31. Mica is found in which one of the following pairs of rocks ?
Correct Answer:-B ( Schist-Gneiss )
Description:- The schists constitute a group of medium-grade metamorphic rocks, chiefly notable for the preponderance of lamellar minerals such as micas, chlorite, talc, hornblende, graphite, and others. Gneissic rocks are usually medium- to coarse-foliated and largely recrystallized but do not carry large quantities of micas, chlorite or other platy minerals. Mica minerals make some rocks sparkle! They are often found in igneous rocks such as granite and metamorphic rocks such as schist. Most schists are mica schists, but graphite and chlorite schists are also common. Schist is a crystalline metamorphic rock, mostly composed of more than 50%’ tabular and elongated minerals.
32. The Mohorovicic (Moho) Discontinuity separates
Correct Answer:-D ( Crust and Mantle )
Description:- The Mohorovicic discontinuity, usually referred to as the Moho, is the boundary between the Earth’s crust and the mantle. Named after the pioneering Croatian seismologist Andrija Mohorovicic, the Moho separates both the oceanic crust and continental crust from underlying mantle. The Moho mostly lies entirely within the lithosphere; only beneath mid-ocean ridges does it define the lithosphere – asthenosphere boundary..
33. Suppose if we measure the time lapse between the two Sunsets by sitting in the beach, from this we can estimate
Correct Answer:-C ( The radius of the earth )
Description:- A method is described whereby, using primitive equipment anyone can measure the size of the earth to an accuracy of order of magnitude 10%’ by observing two sunsets in the space of a few seconds.
34. What is the International Date Line ?
Correct Answer:-D ( It is the 180° longitude )
Description:- The International Date Line (IDL) is an imaginary line on the surface of the Earth, that runs from the north to the south pole and demarcates one calendar day from the next. It passes through the middle of the Pacific Ocean, roughly following the 180° longitude but it deviates to pass around some territories and island groups.
35. Earthquake is caused by
Correct Answer:-A ( disturbance of earth surface )
Description:- Most earthquakes are minor tremors. Larger earthquakes usually begin with slight tremors but rapidly take the form of one or more violent shocks, and end in vibrations of gradually diminishing force called aftershocks. The subterranean point of origin of an earthquake is called its focus; the point on the surface directly above the focus is the epicenter.
36. The highest grade and best quality coal is
Correct Answer:-D ( Anthracite )
Description:- Anthracite is usually considered to be the highest grade of coal and is actually considered to be metamorphic. Compared to other coals it is much harder, has a glassy luster, and is denser and blacker with few impurities. It is largely used for heating domestically as it burns with little smoke.
37. River erosion is at its greatest where river’s
Correct Answer:-C ( flow is fast )
Description:- The outer bank (called a cut bank) has the greatest erosion because the water is flowing faster along the outer bank than the inner bank. The slower water allows sediment to be deposited (called a point bar).
38. In which of the following is the Great Barrier Reef located ?
Correct Answer:-A ( Coral Sea )
Description:- The Great Barrier Reef is in the Coral Sea, on Australia’s north-eastern coast. It stretches more than 2,300km along the state of Queensland’s coastline, beginning at the tip of Cape York Peninsula in the north and extending down to Bundaberg in the south. The Great Barrier Reef is ideal for Cairns Scuba Diving.
39. The term ‘epicentre’ is associated with
Correct Answer:-A ( Earthquakes )
Description:- Epicenter is the point on the Earth’s surface that is directly above the hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or underground explosion originates. Epicentral distance is used in calculating seismic magnitudes developed by Richter and Gutenberg.
40. Equator represents
Correct Answer:-B ( imaginary line passing round the Earth midway between North & South poles )
Description:- An equator is the intersection of a sphere’s surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere’s axis of rotation and containing the sphere’s center of mass. Notably, the Equator refers to the Earth’s equator, per above: an imaginary line on the Earth’s surface equidistant from the North Pole and South Pole, dividing the Earth into the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere. Other planets and spherical astronomical bodies have equators similarly defined. The length of the Equator is roughly 40,075 kilometres.
41. The acceleration due to gravity at the equator
Correct Answer:-A ( is less than that at the poles )
Description:- The gravity of Earth, denoted g, refers to the acceleration that the Earth imparts to objects on or near its surface. At latitudes nearer the Equator, the inertia produced by Earth’s rotation is stronger than at polar latitudes. This counteracts the Earth’s gravity to a small degree – up to a maximum of 0.3%’ at the Equator – reducing the downward acceleration of falling objects. The second major reason for the difference in gravity at different latitudes is that the Earth’s equatorial bulge (itself also caused by inertia) causes objects at the Equator to be farther from the planet’s centre than objects at the poles. Because the force due to gravitational attraction between two bodies (the Earth and the object being weighed) varies inversely with the square of the distance between them, an object at the Equator experiences a weaker gravitational pull than an object at the poles.
42. The ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’ is associated with
Correct Answer:-C ( volcanoes and earthquakes )
Description:- The Pacific Ring of Fire is an area where a large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur in the basin of the Pacific Ocean. In a 40,000 km horseshoe shape, it is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and volcanic belts and/or plate movements. The Ring of Fire has 452 volcanoes and is home to over 75%’ of the world’s active and dormant volcanoes. It is sometimes called the circum-Pacific belt or the circum-Pacific seismic belt. About 90%’ of the world’s earthquakes and 81%’ of the world’s largest earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire.
43. Which one of the following rivers forms an estuary ?
Correct Answer:-B ( Tapti )
Description:- Tapti river empties into the Gulf of Cambay of the Arabian Sea, forming an estuary. It is fed by monsoon rains. The mean flow rate is about 600 cu m per sec, with the maximum in the summer. The Tapti is navigable by small craft for a distance of 50 km from the mouth. In some places it is used for irrigation. The seaport of Surat is located in the estuary.
44. How much of the Earth’s land surface is desert ?
Correct Answer:-C ( 1/3rd )
Description:- Deserts take up about one third (33%’) of the Earth’s land surface. Hot deserts usually have a large diurnal and seasonal temperature range, with high daytime temperatures, and low nighttime temperatures (due to extremely low humidity). In hot deserts the temperature in the daytime can reach 45 °C/113 °F or higher in the summer, and dip to 0 °C/32 °F or lower at nighttime in the winter.
45. What percentage of world’s freshwater is stored as glacial ice ?
Correct Answer:-C ( 0.7)
Description:- About 70% of the world’s fresh water is stored as glacial ice. Only 3% water of the earth is fresh, rest 97% salted. Of that 3%, over 2% is frozen in ice sheets and glaciers. Means less than 1% fresh water is found in lakes, rivers and underground.
46. The approximate circumference of the Earth is
Correct Answer:-C ( 25,000 km )
Description:- The circumference of the earth at the equator is 24,901.55 miles (40,075.16 kilometers). But, if we measure the earth through the poles the circumference is a bit shorter – 24,859.82 miles (40,008 km). Thus, the earth is a tad wider than it is tall, giving it a slight bulge at the equator. This shape is known as an ellipsoid or more properly, geoid (earth-like).
47. Desertification can be checked by
Correct Answer:-B ( checking over-grazing )
Description:- Overgrazing is the major cause of desertification worldwide. Plants of semi-arid areas are adapted to being eaten by sparsely scattered, large, grazing mammals which move in response to the patchy rainfall common to these regions. Early human pastoralists living in semi-arid areas copied this natural system. They moved their small groups of domestic animals in response to food and water availability. Such regular stock movement prevented overgrazing of the fragile plant cover.
48. In an iceberg floating in the sea, out of 10 parts of its mass, how much will remain above the surface of the water?
Correct Answer:-A ( 1 part )
Description:- Because the density of pure ice is about 920 kg/ m³, and that of sea water about 1025 kg/m³, typically only one-ninth of the volume of an iceberg is above water.
49. A day is added when one crosses
Correct Answer:-A ( the equator from south to north )
Description:- A traveler crossing the International Date Line eastbound subtracts one day, or 24 hours, so that the calendar date to the west of the line is repeated. Crossing the IDL westbound results in 24 hours being added, advancing the calendar date by one day. The International Date Line is necessary to have a fixed, albeit arbitrary, boundary on the globe where the calendar date advances in the westbound direction.
50. When does the moon come between the Sun and earth?
Correct Answer:-B ( Solar eclipse )
Description:- As seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun. This can happen only at new moon, when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth. In a total eclipse, the disk of the Sun is fully obscured by the Moon. In partial and annular eclipses only part of the Sun is obscured.
51. The latitude of a place is expressed by its angular distance in relation to—
Correct Answer:-A ( Equator )
Description:- Latitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the north-south position of a point on the Earth’s surface. The lines of constant latitude, or parallels, run east–west as circles parallel to the equator. Latitude is an angle (defined below) which ranges from 0° at the Equator to 90° (North or South) at the poles.
52. Hanging Valley is very common in
Correct Answer:-C ( glaciated areas )
Description:- When the glaciers melt, the tributary troughs are left as hanging valleys high on the walls of the main glacial valley. A hanging valley is a tributary valley with the floor at a higher relief than the main channel into which it flows. They are most commonly associated with U-shaped valleys when a tributary glacier flows into a glacier of larger volume.
53. The word ‘dendritic’ is associated with—
Correct Answer:-C ( rivers )
Description:- Dendritic drainage systems are the most common form of drainage system. The term Dendritic comes from the Latin word “dendron”, meaning tree, due to the resemblance of the system to a tree. In a dendritic system there is one main river (like the trunk of a tree), which is joined and formed by many smaller tributary rivers. Dendritic systems form in V-shaped valleys; as a result, the rock types must be impervious and non-porous.
54. When the earth is at the maximum distance from the Sun, it is called
Correct Answer:-A ( Aphelion )
Description:- Aphelion is the point in the path of a celestial body (as a planet) that is farthest from the sun. Its opposite is Perihelion which is the point on its orbit when the Earth is closest to the sun.
55. The main source of usable water on the Earth is
Correct Answer:-C ( Underground water )
Description:- Even though most of the Earth’s surface is water, only 1%’ of it is fresh usable water. Ninety-seven percent of the Earth’s water is saltwater, which contains too many minerals for humans to use untreated. Two percent of our water is “locked up” in ice caps and glaciers, leaving only one percent as usable fresh water. Groundwater comprises 0.62 per cent of water, followed by Freshwater Lakes: 0.009 per cent; and rivers: 0.0001 per cent.
56. Which of the following rivers lies in a rift valley?
Correct Answer:-D ( Tapti )
Description:- There are three Peninsular rivers which flow in a rift valley. Narmada flows westward between the Satpura and Vindhya ranges. The Tapti River and Mahi River also flow through rift valleys, but between different ranges.
57. What is meant by Isthmus?
Correct Answer:-C ( Narrow strip of land dividing two oceans )
Description:- An isthmus is a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas, usually with water on either side. The Panama Canal crosses the Isthmus of Panama, connecting the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans; the Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean, cutting across the western side of an isthmus formed by the Sinai Peninsula. Strait is the sea counterpart of isthmus.
58. Natural embankments found on upper valley sides are-known as
Correct Answer:-B ( levees )
Description:- A levee is an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall, which regulates water levels. It is usually earthen and often parallel to the course of a river in its floodplain or along lowlying coastlines.
59. Vocanoes are scattered
Correct Answer:-C ( on the islands )
Description:- Composite volcanoes are most commonly found in island arcs. Most of them are found scattered on the islands adjoining the Pacific Ring of Fire where about 75%’ of Earth’s volcanoes are found. It is a region of high volcanic and seismic activity that surrounds the majority of the Pacific Ocean Basin.
60. Which of the following minerals are required for smelting iron ore?
Correct Answer:-B ( Manganese and limestone )
Description:- Manganese ores are used for smelting ferromanganese, cast iron and pig iron containing about 1%’ Mn. Besides coal and iron ore, the other basic minerals required for the iron and steel industry are manganese, limestone and chromite. Manganese is used in the process of converting pig iron into steel; limestone or dolomite is used in smelting iron ore; and chromite is used as an alloy in steel making.
