You are on page 1of 17

VISION IAS

www.visionias.in

ANSWERS & EXPLANATION


GENERAL STUDIES (P) TEST 2106 (2016)

Q 1.D

Statement 1 is correct: If the ocean is nearby equator, its surface waters will be warmer compared to that
of surface waters near by polar regions. This is because of incoming solar radiations.
Statement 2 is correct: The ocean/sea nearby land receives more heat due to their contact with land, hence
oceans in the northern hemisphere are warmer compared to that of southern hemisphere.
Statement 3 is correct: Off-shore winds drive away warm surface waters from the coast, resulting in
upwelling, whereas onshore winds pile up warm water near the coast, which raises the temperature.
Statement 4 is correct: Warm ocean currents raise the temperature in the cold areas while the cold currents
decrease the temperature in warm ocean areas.

Q 2.D

Statement 1 is correct. Tundra climate is found mainly north of the Arctic Circle in the northern
hemisphere. It has long severe winters and cool and short summers.
Statement 2 is also correct. No convectional rainfall occurs in this region because of low rate of
evaporation and lack of moisture in the air. Cyclonic rainfall takes place. Most of the rainfall takes place
in summer days. In the coastal areas, where cyclones are strongly felt, most of the rain falls in winter.
Statement 3 is also correct. Due to extremely harsh climatic conditions, hardly any vegetation can survive
in this region. There are no trees in Tundra because of very short growing season and very low
temperature whole the year round. Mosses, lichens and sedges grow here. In coastal lowlands, some hardy
grasses grow.

Q 3.C

The Major Elements of the Earth's crust:

Elements By Weight (%)


1. Oxygen 46.60
2. Silicon 27.72
3. Aluminium 8.13
4. Iron 5.00
5. Calcium 3.63

Q 4.B

Statement 1 is incorrect - Granite rocks are made up of silica and alumina and it is collectively referred to
as Sial.
Statement 2 is correct - Ocean floors are made up of Basaltic rock, it comprises mainly silica and
magnesium. Hence it is referred to as SiMa.

1 www.visionias.in Vision IAS


Q 5.A

Terrigenous ocean deposits are derived mainly from the land. Among the given deposits, only muds are
classified as terrigenous deposits. Muds are terrigenous deposits found mainly in the continental shelf and
not in slopes, and are classified into blue, green and red (not yellow) according to their chemical
composition.
Option 2 is incorrect as oozes are pelagic deposits formed by deposition of dead bodies of orgnaisms
found in the oceans.
Option 3 is incorrect as the red clays are found in the deeper parts of the Ocean floors. They are formed
from volcanic dust blown out from volcanoes during volcanic eruptions.

Q 6.D

Dew is the condensation phenomenon observed when the skies are clear and not cloudy hence option 1 is
wrong. The rest of the conditions like cold air and long nights, calm air in the environment and high
relative density aid the formation of dew.

Q 7.D

Five basic factors control the formation of soils:

parent material;
topography;
climate;
biological activity;
time

In fact soil forming factors act in union and affect the action of one another.

The climatic elements involved in soil development are:

moisture in terms of its intensity, frequency and duration of precipitation - evaporation and humidity;
temperature in terms of seasonal and diurnal variations.

Q 8.D

Statement 1 is correct, almost all deserts lies in between 15o and 30o parallels of latitude north and south
of the equator. barring few deserts which are mid latitude deserts rest all are trade wind deserts or tropical
hot deserts.
Statement 2 is correct, they lie in the trade wind belt on the western parts of continents. Here trade winds
are offshore bringing literally no rainfall causing dryness.
Statement 3 is correct, cold currents produces desicating effect resulting into less precipitation as moisture
is not easily condensed.

Q 9.C

Pair 1 is incorrectly matched. Playas are erosional landforms created by winds. Plains are by far the most
prominent landforms in the deserts. In basins with mountains and hills around and along, the drainage is
towards the centre of the basin and due to gradual deposition of sediment from basin margins, a nearly
level plain forms at the centre of the basin. In times of sufficient water, this plain is covered up by a
shallow water body. Such types of shallow lakes are called as playas where water is retained only for
short duration due to evaporation and quite often the playas contain good deposition of salts.
Pair 2 is correctly matched. Many rock-outcrops in the deserts, easily susceptible to wind deflation and
abrasion, are worn out quickly leaving some remnants of resistant rocks polished beautifully in the shape
of mushroom with a slender stalk and a broad and rounded pear shaped cap above.
Pair 3 is correctly matched. Stalactites are depositional landforms by groundwater. Stalactites hang as
icicles of different diameters. Normally they are broad at their bases and taper towards the free ends
showing up in a variety of forms.

2 www.visionias.in Vision IAS


Q 10.D

Statement 1 is incorrect: Oxygen is present in small amounts till 120 Km height of the atmosphere.
Troposphere is the lowermost layer of atmosphere present upto average height of 13 Km.
Statement 2 is incorrect: Composition of Atmosphere is as follows:

Nitrogen 78.08
Oxygen 20.95
Argon 0.93
Carbon Dioxide 0.036
Neon 0.002

Hence it's the Argon and not Carbon dioxide which is abundant gas after Nitrogen and Oxygen.
Statement 3 is correct: The higher concentration of dust particles is found in subtropical and temperate
region due to dry winds in comparison to equatorial and polar region which have humidity in winds.

Q 11.D

All the given weather phenomenas are related to temperature. Temperature influences the amount of water
vapour present in the air and thus decides the moisture -carrying capacity of the air. It decides the rate of
evaporation and condensation and thus governs the stability of the atmosphere. As the relative humidity is
directly related to the temperature of the air, it affects the nature and types of cloud formation and
precipitation.

Q 12.D

Since tides are caused by the earth-moon-sun positions which are known accurately, the tides can be
predicted well in advance. This helps the navigators and fishermen plan their activities. Tidal flows are of
great importance in navigation.
Tides are helpful in desilting the sediments and in removing polluted water from river estuaries.
Electricity generation is well known and a lot of tidal power plants are at work.

Q 13.D

Out of the nine planets, mercury, venus, earth and mars are called Terrestrial, meaning earth-like as they
are made up of rock and metals, and have relatively high densities. The rest five are called Jovianor Gas
Giant planets.
Jovian planets are much larger than the Terrestrial planets. So statement 1 is incorrect.
Terrestrial planets have relatively high densities than Jovian planets. So statement 2 is also incorrect.
Terrestrial planets have lower gravity than Jovian planets. So statement 3 is also incorrect.

Q 14.A

Statement 1 is correct: The air in contact with the earth rises vertically on heating in the form of currents
and this Process of vertical heating of the atmosphere is called Convection. This convective transfer of
energy is confined only to the troposphere (lowermost layer of atmosphere).
Statement 2 is incorrect: Air gets heated from Long wave terrestrial radiation and not from short wave
radiation.
Statement 3 is correct: When two objects of dissimilar temperature come in contact, heat transfer take
through process of conduction. When atmosphere comes in contact of heated earth surface then
conduction starts but it is important in heating only lower layers of atmosphere.

Q 15.A

Statement 1 is correct as P wave are like Sound waves and can travel in all the three mediums of solid,
liquid and gas.
Statement 2 is not correct as S waves can only travel in solid medium and cannot travel in liquid and
gaseous medium.
Statement 3 is incorrect. Velocity of P waves is in proportional to density of medium and hence it
decreases as it enters from denser to rarer medium or solid to liquid medium.
3 www.visionias.in Vision IAS
Q 16.D

Pair 1 is incorrect: Wind direction is measured by Wind vane or weather clock.


Pair 2 is incorrect: Wind speed is measured by Anemomenter.
Pair 3 is correct: Relative Humidity is measure by Hygrometer.

Q 17.D

Atmosphere exists in layer around the earth. Due to stratification and gravity, the density of air decrease
as we go up in the mountains. Air becomes thinner at higher latitudes and therefor one find it difficult to
breathe as one goes up. This is because of low pressure i.e. lesser air pressing down from above.

Q 18.B

Statement 1 is correct: When a large body of magmatic material is cooled in the deeper depths of earth
and develops in form of large domes it is called Batholith. These are granitic bodies and appear on surace
after denudational processes remove the overlying materials
Statement 2 is incorrect: Wall like structure that are almost perpendicular to surface are called Dykes
Statement 3 is incorrect: Horizontal body of igneous rocks are called Sill/sheet.

Q 19.C

Statement 1 is incorrect: Continental shelves are extended margins of continental crust. Continental shelf,
Continental slope and Continental rise, are part of continental margin.
Statement 2 is incorrect: Width of the continental shelves vary from one ocean to another. These are
almost absent or very narrow along margins like coasts of Chile, West coast of Sumatra, whereas Siberian
shelf in the Arctic Ocean, the largest in the world, stretches to 1,500 km in width.
Statement 3 is correct. Due to large amount of sedimentary deposits, continental shelves are the sources
of marine fossil fuels like petroleum.

Q 20.B

Bars, Barriers and Spits are depositional landforms.


A ridge of sand and shingle formed in the sea in the off-shore zone (from the position of low tide
waterline to seaward) lying approximately parallel to the coast is called an off-shore bar. An off-shore bar
which is exposed due to further addition of sand is termed a barrier bar.
The off-shore bars and barriers commonly form across the mouth of a river or at the entrance of a bay.
Sometimes such barrier bars get keyed up to one end of the bay when they are called spits.

Q 21.C

The above all are statements related to the North Atlantic Drift. The eastward deflection of the Gulf
Stream under the influence of westerlies and Coriolis takes it to the west Europe coast. It branches out in
three directions, along the Arctic, eastwards towards the Britain and southwards towards the Iberian coast
in the form of Canaries Current. It carries warm waters to the west coast of Europe and helps in
moderating the Climate.

Q 22.C

Statement a is incorrect: The vertical pressure gradient force is not balanced by the frictional force.
Statement b is incorrect: In the lower atmosphere the pressure decreases rapidly with height. The
decrease amounts to about 1 mb for each 10 m increase in elevation.
Statement c is correct: The vertical pressure gradient force is balanced by nearly equal gravitational
force which is exerted downward in opposite direction to that of air movement.
Statement d is incorrect: It is not necessary that the air present at the surface has more water molecules.
The air is denser because of gravity and so has high pressure. Perhaps we should remember that air moves
from high pressure area to low pressure area.

4 www.visionias.in Vision IAS


Q 23.A

Statement 1 is correct: as the Point where energy is released is called Focus or hypocentre.
Statement 2 is not correct: All natural Earthquakes takes place in Lithosphere which is earth crust and
uppermost solid part of mantle and not Aesthenosphere.

Q 24.D

Statement 1 is incorrect. Latitude has no effect on time. It is the longitude which affects time. Places at
different longitudes will have different time.
Statement 2 is incorrect. It is the east-west extent which decides the number of time zones, not the north-
south extent. Countries with smaller north-south extent and larger east-west extent can have more than
single time zones.

Q 25.D

Statement 1 is correct. West coasts of the continents in tropical and subtropical latitudes (except close to
the equator) are bordered by cool waters. Their average temperatures are relatively low with narrow
diurnal and annual ranges. Fog will be there, but generally the areas are arid.
Statement 2 is correct. West coasts of the continents in the middle and higher latitudes are bordered by
warm waters which cause a distinct marine climate. They are characterized by cool summers and
relatively mild winters with a narrow annual range of temperatures.
Statement 3 is also correct. The mixing of warm and cold currents help to replenish the oxygen and favor
the growth of planktons, the primary food for fish population. The best fishing grounds of the world exist
mainly in these mixing zones.

Q 26.C

Option (a) is incorrect. In Tropical Monsoon Climate, rainfall occurs mostly in summer. Winter is dry.
Option (b) is incorrect. In Tropical wet and dry regions, the wet season is shorter and dry season is longer.
Option (c) is correct. In Tropical wet climate, Rainfall occurs throughout the year, the annual range of
temperature is negligible and there is uniformly high temperature as they lie in the equatorial region.
Option (d) is incorrect. In humid sub-tropical climate, although rainfall occurs throughout the year, the
annual range of temperature is not very small. However, the daily range of temperature is small.

Q 27.D

The effectiveness of any GHG molecule depends upon 3 factors:

Magnitude of its concentration.


Its lifetime in the atmosphere, that is, the duration for which it stays in the atmosphere.
Wavelength of the radiation it absorbs.

Q 28.D

The correct order is:

Continental Shelf-Continental Slope-Continental Rise-Abyssal Plain.

Continental Margins form the transition between continental shores and deep-sea basins. They include
continental shelf, continental slope, continental rise and deep-oceanic trenches. The Abyssal plains are
extensive plains that lie between the continental margins and mid-oceanic ridges. The abyssal plains are the
areas where the continental sediments that move beyond the margins get deposited.

Q 29.C

Venus is often considered as 'Earth's twin' because of its close proximity in size, mass (weight) and
density. No other planet is as similar to the Earth as Venus.

5 www.visionias.in Vision IAS


Q 30.B

Statement 1 is incorrect: Coriolis force is caused because of the rotation of the earth around its axis. Its
magnitude does not depend on the wind speed. However the deflection of wind due to Coriolis force is
more if the wind velocity is high.
Statement 2 is correct: At the equator, the Coriolis force is zero and it is maximum at poles.
Statement 3 is correct: Coriolis force is generated due to the rotation of the earth about its axis. It affects
the direction of the winds. So when earth stops rotating about its axis then the Coriolis force will vanish.

Q 31.C

Statement 1 is correct because earth's revolution causes different seasons by changing weather conditions
by difference in heating on surface of earth.
Statement 2 is incorrect because rotation is responsible for day and night. It does not cause change in
heating of earth's surface. So it is not required to cause seasons.
Statement 3 is correct as inclination causes seasons because due to inclination, sun rays fall at earth's
surface at different angles and causes difference in temperature. If earths axis was perpendicular there
would have been same temperature at throughout the year at places.

Q 32.D

The evidences proposed by Alfred Wegner with respect to his theory were.

Matching of the continents - The shorelines of Africa and South America facing each other have a
remarkable and unmistakable match.
Rocks of same ages across the oceans - The belt of ancient rocks of 2,000 million years from Brazil coast
matches with those from western Africa. The earliest marine deposits along the coastline of South
America and Africa are of the Jurassic age.
Presence of Tillite deposits across continents - It is the sedimentary rock formed out of deposits of
glaciers. The Gondawana system of sediments from India is known to have its counter parts in six
different landmasses of the Southern Hemisphere. At the base the system has thick tillite indicating
extensive and prolonged glaciation. Counter parts of this succession are found in Africa, Falkland Island,
Madagascar, Antarctica and Australia besides India.
Distribution of fossils - The observations that Lemurs occur in India, Madagascar and Africa led some to
consider a contiguous landmass "Lemuria" linking these three landmasses. Mesosaurus was a small
reptile adapted to shallow brackish water. The skeletons of these are found only in two localities : the
Southern Cape province of South Africa and Iraver formations of Brazil. The two localities presently are
4,800 km apart with an ocean in between them.
Placer Deposits presence and absence across continents - The occurrence of rich placer deposits of gold in
the Ghana coast and the absolute absence of source rock in the region is an amazing fact. The gold bearing
veins are in Brazil and it is obvious that the gold deposits of the Ghana are derived from the Brazil plateau
when the two continents lay side by side.

Q 33.B

Statement 1 is incorrect as rotational speed of earth depends on radius. Earth's rotational speed increases
as we move towards equator as earth has maximum radius at equator.
Statement 2 is correct because of earth's rotation a centrifugal force is created that has led to creation of
bulge at the middle of earth and flattened the poles at top.

Q 34.C

Typhoons occur in the China sea.


Tropical cyclones in the Indian Ocean.
Hurricanes in the West Indian Islands in the Caribbean.
Tornadoes in the Guinea lands lands of West Africa and the Southern USA in which the local name of
Whirlwind is often applied and Willy-Willies occur in the North West Australia.

6 www.visionias.in Vision IAS


Q 35.B

Statement 1 is correct: Shield volcanoes are mostly made up of basalt which is very fluid lava and thus
they spread to large distance and do not attain much height
Statement 2 is correct: Flood basalt provinces outpour highly fluid lava that flows for long
distances. Deccan Traps are examples of flood basalt province.
Statement 3 is incorrect. Composite Volcanoes are made up of high viscous and cooler lava than basalt
and are explosive volcanoes.

Q 36.D

Option 1 is correct: Freezing, thawing and frost wedging results in physical weathering as it results in
periodic expansion and contraction of the rocks. Frost weathering occurs due to growth of ice within pores
and cracks of rocks during repeated cycles of freezing and melting. This process is most effective at high
elevations in mid-latitudes where freezing and melting is often repeated. Glacial areas are subject to frost
wedging daily. In this process, the rate of freezing is important. Rapid freezing of water causes its sudden
expansion and high pressure. The resulting expansion affects joints, cracks and small inter granular
fractures to become wider and wider till the rock breaks apart.
Option 2 is correct: Salt weathering results in physical weathering. Salts in rocks expand due to thermal
action, hydration and crystallisation. Salt crystals in near-surface pores cause splitting of individual grains
within rocks, which eventually fall off. This process of falling off of individual grains may result in
granular disintegration or granular foliation.
Option 3 is correct: Various minerals in rocks possess their own limits of expansion and contraction.
Because of diurnal changes in the temperatures, the internal movement among the mineral grains of the
superficial layers of rocks takes place regularly. Due to differential heating and resulting expansion and
contraction of surface layers results into subsequent exfoliation.

Q 37.C

Statement 1 is incorrect: the highest sea surface temperature is observed not exactly at the equator but
slightly towards north of it. This is due to cloud cover and high precipitation at the equator.
Statement 2 is incorrect: The oceans of northern hemisphere have higher temperature compared to that
southern hemisphere. This is due to the unequal distribution of land and water in the northern and
southern hemispheres.

Q 38.D

Latitude affects insolation at a point which affects temperature of any place.


As earth get heated by terrestrial radiation so the temperature of atmosphere in troposphere goes on
decreasing with rise in altitude.
Due to higher specific heat of water and moderating influence of sea breeze, places near the sea always
have moderate temperatures.
Warm ocean currents increases the temperature and cold currents cools the place. Scandinavian countries
have moderate temperatures (in spite of their latitude) due to effect of North Atlantic Drift (a warm
current).

Q 39.C

Gulf stream is a warm current which flows south-east of USA.


California current is cold current which flows along the coasts of the western USA.
Humboldt current or Peruvian current is cold current which flows along the west coast of South America.
Benguela Current in Atlantic ocean is a cold current.
Agulhas is a warm oceanic current of Southwest Indian ocean.

Q 40.C

Both the statements are correct. Sun when is near the horizon, sunrays will be very faint, this though
causes little warmth but these rays are either reflected by the ground snow or used up in melting of ice.
Hence, it has little power left to raise the temperature.

7 www.visionias.in Vision IAS


Q 41.D

All the given conditions are the characteristics of Mediterranean climate.


Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Shifting of wind belts is the main characteristic of Mediterranean climate.
During summers this region will be under the influence of Offshore Trade winds resulting in dry
conditions. During winters, these regions come under influence of Westerlies and receive rainfall.
Statement 3 is also correct. The Mediterranean type of climate is confined to the Western portions of the
continental masses, between 30-40 degrees North and South both.

Q 42.D

Statement 1 is correct: It has South East monsoon during summer with heavy rainfall and North west
monsoon during winter with dry and cold weather.
Statement 2 is correct: It has high annual temperature range.During winter a steep pressure gradient is set
up between the cold mongolia and siberia and the warmer Pacific coastlands. This leds to the flow of
continental polar streams.
Statement 3 is correct: It is characterised by the formation of tropical cyclone in southern China. e.g.
typhoons. The cyclones originate in the Pacific ocean and move westward to the coastal lands bordering
the south China sea.

Q 43.B

Statement 1 is incorrect. Humus accumulates in cold climates as bacterial growth is slow. In humid
tropical and equatorial climates, bacterial growth and action is intense and dead vegetation is rapidly
oxidised leaving very low humus content in the soil.
Statement 2 is correct. In dry climates, because of high temperature, evaporation exceeds precipitation and
hence ground water is brought up to the surface by capillary action and in the process the water evaporates
leaving behind salts in the soil. Such salts form into a crust in the soil known as hardpans.

Q 44.C

Statement 1 is not correct because Moho's discontinuity is boundary between Crust and Mantle. Boundary
between Mantle and core is called guntenberg's discontinuity.
Statement 2 is not correct. It is the Aesthenosphere, not lithosphere which is a source of Magma.
Lithosphere consist of crust and uppermost solid mantle while Aesthenosphere is upper and weak portion
of mantle extending upto 400 km.
Statement 3 is correct. Outer core is liquid and inner core is solid. Since the outer core is liquid, we find
Shadow zones of P and S waves.

Q 45.C

21st June - Summer in northern hemisphere


23rd September - Autumn in Northern Hemisphere
21st March - Spring in Northern Hemisphere
22nd December - Winter in Northern Hemisphere
So only 1 & 4 are correctly matched

Q 46.D

Running water, ground-water, glaciers, wind and waves are powerful erosional and depositional agents
shaping and changing the surface of the earth aided by weathering and mass wasting processes. These
geomorphic agents acting over long periods of time produce systematic changes leading to sequential
development of landforms. Each geomorphic agent produces its own assemblage of landforms.

Q 47.B
Convectional Rainfall: The air on being heated, becomes light and rises up in convection currents. As it
rises, it expands and loses heat and consequently, condensation takes place and cumulous clouds are
formed. With thunder and lightning, heavy rainfall takes place but this does not last long. Such rain is
common in the summer or in the hotter part of the day. It is very common in the equatorial regions and
interior parts of the continents, particularly in the northern hemisphere.
8 www.visionias.in Vision IAS
Q 48.D

Alfred Wegener suggested that the movement responsible for the drifting of the continents was caused by
pole-fleeing force and tidal force. The polar-fleeing force relates to the rotation of the Earth. The earth is
not a perfect sphere; it has a bulge at the equator. This bulge is due to the rotation of the earth. The second
force that was suggested by Wegener-the tidal force-is due to the attraction of the Moon and the
Sun that develops tides in oceanic waters. Wegener believed that these forces would become effective
when applied over many million years. However, most of scholars considered these forces to be totally
inadequate.

Q 49.B

Statement 1 is incorrect - Fold mountains are mainly found at convergent plate boundaries which are
destructive in nature. They occur along the plate margins of continent-continent, continent-ocean or
ocean-ocean.
Statement 2 is correct - The upfolded waves in a folding are called anticlines and the troughs or downfolds
are synclines.

Q 50.A

The Mississippi River is the chief river of the largest drainage system on the North American continent.
Flowing entirely in the United States of America, it forms the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of
Mexico.
The Mekong is a trans-boundary river in Southeast Asia. It is the world's 12th-longest river and the 7th-
longest in Asia. From the Tibetan Plateau the river runs through China's Yunnan province, Myanmar,
Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.
The Irrawaddy River is a river that flows from north to south through Myanmar. It is the country's largest
river and most important commercial waterway.

Q 51.A

Statement 1 is correct. The hot deserts lie astride the Horse Latitudes. These are the Sub-Tropical High
Pressure Belts where the air is descending. These conditions are least favourable for precipitation of any
kind to take place.
Statement 2 is incorrect. The Cold currents are present on the Western margin of continent.
Statement 3 is incorrect. First of all none of the desert passes through equator. And Very high temperature
region near equator are areas of high rainfall. So, temperature is not a cause of desert.

Q 52.B

Lake Baikal - It is a rift lake in Russia.


Lake Victoria - It is the largest lake in Africa and chief reservoir of the Nile, lying mainly in Tanzania and
Uganda but bordering on Kenya.
Caspian Sea - It is the largest lake on the planet located in western Asia on the eastern edges of Europe.
Lake Chad - It is a freshwater lake located in the Sahelian zone of west-central Africa at the conjunction
of Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Niger.
Therefore, the correct sequence is: Lake Baikal-Caspian Sea-Lake Chad-Lake Victoria

Q 53.A

Option 1 is correct. A convergent boundary is where the crust is destroyed as one plate dives under
another. The location where, sinking of a plate occurs is called a subduction zone. There are three ways in
which convergence can occur. These are: (i) between an oceanic and continental plate; (ii) between two
oceanic plates; and (iii) between two continental plates.
Option 2 is incorrect. A divergent boundary is where new crust is generated as the plates pull away from
each other. The sites where the plates move away from each other are called spreading sites.
Statement 3 is Incorrect. A transform boundary is where the crust is neither produced nor destroyed as the
plates slide horizontally past each other. Transform faults are the planes of separation generally
perpendicular to the mid-oceanic ridges.

9 www.visionias.in Vision IAS


Q 54.B

A light year is a measure of distance and not of time. Light travels at a speed of 300,000 km/second.
Considering this, the distances the light will travel in one year is taken to be one light year. This equals to
9.4611012 km. The mean distance between the sun and the earth is 149,598,000 km. In terms of light
years, it is 8.311 minutes.

Q 55.D

All the given statements are the evidences of sea floor spreading.
All along the mid-oceanic ridges, volcanic eruptions are common and they bring huge amounts of lava to
the surface in this area. The age of the rocks increases as one moves away from the crest. The rocks
equidistant on either sides of the crest of mid-oceanic ridges show remarkable similarities in terms of
period of formation, chemical compositions and magnetic properties. Rocks closer to the mid-oceanic
ridges are normal polarity and are the youngest.

Q 56.C

All three processes mentioned are associated with Metamorphic rocks. In the process of metmorphism
some rock grains or minerals get arranged in layers or lines. Such an arrangement of minerals or grains in
metamorphic rocks is called foliation or lineation.
Sometimes minerals or materials of different groups are arranged into alternating thin to thick layers
appearing in light and dark shades. Such a structure is metamorphic rocks is called banding.

Q 57.D

Statement 1 is correct: When two different air masses meet, the boundary zone between them is called a
front. The process of formation of the fronts is known as frontogenesis.
Statement 2 is correct. The fronts occur in middle latitudes and they do not occur in tropical latitudes.
Statement 3 is correct. They are characterised by steep gradient in temperature and pressure. They bring
abrupt changes in temperature and cause the air to rise to form clouds and cause precipitation.

Q 58.B

The Cool Temperate Western Margin (British Type) climate has moderate summers and fairly mild
winters. Monthly temperatures of over 65 degree Fahrenheit are rare. 'Heat waves' in these regions are a
welcome feature. The climate is very favourable for maximum human output. As in other temperate
regions, four distinct seasons are present. Due to mild winters, ports are never frozen, except during
invasion of cold polar continental air. These regions are the permanent influence of westerlies all around
the year.

Q 59.C

Examples of Igneous rocks - Granite, Gabbro, Pegmatite, Basalt, Volcanic Breccia and Tuff.

Sedimentary Rocks are three major types:

Mechanically formed: Sandstone, Conglomerate, Limestone, shale, loess etc.


Organically formed: Geyserite, chalk, limestone, coal etc.
chemically formed : Chert, Limestone, Halite, Potash

Metamorphic Rocks: Gneissoid, Granite, Syenite, Slate, Schist, Marble, Quartzite.

Q 60.C

In the middle Atlantic Ocean, within the ring of ocean currents, there is an area which has no perceptible
current. A large amount of floating sea-weed gathers and the area is called the Sargasso Sea.

10 www.visionias.in Vision IAS


Q 61.D

According to their height, expanse, density and transparency or opaqueness clouds are grouped under four
types : (i) cirrus; (ii) cumulus; (iii) stratus; (iv) nimbus.

Cirrus

Cirrus clouds are formed at high altitudes (8,000 - 12,000m). They are thin and detached clouds having a
feathery appearance. They are always white in color.

Cumulus

Cumulus clouds look like cotton wool. They are generally formed at a height of 4,000 -7,000 m. They exist in
patches and can be seen scattered here and there. They have a flat base.

Stratus

As their name implies, these are layered clouds covering large portions of the sky. These clouds are generally
formed either due to loss of heat or the mixing of air masses with different temperatures.

Nimbus

Nimbus clouds are black or dark gray. They form at middle levels or very near to the surface of the earth.
These are extremely dense and opaque to the rays of the sun. Sometimes, the clouds are so low that they seem
to touch the ground. Nimbus clouds are shapeless masses of thick vapor.

Q 62.A

Statement 1 is correct: The absolute humidity is the actual amount of water vapour present in the air ,
which is expressed as grams per cubic meters.
Statement 2 is incorrect: Absolute humidity is the actual amount of water vapour present in the air, which
is independent of the temperature of the air. It is the relative humidity which varies with the temperature.

Q 63.D

All the exogenic geomorphic processes are covered under a general term, denudation. The word 'denude'
means to strip off or to uncover. Weathering, mass wasting/movements, erosion and transportation are
included in denudation.

Q 64.B

Statement 1 is incorrect: Planetary winds deflect to the right direction in the northern hemisphere and to
the left in the southern hemisphere due to the effect of Coriolis force.
Statement 2 is correct: The general circulations of the atmosphere affects the oceans. The large scale
winds of the atmosphere initiate large and slow moving currents of the ocean. Oceans in turn provide
input of energy and water vapour into the air.

Q 65.B

Statement 1 is correct. The Sun is vertically overhead at the equator two days each year. These are called
equinoxes. These are usually 21st March and 21st September though the dates change because a year is
not exactly 365 days.
Statement 2 is correct. On these two days, all the places on earth will have equal lengths of day and night.
Statement 3 is incorrect. On Winter Solstice, it is the Northern hemisphere not the Southern hemisphere
which will have its shortest day and longest night. These terminologies have been given with reference to
Northern hemisphere.

11 www.visionias.in Vision IAS


Q 66.B

Latitude of the place determines the angle which the sun's rays makes with the earth surface. At equator,
Sun's rays are almost vertical and hence they receive more insolation compared to polar areas where sun
rays are almost parallel to earth surface.
Altitude of a place has affect on temperature of a place but not on Insolation.
Transparency of Atmosphere affect the insolation. Due to cloudiness on equator, insolation at equator is
lesser than on subtropical deserts despite the fact that at equator sun rays are almost vertical.
Continentality also does not have effect on insolation but have effect on Temperature of the place.

Q 67.D

Statement 1 is incorrect. Intensity of bacterial activity shows up differences between soils of cold and
warm climates. Humus accumulates in cold climates as bacterial growth is slow. Therefore, soils of these
regions are characterised by low bacterial activity due to which layers of peat develop in these regions.
Statement 2 is incorrect. Soils of Tundra regions contain largely mechanically broken materials whereas
tropical soils show deeper profiles.

Q 68.B

Koeppen recognised five major climatic groups, four of them are based on temperature and one on
precipitation.
Koeppen identified a close relationship between the distribution of vegetation and climate. He selected
certain values of temperature and precipitation and related them to the distribution of vegetation and used
these values for classifying the climates thus he only takes Temperature and precipitation as a parameter
to classify the climatic group.

Q 69.C

Statement 1 is correct: Coriolis force is essential to provide the needed rotation. For e.g. At the equator,
the Coriolis force is zero and the wind blows perpendicular to the isobars. The low pressure gets filled
instead of getting intensified. That is the reason why tropical cyclones are not formed near the equator.
Statement 2 is incorrect: The wind speed is minimum at the eye of the cyclones. The eye of the cyclone is
calm and here subsidence of air takes place.
Statement 3 is correct: The tropical cyclones are strictly oceanic phenomenon. The source of energy for
tropical cyclone is warm oceanic water which provides moisture from sea on a continuous basis. The heat
released by the condensation further warms the air. In the land the continuous supply of moisture is not
available so tropical cyclones are not formed over land.

Q 70.D

Statement 1 is correct. The shadow of the earth on the moon during the lunar eclipse is always circular. It
takes the outline of an arc of a circle. Only a sphere can cast such a circular shadow.
Statement 2 is correct. All observations from telescopes reveal that the planetary bodies, the Sun, Moon,
satellites and stars have circular outlines from whichever angle they are seen. They are strictly spheres.
Earth, by analogy, cannot be the only exception.
Statement 3 is correct. The sun rises and sets at different times in different places. If the earth were flat,
the whole world would have sunrise and sunset at the same time.

Q 71.B

Any limestone or dolomitic region showing typical landforms produced by the action of groundwater
through the processes of solution and deposition is called Karst topography after the typical topography
developed in limestone rocks of Karst region in the Balkans adjacent to Adriatic sea. The karst
topography is also characterised by erosional and depositional landforms.

12 www.visionias.in Vision IAS


Q 72.D

is correct but it does not explain the reason for heavy rainfall, it only describes the annual distribution of
rainfall.
is correct but is not the reason for heavy rainfall.
is correct but just describes the scale of heavy rainfall.
This statement explains the reason for heavy rainfall in the equatorial climate

Q 73.B

Temperature inversion is a condition when temperature increases going upwards in atmosphere rather than
usual decreasing.

Long winter night with clear sky may lead to Temperature inversion. In cloudy conditions, heat from
terrestrial radiation will not be able escape form the lower layer of air and thus inversion would not occur.
In mountainous regions, cold air produced at hills the in night becomes dense and flows under gravity and
pile up in the valleys. This is called air drainage and results into inversion of Temperature.
Climate change and green house gases has nothing to do woth inversion of temperature which is usually a
local phenomenon.

Q 74.A

Statement 1 is Correct. The oceanic crust is much younger than the continental crust. The age of rocks in
the oceanic crust is nowhere more than 200 million years old. Some of the continental rock formations are
as old as 3,200 million years.
Statement 2 is Correct. The thickness of both the crusts varies. For the oceanic crust, the thickness is
around 5 to 10 km. The continental crust is much thicker when compared to the oceanic crust. It has a
thickness about 35 km., on the plains, to as much as 70 km., on the highest mountains. Thus, the oceanic
crust is thinner than the continental crust.
Statement 3 is Incorrect. The density of the continental crust is much less as compared to the oceanic
crust. It has an approximate value of 2.6 g/cm3, while the density of the oceanic crust is about 3.0 g/cm3.

Q 75.B

Statement 1 is incorrect: Temperature of air decline steadily in Troposphere, which is the lowermost layer
of atmosphere. After this, temperature remains constant for some height and then increases in the
stratosphere.
Statement 2 is correct: Height of troposphere is more over equator due to string convectional currents. It
is minimum at the poles.
Statement 3 is correct: Ionosphere contains electrically charged particles called ions which reflect radio
waves and thus make radio transmission possible on the earth.

Q 76.B

Statement 1 is incorrect: Richter scale measures the magnitude of an earthquake which means amount of
energy released by it. It is also known as magnitude scale.
Statement 2 is incorrect: Mercalli scale measures the intensity which denotes amount of visible damage
done by the earthquake. It is also known as the intensity scale.
Statement 3 is correct: Range of intensity scale is 1-12 and that of magnitude scale which is a logarithmic
scale which is 0-10.

Q 77.C

Option 1 is incorrect: Wet and warm climatic conditions promote chemical weathering whereas dry
climatic conditions promote mechanical or physical weathering.
Option 2 is correct: Soil enhance chemical weathering as it absorbs rain water and keep underlying rock in
contact with moisture.
Option 3 is correct: Biotic factors promote chemical weathering. Organic acids, released by bacteria, help
to speed up the weathering of the underlying rocks. Thus, it promotes chemical weathering.

13 www.visionias.in Vision IAS


Q 78.D

Pair 1 is correct: Due to faulting, a rift valley is formed by the sinking of land between two parallel faults
with deep, narrow and elongated in character. Water collects in these troughs and their floors are often
below sea level. Such lakes are called as Rift valley lakes.
Pair 2 is correct: During flood, a river may shorten its course by cutting across meandering loop, leaving
behind a ox-bow lake.
Pair 3 is correct: Ribbon lakes are those that occupy glacial troughs which are long and deep.

Q 79.B

Statement 1 is incorrect - Under great heat and pressure igneous rock and sedimentary rocks become
Metamorphic rocks.
Statement 2 is correct - Alluvial deposits in the Indo Gangetic plain is sedimentary accumulation.

Q 80.D

All the given islands are located in Pacific Islands.

Galapagos Islands - Situated in the Pacific Ocean some 1,000 km from the South American continent,
these 19 islands and the surrounding marine reserve have been called a unique 'living museum and
showcase of evolution'.
Marshall Island - It is prominent coral island located in the Pacific Ocean.
Aleutian Island - These are a chain of volcanic islands. They form part of the Aleutian Arc in the Northern
Pacific Ocean.
Hawaii Island - It is also a volcanic island located in the Pacific Ocean.

Q 81.C

Statement 1 is incorrect. A traveller crossing the date line from east to west loses a day. A traveller
crossing the date line from west to east gains a day.
Statement 2 is correct. When one crosses IDL, there is only change of date not time, as there is no change
in time zone.
Statement 3 is correct. IDL in the mid-Pacific deviates from normal 180 degree meridian at the Bering
Strait, Fiji, Tonga and other islands to prevent confusion of day and date in some of the island groups that
are cut through by the meridian. Otherwise the same island will have two different dates.

Q 82.D

All the given conditions are found in the regions of arid landforms.

Insufficient rainfall that too in irregular period results into aridity.


The excessive temperature leading to high rate of evaporation further aggravates the dryness.
Sub aerial denudation in the form of mechanical and chemical weathering is most potent factor in
reducing the rocks to sand in arid regions.
Wind action results in to wind erosion as there is little vegetation it helps in causing deflation, abrasion
and aatrition.

Q 83.C

Statement 1 is correct. Surface water is relatively fresh compared to the deeper water of the ocean as
surface water will be continuously exposed to the incoming solar radiation and influx of fresh water from
the rivers. This is not the case with the deeper waters of the ocean.
Statement 2 is correct. Other factors being constant, increasing salinity of seawater causes its density to
increase. High salinity seawater, generally, sinks below the lower salinity water.

14 www.visionias.in Vision IAS


Q 84.B

Volcanic eruptions releases huge amount of lava and magmatic material. In areas of active volcano this
can trigger earthquake and is called Volcanic earthquake.
Tsunami waves do not cause earthquake but they are result of an earthquake.
Areas with large reservoirs and dams are prone to reservoir induced earthquakes
Many times in areas on intense mining the underground roof collapses which gives rise to collapse
earthquakes
Explosion of nuclear devices can result into release of large amount of energy which trigger explosion
earthquakes.

Q 85.C

Statement 1 is incorrect. The Fohn and Chinook winds are dry winds of northern Alps and eastern slopes
of Rockies in USA and Canada respectively. Being a dry and hot wind, it melts snow and causes
avalanches.
Statement 2 is correct. In the North America, Chinook means snow eater. It hastens growth of crops and
fruits and thaws the snow covered pastures. The occurrence of frequent Chinooks means winter is mild.
Statement 3 is also correct. Fohn winds are experienced in the valleys of the northern Alps.

Q 86.A

Among the given countries only Oman opens out to Indian ocean. Oman shares its southern border with
the Indian Ocean. Ethiopia is a landlocked country and does not share a border with Indian Ocean.
Vietnam shares a border along Pacific Ocean and not Indian Ocean.

Q 87.A

Statement 1 is correct reason. The axis of earth is inclined to the ecliptic plane giving rise to the different
seasons and varying lengths of day and night. If the axis were perpendicular to the ecliptic plane, all parts
of the globe would have equal days and nights at all times of the year.
Statement 2 is not correct. The elliptical shape of orbit does not impacts length of day and night. Varying
length of day and night are due to inclination of axis.

Q 88.B

During a volcanic eruption, material from the top of the cone is blown off or collapses into the vent
widening the orifice into a large crater. Some volcanoes may have greatly enlarged depressions called
Calderas. These are a result of violent eruptions, accompanied by the subsidence of such volcano into the
magma.

Q 89.A

Statement 1 is correct as shallowness of the shelf allows sunlight to reach till the bottom,thus helping in
the growth of planktons and making them a big reservoir of fishes.
Statement 2 is not correct as the gentler slopes and lesser heights help in increasing the height of tides in
these areas.

Q 90.C

From space, the earth looks blue because 70% of its total area is covered by water. Hence, it is also called
the watery planet.

Q 91.D

Volcanoes are found in all the given regions. Examples for each of them are:

Volcanoes around Circum Pacific Belt.


Volcanoes around Cape Verde Islands and Canaray Islands.
Volcanoes in interiors like East African Rift Valley.

15 www.visionias.in Vision IAS


Q 92.D

The formation of metamorphic rocks under the stress of pressure is known as dynamic metamorphism. In
this case, clay is converted into slate, Limestone is converted into marble, sandstone is converted into
quartzite, granite is converted into gneiss and shale is converted into schist.

Q 93.A

Gulf Stream, North Atlantic Drift, Canaries current, Cayene current and Florida current are circulations in
the North Atlantic ocean. Humboldt current is a circulation in South Pacific Ocean.

Q 94.A

Planetesimalsl are a large number of smaller bodies formed from dust, rock, and other materials existed at
an early stage of the Planet formation. In the final stage, these large number of small planetesimals accrete
to form a fewer large bodies in the form of planets.

Q 95.D

All the given processes are part of chemical weathering.


Option 1 is correct. Solution leads to dissolution of the minerals by water. It is the most potent weathering
process in lime stone regions because the rain-water attacks and dissolves the calcium carbonate of which
the rock is mainly formed.
Option 2 is correct. Oxidation is the reaction of oxygen in air or water with minerals in the rock.
Option 3 is correct. Hydration is the chemical addition of water. Calcium sulphate takes in water and turns
to gypsum, which is more unstable than calcium sulphate.
Option 4 is incorrect. Carbonation is the reaction of carbonate and bicarbonate with minerals and is a
common process helping the breaking down of feldspars and carbonate minerals.

Q 96.B

In the North Indian Ocean, there is a complete reversal of the direction of currents between summer and
winter. In summer from June to October, when the dominant wind is the South-West Monsoon, the
currents are blown from a south-westerly direction as the South-West Monsoon Drift. This is reversed in
winter, when the North-East Monsoon blows the ocean current from the north-east as the North-East
Monsoon Drift. This demonstrates the dominating effect of winds on the circulation of ocean currents.

Q 97.D

Statement 1 is incorrect. The angle of Pole star decreases towards the Equator. At the Equator, the angle is
0 degree and it is 90 degree at the Poles.
Statement 2 is incorrect. It is the gradual change in angle of the Pole star from pole to equator proves
spherical shape. No such conclusion can be drawn from its fixed position throughout the night.

Q 98.C

Statement 1 is incorrect : Basic lavas are the hottest lavas, which are about 1000 degree C.
Statement 2 is correct: Acidic lavas contain higher percentage of Silica than basic lavas. Basic lavas are
dark coloured, rich in iron and magnesium but poor in silica.
Statement 3 is incorrect: Basic lavas have very high fluidity and flow readily. The resultant volcano is
gently sloping with a wide diameter and forms a flattened shield or dome. Acidic lavas flow slowly and
are more viscous and resultant cone is steep-sided.

Q 99.A

Statement 1 is correct. A cluster of fragmented solid rocks of varying sizes are found between the orbits of
planets Mars and Jupiter. They are called asteroids.
Statement 2 is incorrect. The rock pieces which enter the earth's atmosphere at high speed and get burnt
due to friction are called as Meteoroids. Meteorites are the rock pieces which doesn't incinerate wholly
and land on earth. Thus statement 3 is incorrect.

16 www.visionias.in Vision IAS


Q 100.D

Statement 1 is correct. A normal fault is when a section of land slides down along the fault line.
Statement 2 is correct. A reverse fault is when a section of land thrusts up along the fault line.
Statement 3 is correct. A tear fault is when a section of land displaces horizontally.

Copyright by Vision IAS


All rights are reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior
permission of Vision IAS

17 www.visionias.in Vision IAS

You might also like