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. Which of the following was the first planet to have its motions plotted across the sky during the second millennium BC?
[A] Mars
[B] Venus
[C] Jupiter
[D] Saturn
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Venus]
Notes:
Venus was the first planet to have its motions plotted across the sky, as early as the second millennium BC.
2. Systematic approach is one of the major approach to study geography. The systematic approach was introduced by:
[A] Eratosthenese
[B] Ptolemy
[C] Alexander Von Humboldt
[D] Karl Ritter
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Alexander Von Humboldt]
Notes:Geography is studied majorly by using two approaches
1. Systematic approach
2. Regional approach
Systematic geography approach was introduced by German Geographer Alexander Von Humboldt where as regional geography approach was introduced by another German geographer Karl Ritter
• Any phenomenon of geography in systematic approach is studied world over as a whole, and then the identification of typologies or spatial patterns is done.
• In the regional approach, the world is divided into regions at different hierarchical levels and then all the geographical phenomena in a particular region are studied
3. After the sun, what is the nearest star to the earth?
[A] Alpha Centauri
[B] Orion
[C] Ursa Major
[D] Sirius
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Alpha Centauri]
Notes:
Following the sun, Alpha Centauri is the closest star to Earth, located approximately 4.367 light years away. It’s a star system consisting of three stars: Alpha Centauri A, Alpha Centauri B, and Proxima Centauri.
4. On which of the following the weight of a person will be minimum ?
[A] Venus
[B] Mars
[C] Moon
[D] Mercury
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Moon]
Notes:
100 kgs equivalent to 16.6 Kgs on Moon and 37.8 kgs on Mercury
5. Which one of the following is not a satellite of Jupiter? (UPSC Prelims 1990)
[A] Io
[B] Callisto
[C] Europa
[D] Titan
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Titan]
Notes:
Titan is the largest moon of Saturn and the second-largest natural satellite in the Solar System. It is the only moon known to have a dense atmosphere. Titan is the sixth gravitationally rounded moon from Saturn. Frequently described as a planet-like moon, Titan is 50% larger than Earth’s moon and 80% more massive.
6. What is the reason behind the tail of a comet is directed away from the sun? (UPSC Prelims 1997)
[A] as the comet rotates around the sun, the lighter mass of the comet is pushed away due to the centrifugal force alone
[B] as the comet rotates, the lighter mass of the comet is attracted by some star situated in the direction of its tail
[C] the radiation emitted by the sun exerts a radial pressure on the comet throwing its tail away from the sun
[D] the tail of the comet always exists in the same orientation
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [the radiation emitted by the sun exerts a radial pressure on the comet throwing its tail away from the sun]
Notes:
The streams of dust and gas thus released from a huge, extremely tenuous atmosphere around the comet called the coma, and the force exerted on the coma by the Sun’s radiation pressure and solar wind cause an enormous tail to form, which points away from the Sun.
7. Tongan archipelago, recently in news for engulfing one island belongs to which ocean? (UPSC Prelims 2006)
[A] North Pacific Ocean
[B] Atlantic Ocean
[C] South Pacific Ocean
[D] Indian Ocean
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [South Pacific Ocean]
Notes:
An undersea volcanic eruption in the Tongan archipelago has sunk one island and created another three times larger, according to a report released on 7th November, 2019. The archipelago is in South Pacific Ocean. The new Lateiki island is estimated to be about 100 metres wide and 400 metres long, and is situated about 120 metres west of its submerged predecessor.
8. Which among the following is subject matter of Thalassography?
[A] High altitude
[B] Seas
[C] Mountains
[D] Plateaus
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Seas]
Notes:
Thalassography is a subsection of oceanography which deals with the comparitively small bodies such as seas and bays.
9. Which gulf is the world’s largest estuary?
[A] Gulf of Guinea
[B] Gulf of Eliat
[C] Gulf of Saint Lawrence
[D] Gulf of Kutch
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Gulf of Saint Lawrence ]
Notes:
Gulf of Saint Lawrence is the largest estuary in the world. It is the outlet of the North American Great Lakes via the Saint Lawrence river into the Atlantic Ocean, where freshwater and salt water mix together.
10. Gulf of Thailand is the part of which sea?
[A] Red Sea
[B] South China Sea
[C] Mediterranean Sea
[D] Caspian Sea
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [South China Sea]
Notes:
Gulf of Thailand is the part of the South China Sea. It is also known as the Gulf of Siam. It is a marginal water body in the western Pacific Ocean. It is surrounded by Cambodia and Vietnam in the northeast, and by Thailand in the rest part.
