is the belief that the environment and its physical factors like landforms, climate, mountains etc. determines the patterns of human culture and societal development.
Possibilism based upon the assumption that environment sets certain constraints or limitations, but culture is otherwise determined by social conditions. This theory says that the true and only geographical problem is that to utilisation of possibilities.
Nondeterminism or stop and go determinism which chooses middle path and it is introduced by Griffith Taylor.
2. Lloyd Barrage is a 6166 mile long network of canals, feeding the largest irrigation system in the world, with more than 5 million acres of irrigated land. In which country it is located?
[A] China
[B] Pakistan
[C] India
[D] Afghanistan
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Pakistan]
Notes:
Sukkur Barrage or Lloyd Barrage is a barrage on the River Indus near the city of Sukkur in the Sindh province of Pakistan. It was built during the British Raj from 1923 to 1932.
3. Which among the following is a Biggest Sea by size?
[A] Mediterranean Sea
[B] South China Sea
[C] Gulf of Mexico
[D] Philippine Sea
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Philippine Sea]
Notes:
The biggest sea by size is the Philippine Sea. The Philippine Sea is located in the western Pacific Ocean and is bordered by the Philippines, Taiwan, and the Marianas Islands. It covers an area of approximately 5 million square kilometers (1.9 million square miles). This vast expanse of water is known for its rich marine biodiversity, deep trenches, and important role in the global climate system. It is also home to numerous islands and is a significant part of the Western Pacific region.
4. Which among the following is the most suitable common word for roaring forties, furious fifties and stormy sixties ?
[A] Trade winds
[B] Cyclones
[C] Westerlies
[D] Polar winds
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [ Westerlies]
Notes:
The prevailing westerlies are one of the five primary wind zones, known as wind belts, that comprise our atmosphere’s circulatory system. They reach from where the horse latitudes leave off to approximately 60 degrees north and south latitude. The prevailing westerlies tend to be very unpredictable, but they are known to originate in the west more often than not. Wind speeds can be great in areas with few landmasses to interfere with the westerlies, especially around 40 to 50 degrees south latitude, which is nicknamed “the roaring 40s. Westerlies, anti-trades,or Prevailing Westerlies, are prevailing winds in the middle latitudes between 30 and 60 degrees latitude, blowing from the high pressure area in the horse latitudes towards the poles.
5. Which of the following is/are the cited reason(s) for the earth’s wobbling towards east?
- Gain of ice in Greenland
- Gain of ice mass in Western Antarctica
- Dry spells across Eurasia
Select the correct option from codes given below:
[A] 3 Only
[B] 1 and 2 Only
[C] 2 and 3 Only
[D] 1, 2 and 3
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [3 Only]
Notes:
Around the year 2000, Earth’s spin axis took an abrupt turn toward the east and is now drifting almost twice as fast as before, at a rate of almost 7 inches (17 centimetres) a year. Scientists have suggested that the loss of mass from Greenland and Antarctica’s rapidly melting ice sheet could be causing the eastward shift of the spin axis. All these cause changes in the movement of water and accumulation of mass on poles. Earth wobbling affects the results obtained from GPS, and other Earth-Observation satellites.
6. Seasons on Earth are caused due to:
[A] Earth’s rotation
[B] Earth’s axial tilt on its axis
[C] Earth’s axial tilt and its rotation on its axis
[D] Earth’s axial tilt and its revolution around the Sun
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [ Earth’s axial tilt and its revolution around the Sun]
Notes:
Fourth option is the correct answer. Earth’s axial tilt is around 23.44 degrees.
7. Sandstone is which of the following type of rock?
[A] Sedimentary Rock
[B] Metamorphic Rock
[C] Igneous Rock
[D] Calcareous Rock
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Sedimentary Rock]
Notes:
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized mineral particles or rock fragments. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar because they are the most resistant minerals to weathering processes at the Earth’s surface, as seen in Bowen’s reaction series.
8. Which country has three capitals viz. Administrative, Legislative and Judicial?
[A] Chile
[B] Canada
[C] South Africa
[D] Malaysia
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [South Africa]
Notes:
Cape Town, as the seat of Parliament, is the legislative capital; Pretoria, as the seat of the President and Cabinet, is the administrative capital; and Bloemfontein, as the seat of the Supreme Court of Appeal, is the judicial capital, while the Constitutional Court of South Africa sits in Johannesburg.
9. Extrusive (Intrusive) rocks are forms of which of the following types? (UPSC Prelims 1986)
[A] Igneous rocks
[B] Sedimentary rocks
[C] Metamorphic rocks
[D] None of the above
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Igneous rocks]
Notes:
Extrusive igneous rocks, also known as volcanic rocks, are formed at the crust’s surface as a result of the partial melting of rocks within the mantle and crust. Extrusive igneous rocks cool and solidify quicker than intrusive igneous rocks. They are formed by the cooling of molten magma on the earth’s surface.
10. Which of the following is the largest Archipelago of the world?
[A] Madagascar Islands
[B] Malay Archipelago
[C] Guayaneco Archipelago
[D] Hawaiian Archipelago
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Malay Archipelago]
Notes:
The Malay Archipelago is the largest archipelago by area and fourth by the number of islands in the world. It comprises over 25,000 islands .It is situated between the Indian and the Pacific Ocean and between mainland Indochina and Australia. It includes Brunei, East Malaysia, East Timor, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines. This location is also termed as the Maritime Southeast Asia.