IAS PRELIMS 2020 GEOGRAPHY Qns ANALYSIS

Geography & Environment  is one of the pet topics of UPSC Prelims and it maintained its position. This year it got around 15 questions mostly based on facts and knowledge with respect to pollutants, National Parks, Bio Fuels, etc. Aspirants with good clarity and memorizing skills could make guesses through the elimination method. From the Geography section, questions based on map work and physical geography were asked in the UPSC Prelims 2020. Read ahead a detailed explanation of questions asked from these sections and also from HISTORY section down below.

Ques1 . With reference to India’s Desert National Park, which of the following statements are correct?

1. It is spread over two districts.
2. There is no human habitation inside the Park
3. It is one of the natural habitats of Great Indian Bustard.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: c

Explanation: desert National Park is one of the largest protected lands in India and is located in the districts of Jaisalmer and Barmer in Rajasthan. Statement 1 is correct. The park’s vegetation is protected by the local communities like the Bishnois. Statement 2 is incorrect. The Desert National Park (Rajasthan) in Rajasthan is one of the most prominent habitats for the Great Indian Bustard. Statement 3 is correct.

Ques 2: 1. 36% of India’s districts are classified as “overexploited” or “critical” by the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA).

2. CGWA was formed under the Environment (Protection) Act.
3. India has the largest area under groundwater irrigation in the world
4. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 2 only

(d) 1 and 3 only

Answer:  b

Explanation: More than 50% of India’s districts are classified as “overexploited” or “critical” by the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA). Statement 1 is incorrect.

The Central Ground Water Authority is under Section 3 of the Environment Protection Act, 1986. Statement 2 is correct.

India has the world’s largest groundwater well-equipped irrigation system. Statement 3 is correct.

Ques 3: Among the following Tiger Reserves, which one has the largest area under “Critical Tiger Habitat”?

(a) Corbett

(b) Ranthambore

(c) Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam

(d) Sunderbans

Answer: c

Explanation:  Nagarjunsagar, Andhra Pradesh – 2595 sq km,

Pakke, Arunachal Pradesh – 683 sq km,

Manas, Assam – 840 sq km

Periyar, Kerala – 881 sq km

Ques4:  If a particular plant species is placed under Schedule VI of The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, what is the implication?

(a) A license is required to cultivate that plant.

(b) Such a plant cannot be cultivated under any circumstances.

(c) It is a Genetically Modified crop plant.

(d) Such a plant is invasive and harmful to the ecosystem

Answer: b

Explanation: The specified endemic plants in Schedule VI f The Wildlife Protection Act are prohibited from cultivation and planting.

Ques5: Which one of the following statements best describes the term ‘Social Cost of Carbon’?

(a) It is a measure, in the monetary value of the long-term damage done by a tonne of CO2 emissions in a given year.

(b) the requirement of fossil fuels for a country to provide goods and services to its citizens, based on the burning of those fuels.

(c) efforts put in by a climate refugee to adapt to live in a new place.

(d) contribution of an individual person to the carbon footprint on the planet Earth.

Answer: (a)

Explanation: The Social Cost of Carbon is the basis of the present value of the future damages that one additional unit of carbon emission can induce in the environment.

Ques6: With reference to Indian elephants, consider the following statements :

1. The leader of an elephant group is female.
2. The maximum gestation period can be 22 months.
3. An elephant can normally go on calving till the age of 40 years only.
4. Among the States in India, the highest elephant population is in Kerala.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 4 only

(c) 3 only

(d) 1, 3 and 4 only

Answer: a

Explanation: Calves generally live with the mother till they are five years old after which the males leave the herd but the females remain. Statement 1 is correct and Statement 3 is incorrect.

 Elephants have the longest gestation period of all mammals. These gentle giants’ pregnancies last for more than a year and a half. The average gestation period of an elephant is about 640 to 660 days, or roughly 95 weeks. Statement 2 is correct

Karnataka has the highest number of elephants in India. Statement 4 is correct.

Ques 7: Which of the following Protected Areas are located in Cauvery basin ?

1. Nagarhole National Park
2. Papikonda National Park
3. Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve
4. Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 3 and 4 only

(c) 1,3 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Answer: c

Explanation: Papikonda National Park lies in the Godavari River Basin

Ques 8: With reference to India’s biodiversity, Ceylon frogmouth, Coppersmith Barbet, Gray-chinned minivet and White-throated redstart are

(a) Birds

(b) Primates

(c) Reptiles

(d) Amphibians

Answer: a

Explanation: Ceylon Frogmouth is a nocturnal Small Bird from Sri Lanka, Coppersmith Barbet is an Asian barbet, Gray-Chinned Minivet is a bird from the Campephagidae family and White throated redstart belongs to Muscicapidae.

Ques 9: Which one of the following protected areas is well-known for the conservation of a sub-species of the Indian swamp deer (Barasingha) that thrives well on hard ground and is exclusively graminivorous ?

(a) Kanha National Park

(b) Manas National Park

(c) Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary

(d) Tal Chhapar Wildlife Sanctuary

Answer: a

Explanation: Swamp Deer is found in Kanha national park, 2 locations in Assam and 6 locations in Uttar Pradesh. They are no longer found in West Bengal as they are regionally extinct.

Ques 10:  Which of the following are the most likely places to find the musk deer in its natural habitat?

1. Askot Wildlife Sanctuary
2. Gangotri National Park
3. Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary
4. Manas National Park Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 3 and 4 only

(d) 1 and 4 only

Answer: a

Explanation: A solitary shy animal, the musk deer lives in mountainous regions from Siberia to the Himalayas. Askot Musk Deer Sanctuary is located 54 km from Pithoragarh near Askot in Uttarakhand state. Gangotri National Park is also a habitat of Musk Deers.

Ques 11: Which of the following are the reasons/factors for exposure to benzene pollution ?

1. Automobile exhaust
2. Tobacco smoke
3. Wood burning
4. Using varnished wooden furniture
5. Using products made of polyurethane Select the correct answer using the code given below : (a) 1, 2 and 3 only

(b) 2 and 4 only

(c) 1, 3 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

Answer: d

Explanation: benzene is highly volatile and exposure to the element occurs mostly through inhalation.

Ques 12: With reference to Ocean Mean Temperature (OMT), which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. OMT is measured up to a depth of 26°C isotherm which is 129 meters in the south-western Indian Ocean during January – March
2. OMT collected during January – March can be used in assessing whether the amount of rainfall in monsoon will be less or more than a certain long-term mean.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (d)

Explanation: 26-degree isotherm is witnessed at a depth between 50 and 100 meters.

Statement 1 is incorrect.

“Using OMT data collected during January-March 2018, we were able to predict with 80% probability that this year’s monsoon will be below average during June–September.” – senior scientist at IITM. Hence, Statement 2 is correct.

Ques 13:  Siachen Glacier is situated to the

(a) East of Aksai Chin

(b) East of Leh

(c) North of Gilgit

(d) North of Nubra Valley

Answer: d

Explanation:

Ques 14: Consider the following statements :

1. Jetstreams occur in the Northern Hemisphere only.
2. Only some cyclones develop an eye.
3. The temperature inside the eye of a cyclone is nearly 10°C lesser than that of the surroundings.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 2 only

(d) 1 and 3 only

Answer: c

Explanation: Jet streams occur in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The actual appearance of jet streams result from the complex interaction between many variables – such as the location of high and low pressure systems, warm and cold air, and seasonal changes. Statement 1 is incorrect.

The warmest part of Erin’s eye was almost 21 degrees (Fahrenheit) warmer than the surrounding air, a dramatic difference from the air around it. Above 7.5 miles high, the eye’s temperature dropped quickly to the same temperature as the air outside the eye. Statement 3 is incorrect.

Ques 15: Consider the following pairs :

River –          Flows into

1. Mekong- Andaman Sea
2. Thames – Irish Sea
3. Volga – Caspian Sea
4. Zambezi – Indian Ocean

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched ?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 3 only

(c) 3 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2 and 4 only

Answer: c

Explanation: Mekong empties into the South China Sea at the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. Statement 1 is incorrect.

Thames rives lows into the North Sea via the Thames Estuary. Statement 2 is incorrect.

an analysis of the UPSC Prelims 2020 with History questions