Q. 1
General Knowledge
Difficulty: Medium
(1 Mark)
Arrange the following three atmospheric layers starting from the surface of the earth: (A) Stratosphere (B) Ionosphere (C) Troposphere
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Step-by-Step Explanation & Concept Rationale
The Troposphere is the lowest layer, followed by the Stratosphere, and then the Ionosphere (part of the Thermosphere).
Q. 2
General Knowledge
Difficulty: Medium
(1 Mark)
What does ‘Roaring forties’ refer to?
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Step-by-Step Explanation & Concept Rationale
The Roaring Forties are powerful westerly winds in the Southern Hemisphere, generally found between the latitudes of 40 and 50 degrees.
Q. 3
General Knowledge
Difficulty: Medium
(1 Mark)
Isotherms are lines on a map, which join the places having the same:
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Step-by-Step Explanation & Concept Rationale
Isotherms are contour lines on a weather map that connect points with the same temperature.
Q. 4
General Knowledge
Difficulty: Medium
(1 Mark)
A sextant is a scientific instrument for measuring:
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Step-by-Step Explanation & Concept Rationale
A sextant is a doubly reflecting navigation instrument used to measure the angular distance between two visible objects.
Q. 5
General Knowledge
Difficulty: Medium
(1 Mark)
A piece of land surrounded by water from all sides in an ocean, sea, lake or river, is called:
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Step-by-Step Explanation & Concept Rationale
An island is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water.
Q. 6
General Knowledge
Difficulty: Easy
(1 Mark)
Who was the first to reach the South Pole?
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Step-by-Step Explanation & Concept Rationale
Roald Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer who led the first expedition to reach the South Pole on December 14, 1911.
Q. 7
General Knowledge
Difficulty: Medium
(1 Mark)
An extensive inlet penetrating far into the land (a large, deep bay), is known as:
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Step-by-Step Explanation & Concept Rationale
A gulf is a portion of an ocean or sea partly enclosed by land, typically larger and deeper than a bay.
Q. 8
General Knowledge
Difficulty: Medium
(1 Mark)
The Ozone Layer protects the earth from:
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Step-by-Step Explanation & Concept Rationale
The ozone layer absorbs most of the Sun's medium-frequency ultraviolet light, protecting life from radiation damage.
Q. 9
General Knowledge
Difficulty: Medium
(1 Mark)
High tides occur when:
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Step-by-Step Explanation & Concept Rationale
These are called spring tides, occurring when the gravitational pulls of the Sun and Moon reinforce each other.
Q. 10
General Knowledge
Difficulty: Medium
(1 Mark)
Moraines are debris deposited by:
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Step-by-Step Explanation & Concept Rationale
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris (regolith and rock).
Q. 11
General Knowledge
Difficulty: Hard
(1 Mark)
Distance between moon and earth is approximately:
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Step-by-Step Explanation & Concept Rationale
The average distance is about 384,400 km, but it ranges from ~363,000 km at perigee to ~405,000 km at apogee.
Q. 12
General Knowledge
Difficulty: Medium
(1 Mark)
Westerlies are:
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Step-by-Step Explanation & Concept Rationale
Westerlies are prevailing winds that blow from the west towards the east in the middle latitudes, often bringing moisture.
Q. 13
General Knowledge
Difficulty: Medium
(1 Mark)
Horse Latitude is a belt between the:
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Step-by-Step Explanation & Concept Rationale
These are subtropical latitudes between 30 and 35 degrees both north and south, characterized by calm winds and high pressure.
Q. 14
General Knowledge
Difficulty: Medium
(1 Mark)
The International Date Line refers to:
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Step-by-Step Explanation & Concept Rationale
The IDL serves as the line where the calendar day officially changes.
Q. 15
General Knowledge
Difficulty: Hard
(1 Mark)
What is the right combination... in the order of increasing distance from the outermost planet?
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Step-by-Step Explanation & Concept Rationale
The outermost planet is Neptune; moving inward, we reach Earth, then Mars, then Venus, then Mercury (the innermost).
Q. 16
General Knowledge
Difficulty: Medium
(1 Mark)
The length of a shadow at noon would be the same all the year round at:
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Step-by-Step Explanation & Concept Rationale
While not perfectly identical due to axial tilt, the noon shadow variation is most consistent/stable near the equator compared to poles.
Q. 17
General Knowledge
Difficulty: Medium
(1 Mark)
A narrow strip of land, connecting two large areas of land is called:
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Step-by-Step Explanation & Concept Rationale
An isthmus is a narrow strip of land with sea on either side, forming a link between two larger areas of land.
Q. 18
General Knowledge
Difficulty: Medium
(1 Mark)
The Equator, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn run through the continent of:
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Step-by-Step Explanation & Concept Rationale
Africa is the only continent that is crossed by the Prime Meridian, the Equator, and both the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.
Q. 19
General Knowledge
Difficulty: Easy
(1 Mark)
The smallest planet is:
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Step-by-Step Explanation & Concept Rationale
Since Pluto's reclassification as a dwarf planet, Mercury is the smallest major planet in the solar system.
Q. 20
General Knowledge
Difficulty: Medium
(1 Mark)
Bad Lands develop as a result of:
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Step-by-Step Explanation & Concept Rationale
Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded by wind and water (gully erosion).
Q. 21
General Knowledge
Difficulty: Medium
(1 Mark)
Rich mineral area in the sea is:
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Step-by-Step Explanation & Concept Rationale
The continental shelves are the most productive and mineral-rich areas of the ocean floor, containing significant oil and gas reserves.
Q. 22
General Knowledge
Difficulty: Medium
(1 Mark)
Soils of volcanic origin... lavas and liberating the essential plant foods, are most favoured for the cultivation of:
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Step-by-Step Explanation & Concept Rationale
Volcanic soils (andisols) are rich in minerals and are highly prized for growing crops like coffee and grapes.
Q. 23
General Knowledge
Difficulty: Medium
(1 Mark)
The difference between sun and shade temperatures is largest in which of the following types of climates?
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Step-by-Step Explanation & Concept Rationale
Hot desert climates like the Sahara experience extreme diurnal temperature variations and significant differences between sun and shade.
Q. 24
General Knowledge
Difficulty: Medium
(1 Mark)
Anticyclones are so-called because:
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Step-by-Step Explanation & Concept Rationale
Anticyclones have high pressure at the center and rotate in the opposite direction of cyclones (clockwise in the N. Hemisphere).
Q. 25
General Knowledge
Difficulty: Medium
(1 Mark)
The Planetary winds variously known as roaring forties, furious fifties and stormy sixties are:
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Step-by-Step Explanation & Concept Rationale
These names refer to the powerful westerly winds found in the Southern Hemisphere at those latitudes.
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