Geography: UPSC Previous Year Questions (Prelims)

Explanation

Option 1 is correct: Nagarhole National Park is located in the Kodagu and Mysore districts of Karnataka. The Nagarahole River flows through the park which joins the Kabini River which also is a boundary between Nagarahole and Bandipur National Park.

Option 2 is incorrect: Papikonda National Park is located in the East Godavari and West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh. It lies in the Godavari River Basin, not the Cauvery Basin.

Option 3 is correct: Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) is located at the confluence region of Western and Eastern Ghats, in the Erode district of the state of Tamil Nadu. In the northern part of Erode district, the Palar river flows and drains into the Cauvery river. The Bhavani River, a major tributary of the Cauvery, flows through this region.

Option 4 is correct: Kabini river, a tributary of the Cauvery river flows through the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary.

Explanation

The Siachen Glacier lies to the north of the Nubra Valley, which is situated in the northern part of the Ladakh region of India. It is located in the Karakoram Range in the northernmost part of the Indian subcontinent. It is positioned in the region claimed by both India and Pakistan and is the longest glacier in the world outside the polar regions, spanning approximately 76 kilometers (47 miles).The Nubra Valley, located at the confluence of the Shyok and Nubra Rivers, is a key geographical feature in the vicinity of the Siachen Glacier. It is also the world’s highest battlefield.

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect: The Mekong River originates in the icy headwaters of the Tibetan highlands. It flows through several countries in Southeast Asia, including China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. It does not flow into the Andaman Sea. It empties into the South China Sea through the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam.

Statement 2 is incorrect: The Thames flows into the North Sea, not the Irish Sea. It is a major river in England, flowing through London. The Thames flows into the North Sea via the Thames Estuary.

Statement 3 is correct: The Volga River is the longest river in Europe. It runs through Russia with its delta flowing into the Caspian Sea just south of the Kazakhstan border.

Statement 4 is correct: The Zambezi River, which means "Great River" in the Tonga language is one of Africa’s most bio-diverse rivers, and the fourth-largest river basin on the continent. It flows into to the Indian Ocean. The river is known for the Victoria Falls, one of the largest and most famous waterfalls in the world.

Explanation

Dew formation occurs when the Earth’s surface cools down sufficiently at night, causing moisture in the air to con-dense into water droplets on cool surfaces. On clear nights, the Earth’s surface loses heat rapidly through a process called radia-tive cooling. This cooling lowers the temperature of surfaces like grass or leaves, leading to the formation of dew as the air reaches its dew point.

Option (b) is correct: On cloudy nights, the situation changes. Clouds act like a blanket, reflecting back the infrared radiation (heat) emitted by the Earth’s surface. This process is known as the greenhouse effect at a smaller scale. Because the heat is trapped, the Earth’s surface doesn’t cool enough for dew to form.

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: According to Section 3(e) of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act), ‘minor minerals’ include building stones, gravel, ordinary clay, ordinary sand, and other minerals that the Central Government may declare as minor minerals.

Statement 2 is incorrect: State Governments have the power to grant mining leases for minor minerals under Section 15 of the MMDR Act. The Central Government does not have the power to frame rules related to the grant of minor minerals. The power to frame rules for minor minerals lies with the State Governments under Section 15(1A) of the MMDR Act.

Statement 3 is correct: Section 23C of the MMDR Act empowers State Governments to make rules for preventing illegal mining, transportation, and storage of minerals, including minor minerals.

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: The area under rice cultivation in India, in 2019-20 was 43.7 million hectares while in 2023-24, it became 47.6 million hectares and is highest amongst all.

Statement 2 is incorrect: The annual area under Jowar ranges between 4 and 5 million hectares while the oilseed area is 27.1 million hectares (2019-20) i.e area under the cultivation of Jowar is less than that of oilseeds.

Statement 3 is correct: The area under sugarcane cultivation is 4.6 million hectares (2019-20), 4.9 million hectares (2020-21), 5.2 million hectares (2021-22). The area under cotton cultivation is 13.5 million hectares (2019-20), 13.3 million hectares (2020-21), and 12.4 million hectares (2021-22). Hence the area under cotton cultivation is more than sugar cultivation.

Statement 4 is incorrect: With respect to the year in which the question is asked The area under sugarcane cultivation does not seem to be steadily decreasing. The area under sugarcane cultivation is 4.99 million hectares (2013-14), 5.066 million hectares (2014-15), 4.953 million hectares (2015-16). Addition Information:

As per the Economic Survey 2023-24 Statistics, the area under cultivation (in million hectares) for the above crops over the past five year is:

Crop 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 Cotton 13.5 13.3 12.4 12.9 12.7 Rice 43.7 45.8 46.3 47.8 47.6 Jowar 4.8 4.4 3.8 3.5 4.0 Oil-seeds 27.1 28.8 29.0 30.2 30.1 Sugarcane 4.6 4.9 5.2 5.9 5.6

Explanation

Aliyar, Isapur and Kangsabati are geographically dispersed across different states, but they share the common characteristic of being sites of significant water reservoirs. These reservoirs are crucial for irrigation, drinking water supply, and sometimes hydroelectric power generation in their respective regions.

Explanation

Pair 1 is correctly matched: Pandharpur is a famous pilgrimage town in Maharashtra and is located on the banks of the Chandrabhaga River. It is renowned for the Vitthal Temple which is dedicated to Lord Vitthal (a form of Lord Vishnu). It is one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in Maharashtra. During the annual Ashadhi Ekadashi festival, thousands of devotees take a holy dip in the Chandrabhaga River.

Pair 2 is correctly matched: Tiruchirappalli is an Indian city of Tamil Nadu on the banks of the Cauvery River. The city is historically and culturally significant with landmarks such as the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple and Rock Fort Temple.

Pair 3 is incorrectly matched: Hampi was the capital of the Vijayanagara kingdom and is located on the bank of the Tungabhadra River in present state of Karnataka. The Malaprabha River is a separate river that originates in the Western Ghats and flows through the Belagavi district of Karnataka. It is a tributary of the Krishna River.

Explanation

Pair 1 is correctly matched: The Bandarpunch Glacier is the source of the Yamuna River. It is located in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. It is one of the major rivers in northern India.

Pair 2 is correctly matched: The Bara Shigri Glacier is one of the largest glaciers in Himachal Pradesh. The meltwater from this glacier forms the Chandra River which combines with the Bhaga River to create the Chenab River.

Pair 3 is incorrectly matched: The Milam Glacier located in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand is the source of the Gori Ganga River, not the Mandakini River. The Mandakini River originates from the Chorabari Glacier near Kedarnath.

Pair 4 is correctly matched: The Siachen Glacier, one of the longest glaciers in the world, is located in the Karakoram range in Ladakh. It is a major source of the Nubra River, which is a tributary of the Shyok River. The Nubra Valley, known for its cold desert landscape, lies along the Nubra River, making the glacier a crucial hydrological feature of the region.

Pair 5 is incorrectly matched: Zemu Glacier is the primary source of the Teesta River not Manas River. The Teesta flows through Sikkim and West Bengal before entering Bangladesh. The Manas River originates in Bhutan and has no connection to the Zemu Glacier. Major River Associated Glacier/Origin Ganga (Bhagirathi) Gangotri Glacier Ganga (Mandakini) Chorabari Glacier Yamuna Yamunotri Glacier Indus Siachen Glacier Brahmaputra Angsi Glacier, Chemayungdung Glacier Chenab Bara-Shigri Glacier Teesta Glaciers in Sikkim Himalayas (Tso Lhamo Lake) Narmada Amarkantak

Explanation

Pair 1 is correctly matched: The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula. The countries with coasts on the Adriatic sea are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Italy, Montenegro and Slovenia.

Pair 2 is incorrectly matched: Black Sea is not bordered by Croatia. Black Sea is a large inland sea situated at the southeastern extremity of Europe. It is bordered by Ukraine to the north, Russia to the northeast, Georgia to the east, Turkey to the south, and Bulgaria and Romania to the west.

Pair 3 is correctly matched: Caspian Sea is the world’s largest inland body of water, variously classed as the world’s largest lake or a full-fledged sea. It is an endorheic basin (a basin without outflows) located between Europe and Asia. It is bounded by Kazakhstan in the northeast, Russia in the northwest, Azerbaijan in the west, Iran in the south and Turkmenistan in the southeast.

Pair 4 is correctly matched: The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean on the west to Asia in the east and separates Europe from Africa. The countries surrounding the Mediterranean in clockwise order: Spain, France, Monaco, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco.

Pair 5 is incorrectly matched: Red Sea is a narrow strip of water extending south-eastward from Suez, Egypt to the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. It further connects with the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. The six countries bordering the Red Sea: Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea and Djibouti. The Red Sea is not bordered by Syria.