Geography: UPSC Previous Year Questions (Prelims)

Explanation

Option (c) is correct: The Huangpu River is the main river that runs through Shanghai, China. It divides the city into two parts:

Puxi (west of the river) - The older, historic part of Shanghai. Pudong (east of the river) - A modern financial district with skyscrapers like the Shanghai Tower. The river is 113 km long and plays a vital role in trade and transportation. It is also famous for the Bund, a waterfront area showcasing Shanghai’s colonial-era architecture.

Explanation

The leading producer of uranium among the given options is Canada. Canada has historically been one of the largest uranium producers in the world, particularly from its high-grade uranium mines in Saskatchewan. The country has rich uranium reserves, especially in the Athabasca Basin, where some of the world’s highest-grade uranium deposits are found. In the early 2000s, Canada was the top global producer, but in recent years, Kazakhstan has surpassed it as the world’s leading uranium producer. Options (a), (c) and (d) are incorrect:

The United States of America has uranium reserves but the USA is not a top producer. USA’s production is much lower compared to Canada and Kazakhstan. Germany once mined uranium, but now it imports most of its uranium as its domestic production has declined. Zambia is a major producer of copper, but not uranium.

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: The length of a terrestrial mile is lesser than that of a nautical mile. A terrestrial (statute) mile measures 1,609 meters (1.609 km), whereas a nautical mile is 1,852 meters (1.852 km), making the statement correct.

Statement 2 is incorrect: The Harmattan is a dry, dusty trade wind that originates from the Sahara Desert and blows toward the West African coast, affecting countries like Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal, rather than the East African coast as stated.

Statement 3 is incorrect: Greece and Albania are not located on the Iberian Peninsula. The Iberian Peninsula comprises Spain, Portugal, Andorra, and a small portion of France. In contrast, Greece and Albania are part of the Balkan Peninsula.

Explanation

Option (b) is correct: The Equator is an imaginary line that divides the Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. It passes through 13 countries in total, including Colombia in South America, Kenya in Africa, and Indonesia in Southeast Asia. Options (a), (c) and (d) are incorrect:

While Brazil is crossed by the Equator, Zambia and Malaysia are not. Zambia is located south of the Equator, and Malaysia is entirely north of the Equator. While Brazil is on the Equator, Sudan is located entirely north of the Equator, and Malaysia does not cross it either. Indonesia is on the Equator, Venezuela and Ethiopia are entirely north of the Equator.

Explanation

Pair (a) is incorrectly matched: Baikonur is not in Russia but in Kazakhstan. The Baikonur Cosmodrome, the world’s first and largest operational space launch facility, is leased by Russia from Kazakhstan but is geographically located in southern Kazakhstan. Pair (b) is correctly matched: Kourou is in French Guiana, an overseas territory of France in South America. It is home to the Guiana Space Centre, operated by the European Space Agency (ESA). Pair (c) is correctly matched: Borobudur is a famous Buddhist temple located in Central Java, Indonesia. It is the world’s largest Buddhist monument and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Pair (d) is correctly matched: Cannes is a city in France, globally recognized for hosting the Cannes Film Festival, one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world.

Explanation

Myanmar shares its borders with a total of five countries: India - Located to the northwest of Myanmar; China - Found to the north and northeast of Myanmar; Bangladesh - Situated to the west of Myanmar; Thailand - Positioned to the southeast of Myanmar; Laos - Located to the east of Myanmar.

Explanation

Assertion (a) is true: The conditions on Venus are extremely harsh for human life, and its atmosphere and surface are inhos-pitable for humans. Venus has an extremely high surface temperature, high atmospheric pressure, and a toxic atmosphere primarily composed of carbon dioxide (96.5%), with clouds of sulfuric acid. Reason (R) is true: The atmosphere of Venus is composed primarily of carbon dioxide (CO₂), with small amounts of nitrogen and trace gases. CO₂ constitutes about 96.5% of the atmosphere, and this contributes to a runaway greenhouse effect that traps heat and causes extreme surface temperatures around 465°C. Assertion A and Reason R are true and R correctly explains A as the inhospitability of Venus for humans is explained by the presence of carbon dioxide in the environment.

Explanation

Assertion (A) is true: The Moon is tidally locked to the Earth, meaning that the same hemisphere of the Moon is always facing Earth. This occurs because the Moon’s rotational period (the time it takes to spin once on its axis) is equal to its orbital period (the time it takes to complete one revolution around the Earth). As a result, only about 59% of the Moon’s surface is ever visible from Earth due to lunar libration (a slight wobbling motion). The remaining 41% is permanently hidden from direct view from Earth and is called the far side of the Moon (often incorrectly referred to as the "dark side"). Reason (R) is false: The actual time the Moon takes to rotate on its own axis is 27.3 days, not 23.5 days. The Moon’s orbital period around the Earth is also 27.3 days (called the sidereal month) not 23 and a half days. Since these two periods are equal, the same face of the Moon always faces Earth, which is a result of synchronous rotation (tidal locking)

Explanation

Assertion (A) is false: Wind patterns in the Northern Hemisphere move clockwise around high-pressure systems and counterclockwise around low-pressure systems. In the Southern Hemisphere, the pattern is opposite: counterclockwise around high-pressure systems and clockwise around low-pressure systems. The statement in the Assertion (A) is incorrect because it gener-alizes wind patterns without distinguishing between high-pres-sure and low-pressure systems. Reason (R) is true: The Coriolis effect, caused by the Earth’s rotation, deflects winds to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. This influences the direction of wind patterns, making R correct. Conclusion:

Since A is false but R is true, the correct answer is (d):

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect: The Earth’s magnetic axis is tilted at approximately 11 degrees relative to its geographic axis (the axis around which the Earth rotates). The 23.5-degree tilt refers to the Earth’s rotational axis relative to its orbit around the Sun, which is responsible for the seasons, not the magnetic field.

Statement 2 is correct: The North Magnetic Pole is currently located in the Arctic region of Northern Canada, specifically on Ellesmere Island. The magnetic poles are not fixed and move over time due to changes in the Earth’s magnetic field.

Statement 3 is correct: The magnetic equator is an imaginary line where the Earth’s magnetic field is entirely horizontal (no dip angle). The magnetic equator passes near Thumba in South India. The Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station was established in this location due to its proximity to the magnetic equator.