Free Practice Questions for Geography in General-studies

Kelp is a large, brown type of seaweed that grows in shallow, nutrient-rich saltwater near coastal areas around the world.

Important Points:

• Kelp can grow up to  18 inches per day, and these algae provide food and shelter for many fish, invertebrate, and marine mammal species, and they're affected by  seasonal changes, El Nino
• Kelp forests are most commonly found in the cold, relatively shallow waters off the west coast of North America. 

Options Explanation:

The Ural Mountains, located on the border of Russia and Europe, are formed by the compression of tectonic plates that form large fold-like structures on the Earth's crust.

Important Points:

• Fold mountains are formed where two or more tectonic plates of the Earth collide with each other, due to which the land in the middle gets folded, and it rises up and takes the form of a mountain.
• The Himalayas and the Alps are examples of young fold mountains .

Option Explanation:

• Harz Mountains:  An example of a rift mountain located in Germany, these mountains have structures, steep slopes and smooth topography.  
• Vosges Mountains: These  are examples of block mountains.
• Mount Kilimanjaro:  This mountain is located in Tanzania, whose height is about 5,895 meters. This is an example of a volcanic type mountain.

The Ganga plain is spread between the Ghaggar and Teesta rivers. The Gangetic Plain is the largest part of the Northern Plains.

Important Points:

• It is spread in northern India in parts of Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, partly Jharkhand, and West Bengal.
• The northern plains are made up of three major river systems – the Indus, the Ganges, and the Brahmaputra and their tributaries. 
• This plan is made of alluvial soil. Over millions of years, alluvium was deposited in a very large basin located at the foot of the Himalayas.
• It is spread over an area of 7 lakh sq km. This plan is about 2,400 km long and 240 to 320 km wide.
• The western part of the Northern Plain is called the Punjab Plain. A large part of this plain, which is made up of the Indus and its tributaries, is located in Pakistan. 
• The Brahmaputra plain is especially located in Assam.
• From north to south, these plains are divided into three parts, Bhabhar, Terai and Alluvial plains.

Statements I, II and III are correct.

Important Points:

• A mountain is a naturally elevated part of the earth's surface. Types of mountains:
• Fold Mountains:The folds produced due to the internal forces of the earth are called fold mountains. Example: Himalaya, Alpine mountain group, Rocky, Andes, Appalachian, Atlas Caucasus, Elburj, Hindukush etc.
• Block Mountains: Block mountains are formed by the forces of tension or stretching. Example: Vosges and Black Forest, Saltrange and Sierra Nevada.
• Residual Mountains:Residual Mountains are formed due to excessive erosion of mountains by erosional forces. Example: Vindhyachal, Aravalli, Satpura, Mahadev.
• Volcanic Mountains: Volcanic mountains are formed by the accumulation of ash and lava ejected from the eruption of a volcano. Examples: Kilmanjaro, Cotapaxy, Mount Rainier, Fujiyama, Vesuvius, Aconagua.

Red soils   develop on crystalline and igneous rocks  in the eastern and southern parts of the  Deccan Plateau and in the Piedmont region  as well as  in areas of low rainfall .

Important Points 

• The Deccan Plateau is the largest plateau of India. The Deccan Plateau   is also known as the 'Great Peninsular Plateau' .
•  This  plateau is spread over eight states of India  . Its height is 6,00 to 9,00 meters.
• The shape of the Deccan Plateau is  triangular  . The extension of this plateau is the Aravalli Range of Delhi in the north-west, the Rajmahal Hills in the east, the Gir Hills in the west, the Cardamom (Cardamom) Hills in the south and it extends to the plateau of Shillong and Karbi-Anglong in the north-east.

The Ken River is one of the major rivers of the Bundelkhand region of central India. It flows through Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. It is a tributary of the Yamuna. 

Important Points  

• The Ken River begins at an altitude of 550 m above sea level near Ahirgaon village in Jabalpur district of Madhya Pradesh, and joins the Yamuna river near Chilla village in Uttar Pradesh at an altitude of 95 m. 
• It is 427 km long, of which 292 km lies in Madhya Pradesh, 84 km in Uttar Pradesh and 51 km as a common boundary. 
• The total catchment area of the Ken river basin is 28,058 km², of which 24,472 km² lies in Madhya Pradesh and 3,586 km² in Uttar Pradesh.

Other important rivers and their origin 

The Arctic Ocean covers an area of  1,55,58,000 (km) ² of the water body   and covers only  4.3% of the global ocean  . It is the smallest shallow ocean among all the oceans.

Important Points:  

• The International Hydrographic Organization ( IHO)  accepts it as an ocean. It is surrounded by Eurasia and North America.

Option Explanation

• It is also known as the Atlantic Ocean or the 'Andha Ocean'. It separates the continent of Europe, Africa from the continents of the New World. Its size is similar to the English number '8'. 
• The Arctic Ocean, which extends from the Bering Strait through the North Pole to Spitsbergen and Greenland, is a part of it. 
• The length from the Bering Strait in the north to Cotsland in the south is 12,810 miles. In the south, the 'Vaddle Sea' located in the south of South Georgia is also a part of it. Its area is 4,10,81,040 square miles. The world's largest water flow area comes under the Atlantic Ocean.
• The Antarctic Ocean is an ocean located in the south. Its extension is south of 60° south latitude and it surrounds the entire continent of Antarctica. 
• It is the fourth largest ocean.
  
• The Indian Ocean  is the third largest ocean in the world, located south of Asia between Africa and Australia.
• The Indian subcontinent is to the north of the Indian Ocean, Antarctica to the south, Africa to the west, and Indonesia and Australia to the east.

  Two big rivers of the world, the Brahmaputra and the Ganga meet in this ocean only.

Iron, lime, calcium, potash, magnesium, and aluminum are found in black soil, while phosphoric is found in very small amounts. Hence, statement 3 is wrong.

Important Points: 

• Black soils are found on most part of the Deccan Plateau. It includes parts of Maharashtra, parts of Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. 
• Deep black soil is also found in the upper reaches of the Godavari and Krishna rivers.
• Black soil is also known as 'regur' and 'black cotton soil' .
• Black soils are clayey, deep and impermeable. When wet, they swell and become sticky. They shrink on drying. Thus, during the dry season, these soils develop wide cracks. 
• Due to this characteristic of slow absorption of moisture and loss of moisture, black soil retains moisture for a long period.

The Black Sea is located in the Atlantic Ocean.

Important Points:

• The Black Sea is an inland sea between southeastern Europe and the Anatolian Peninsula (Turkey). 
• The Bosporus Strait connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara. 
• The countries bordering the Black Sea are: Turkey to the south , Bulgaria and Romania to the west, Ukraine to the north, Russia to the northeast, and Georgia to the east .

Nanda Devi mountain is situated near Dhauliganga river

Nanda Devi mountain 

• Nanda Devi mountain is located in Chamoli district  of Garhwal division under Uttarakhand  .
• This peak  is part of the south-eastern Garhwal Himalayan range . 
• It is situated at an altitude of 7,817 meters above sea level.
• In the year 1988 , Nanda Devi National Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

option explanation 

• Kamet: It is the second highest mountain peak of Uttarakhand with a height of 7,756 m above sea level. 
• Anamudi: The highest peak of the Western Ghats at an altitude of 2,695 meters above  sea level, Anamudi literally means "head of the elephant".
• Hathi Parvat: Hathi Parvat is a part of the Garhwal Himalayas in Uttarakhand. It has an elevation of 6,727 meters (22,070 ft). 

The Stratosphere is commonly referred to as the “Ozone Hole”.

Important Points:

• The ozone hole was first observed in the 1980s over Antarctica.

• The chemical formula of ozone is O₃. 

• Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), HCFCs, brominated halons, carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄), etc. are ozone depleting substances.

• The ozone layer blocks the UV rays of sunlight from reaching the earth.

• UV rays cause diseases like cataract, non-melanoma skin cancer.

• 'World Ozone Day' has been celebrated every year on 16 September since 1995.

                 SSC CHSL 16/04/21 (Evening)

IMPORTANT FACTS:

• Wular lake in Jammu Kashmir largest freshwater lake in India.
• Loktak lake in Manipur is the largest freshwater lake in North -East India, Keibul Lamjao is the only floating national park in the world floats over it, which is the last natural refuge of the endangered sangai or Manipur brow-antlered deer.
• Vembanad lake in Kerala is the longest lake in India, and the largest lake in the state of Kerala.
• Chilika lake in Odisha is the largest coastal lagoon in India and the second largest lagoon in the world.

                               SSC CHSL 16/04/21 (Afternoon)

IMPORTANT FACTS:

Dendritic:

• The dendritic pattern develops where the river channel follows the slope of the terrain.
• The stream with its tributaries resembles the branches of a tree, thus the name dendritic.

Radial:

• The radial drainage pattern develops around a central elevated point and is common to conically shaped features such as volcanoes.
• When the rivers originate from a hill and flow in all directions, the drainage pattern is known as ‘radial’. 
• The rivers originating from the Amarkantak range present a good example of it.

Trellis:

• When the primary tributaries of rivers flow parallel to each other and secondary tributaries join them at right angles, the pattern is known as ‘trellis’.
• Trellis drainage develops in folded topography.

               SSC CHSL 16/04/21 (Morning)

Major Waterfalls in India:

                       SSC CHSL 16/04/21(Morning)

IMPORTANT FACTS:

Krishna:

• The Krishna is the second largest east flowing Peninsular river after Godavari which rises near Mahabaleshwar in Sahyadri.
• Its total length is 1,401 km. 
• Its principal tributaries include the Ghataprabha River, Malaprabha River, Bhima River, Tungabhadra River and Musi River, Panchganga, Warna and Yerla.

Ganga:

• It rises in the Gangotri glacier near Gaumukh (3,900 m) in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand.
• Here, it is known as the Bhagirathi.
• At Devprayag, the Bhagirathi meets the Alaknanda; hereafter, it is known as the Ganga.
• The important tributaries are the Ramganga, the Gomati, the Ghaghara, the Gandak, the Kosi Mahananda and the Yamuna.
• The total length of the Ganga River is 2,525 km.

Kaveri:

• The Kaveri rises in Brahmagiri hills (1,341m) of Kodagu district in Karnataka.
• Its length is 800 km and it drains an area of 81,155 sq. km.
• Its important tributaries are the Kabini, the Bhavani and the Amravati.
• The Shivanasamudra falls is on the Kaveri river.

Karnali river is the longest river of Nepal.

Important Points:

• The Karnali River originates from Mount Kailash on the Tibetan Plateau and is part of the Ganges river system in India.
• In Tibet, the Karnali River is called Mapcha Khambab which means the river that originates from the mouth of the peacock.
• The Karnali River flows through the Himalayas in Nepal and joins the Sharda River at Brahmaghat in India.

                            SSC CHSL 15/04/21 (Afternoon)

IMPORTANT FACTS:

Chenab :

• The Chenab river originates from the Lahaul Valley in Himachal Pradesh.
• Chenab river (or Chandrabhaga) is formed after the merger of two streams Chandra and Bhaga.
• The Baglihar dam is built across the Chenab river in the Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Beas:

• The Beas river, also known as Vipasha in Sanskrit, flows in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.
• The origin of Beas is in the southern side of Rohtang Pass in the Pir Panjal mountain range.
• The Pong Dam, also known as the Beas Dam, is on the Beas River in the state of Himachal Pradesh.

Jhelum:

• Jhelum river originates at Verinag.
• It is the westernmost of the five rivers of the Punjab region, and flows through the Kashmir Valley.
• It is a tributary of the Chenab River and has a total length of about 725 Kilometres (450 mi).

                         SSC CHSL 15/04/21 (Afternoon)

IMPORTANT FACTS:

Indus:

• The Indus also known as the Sindhu.
• It originates from a glacier near Bokhar Chu in the Tibetan region at an altitude of 4,164 m in the Kailash Mountain range.
• In Tibet, it is known as ‘Singi Khamban; or Lion’s mouth.
• The main tributaries of the Indus river form the Indus River System, which includes Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej.

Ganga:

• It rises in the Gangotri glacier near Gaumukh (3,900 m) in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand.
• Here, it is known as the Bhagirathi.
• At Devprayag, the Bhagirathi meets the Alaknanda; hereafter, it is known as the Ganga.
• The important tributaries are the Ramganga, the Gomati, the Ghaghara, the Gandak, the Kosi Mahananda and the Yamuna.
• The total length of the Ganga river is 2,525 km.

Godavari:

• The Godavari is the largest Peninsular river system. It is also called the Dakshin Ganga.
• It originates at Trimbakeshwar in Nashik district of Maharashtra and discharges its water into the Bay of Bengal.
• The Penganga, the Indravati, the Pranhita, and the Manjra are its principal tributaries.
• The Polavaram multipurpose dam is on the Godavari river.

Siang, Tirap and Kameng are rivers found in the state of Arunachal Pradesh and all are tributaries of Brahmaputra river.

Important Points:

• In Tibet the Siang river is called Yarlung Tsangpo, and in Arunachal Pradesh it is known as Siang and then flows to Assam as Dihang.
• The Tirap river originates from a high peak between Laju and Wakka in the south-western region. It flows from south-west to north-east through Tirap district and then turns north and due west in the plains to join the Burhi-Dihing near Ledo.
• Kameng river starts at the Kameng  range at a height of 3000 mts, which is fed by the Dirang river, which flows through the Sela Pass.

    SSC CHSL 15/04/21 (Morning)

IMPORTANT FACTS:

Tehri Dam:

• It is a multi-purpose dam on the Bhagirathi River in New Tehri, Tehri Garhwal district in Uttarakhand, India.
• Tehri dam is about 260.5 metres (855 ft) high rock and earth-fill embankment dam, it is the tallest dam in India.
• The installed hydro capacity is 1,000 MW along with an additional 1,000 MW of pumped storage hydroelectricity.

Baigul dam:

• Baigul Dam is constructed for the purpose of irrigation it is situated on Baigul and Sukhi river in Udham Singh Nagar.
• It is Earthen dam and its length (m) is 15300, and height of dam is 13.7 m.

Dhora dam:

• Dhora dam is located near Dineshpur in Udham Singh Nagar constructed on river Dhora.
• Length of this dam is 9700 m and volume of the dam is 50700 m³.
• This dam has the Irrigation potential of 14600 hectares.