Geography MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for Geography - Download Free PDF

Shifting cultivation is a form of agriculture or a cultivation system, in which, at any particular point in time, a minority of 'fields' are in cultivation and a majority are in various stages of natural re-growth.

Under Shifting cultivation, a piece of land is used for quite some years until the fertility is dropped.

• After that, the farmers move to the new plots. It is practised by tribal and also known as Slash and burn cultivation.
• In slash and burn the plants are cut and burnt to create an open area in which people can create farming.
• In India, this primitive form of cultivation is called ‘Bewar’ or ‘Dahiya’ in Madhya Pradesh, ‘Podu’ or ‘Penda’ in Andhra Pradesh, ‘Pama Dabi’ or ‘Koman’ or Bringa’ in Odisha, ‘Kumari’ in Western Ghats, ‘Valre’ or ‘Waltre’ in South-eastern Rajasthan, ‘Khil’ in the Himalayan belt, ‘Kuruwa’ in Jharkhand, and ‘Jhumming’ in the North-eastern region.
• Rotation of fields is done.
• In most parts of Northeast India, it is found that hunting and gathering is an important subsidiary occupation of the shifting cultivators.
• The effects of shifting cultivation are devastating and far-reaching in degrading the environment and ecology of these regions.
• Shifting Cultivation is known as Ladang in Indonesia, Caingin in the Philippines, Milpa in Central America  & Mexico, Ray in Vietnam, Taungya In Myanmar, Tamrai in Thailand, Chena in Sri Lanka, Conoco in Venezuela, Roca in Brazil, Masole in central Africa. 

Thus, we can say that Shifting agriculture is referred to as Slash and Burn agriculture.

Additional Information

• Intensive farming: It is also known as intensive farming (as opposed to extensive farming) and industrial agriculture, is a type of agriculture, both of crop plants and of animals, with higher levels of input and output per unit of agricultural land area.
  • It is characterized by a low fallow ratio, higher use of inputs such as capital and labour, and higher crop yields per unit land area.
• Primitive farming: With the aid of primitive instruments like Dao, hoe, digging sticks, and family or community labour, primitive subsistence agriculture is practised with small patches of land. 
• Plantation agriculture: Plantation agriculture is a type of commercial farming in which a single crop is grown for the entire year.
  • This type of farming requires a large amount of labour and capital.
  • The crop production may be further processed on the farm itself where it is grown or in nearby factories or small-scale industries.

Climatic Conditions:

• Grows at a height of 1800 to 3000 m above sea level.
• Mean annual rainfall is 150 cm to 300 cm.
• Mean annual temperature is about 11 to 14 °C.

Distribution:

• Generally, it has been noted from the histories of many, now developed, countries that at initial stages of development, primary sector was the most important sector of economic activity.
• Over a long time (more than hundred years), and especially because new methods of manufacturing were introduced, factories came up and started expanding. Those people who had earlier worked on farms now began to work in factories in large numbers.
• Secondary sector gradually became the most important in total production and employment.
• Hence, over time, a shift had taken place. This means that the importance of the sectors had changed.
• In the past 100 years, there has been a further shift from secondary to tertiary sector in developed countries.
• The service sector has become the most important in terms of total production. Most of the working people are also employed in the service sector.
• This is the general pattern observed in developed countries. Hence Statement 3 is incorrect.
• Over the forty years between 1973-74 and 2013-14, while production in all the three sectors has increased, it has increased the most in the tertiary sector.
• As a result, in the year 2013-14, the tertiary sector has emerged as the largest producing sector in India replacing the primary sector. Hence Statement 1 is correct.
• As income levels rise, certain sections of people start demanding many more services like eating out, tourism, shopping, private hospitals, private schools, professional training etc. This change can be seen quite sharply in cities, especially in big cities.
• Over the past decade or so, certain new services such as those based on information and communication technology have become important and essential. The production of these services has been rising rapidly. Hence Statement 2 is correct.

Key Points

• What-if analysis allows users to change input variables to see different possible outcomes.
• It helps in understanding the implications of varying key parameters in the decision-making process.
• This type of analysis is crucial in risk management where various scenarios need to be evaluated.
• Using GIS-based tools, what-if analysis can be conducted in a spatial context to visualize impacts on different regions.

Additional Information

• GIS (Geographic Information System):
  • A system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present spatial or geographic data.
  • It helps in visualizing data in a way that reveals relationships, patterns, and trends in the form of maps, globes, reports, and charts.
  • GIS technology is used in various fields including urban planning, environmental science, transportation, and public health.
• Risk Decision-Making Process:
  • A systematic approach to identifying, assessing, and managing risks.
  • It involves the process of determining the likelihood and consequence of events and taking appropriate actions to mitigate or capitalize on these risks.
• Sensitivity Analysis:
  • A technique used to determine how different values of an independent variable affect a particular dependent variable under a given set of assumptions.
  • This helps in understanding the robustness of an outcome in response to changes in input variables.
• Scenario Analysis:
  • A process of analyzing possible future events by considering alternative possible outcomes (scenarios).
  • It is used to make strategic decisions by evaluating the effect of different decisions under various scenarios.

The correct answer is Coromandal Coast.

Important Points

• The Coastal Plains of India lie along India's western and eastern shores, on either side of the Deccan Plateau.
• From the Rann of Kutch in the west to West Bengal in the east, they cover a distance of around 6,150 kilometers.
• The length of the mainland's coastline, including the islands of Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep, is 7,516.6 km.
• The Western Coastal Plains and the Eastern Coastal Plains are the two main divisions.
• On both sides of peninsular India are the country's coastal plains spread.
• Indian coastal plains run along two bodies of water: the Arabian Sea on the east and the Bay of Bengal on the west.
• The Indian coastal lowlands are separated into two types:
  • Eastern Coastal Plains
  • Western Coastal Plains
• The Western Coastal plains is a three-sectioned plain with a narrow width.
  • The Konkan is the northernmost part of the coast,
  • The Kannad Plain is in the middle,
  • The Malabar Coast is in the south.
• The Eastern Coastal Plains is a two sectioned Plain-
  • Northern Circars is the name for the northern part, 
  • Coromandel Coasts is the name for the southern region.
• Large rivers like the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, and Kaveri on the eastern shores produce enormous deltas.
• Between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal are the eastern coastal plains, and between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea are the western coastal plains.

The correct answer is 2.4

Key Points

• India accounts for about 2.4 percent of the total surface area of the world.
• India has an area of 32,87,263 sq. km making it the seventh-largest country of the world.
• The east to west width from the Rann of Kutch to Arunachal Pradesh is 2,933 km.
• The north to south extent of India from Indira Col in Kashmir to Kanyakumari is 3,214 km.
• The southernmost point of the country is the Pygmalion Point or Indira Point located at 6 deg. 45 inches North latitude.
• The Tropic of Cancer passes through the middle of the country dividing it into two latitudinal halves.

Additional Information

• The countries that are larger than India are as follows- 
  • Russia
  • Canada
  • China 
  • U.S.A.
  • Brazil
  • Australia

The correct answer is Troposphere.

Key Points

• The troposphere is the lowest part of the Earth's atmosphere in which all tropical changes take place. 
• It contains about 75% of the total air in the atmosphere.
• Based on temperature variation, our atmosphere can be classified into the following layers mainly.
• Troposphere: From Earth's surface up to 10km. Here, temperature decreases with increasing height. We, humans, live in the troposphere, and nearly all weather occurs in this lowest layer. Most clouds appear here.
• Stratosphere: From 10km above the surface to 50km above the surface, Here, temperature increases with increasing height due to the presence of the ozone layer.
• Ozone gas is capable of absorbing harmful UV rays and due to the absorption, the temperature increases.
• All the airplanes fly in this zone as due to high temperature there is less turbulence and hence smoother flights are possible. 
• Mesosphere: From 50km above the surface to 85 km above the surface. Here, the temperature again decreases with increasing height. Most meteors burn up in the mesosphere.
• Ionosphere: Beyond 85km there is a thermosphere layer and Ionosphere is a series of regions in parts of the mesosphere and thermosphere.

The correct answer is Erathosthenese.

Key Points

• The term ‘Geography’ was first coined by Eratosthenes.
• It is the combination of two Greek words, Geo (the earth) and Graphos (to write).
• Geography is the study of the Earth’s landscapes, peoples, places and environments.
• Physical Geography is the study of natural things like Volcanoes, earthquakes; rivers, oceans, glaciers; soil, water, air; weather and climate etc.
• Human Geography is the study of people, settlements, transport, industry etc.
  • It examines how humans adapt themselves to the land and to other people, and in macroscopic transformations, they enact on the world.
• Environmental Geography is the combination of Physical and Human geography.

Additional Information

• Herodotus: Herodotus is known as the “Father of History.”  and is well known for his historical accounts.
• Galileo: He was an Italian scientist and scholar whose inventions included the telescope.
  • His discoveries laid the foundation for modern physics and astronomy.
• Aristotle: He was an Ancient Greek philosopher and scientist and his works are in fields of politics, psychology and ethics.

The correct answer is the Indus valley desert.

Key Points

• ​The Indus Valley Desert is an almost uninhabited desert ecoregion of northern Pakistan.
• It covers an area of 19,501 sq km in northwestern Punjab Province between the Chenab and Indus rivers.
• It is drier and less hospitable than the northwestern thorn scrub forests that surround it with temperatures ranging from freezing in winter to extremely hot in summer with only 600-800 mm of rainfall per year.
• The desert is home to five large mammals: Indian wolf, striped hyena, caracal, Indian leopard, and the urial along with many rodents and other mammals.

Additional Information

• The Thar desert
  • The Thar Desert is located in India (Rajasthan) and is also known as the Great Indian Desert.
  • The Thar Desert extends between the Aravalli Hills in the northeast and the Rann of Kutch in the west and the alluvial plains of the Indus River in the northwest.
  • It is located partly in the Rajasthan state of India and partly in the Punjab and Sindh provinces of Pakistan.
• Rann of Kutch
  • The Great Rann of Kutch is a salt marsh in the Thar Desert in the Kutch District of Gujarat.
  • It is divided into the Great Rann and Little Rann.
  • The history of the Rann of Kutch began with early neolithic settlements. It was later inhabited by the Indus Valley Civilization as well as the Maurya and Gupta empires of India.
• Spiti valley cold desert
  • Spiti Valley is a cold desert mountain valley located high in the Himalayas in the northeastern part of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.
  • The name "Spiti" means "The middle land" i.e. the land between Tibet and India.

The correct answer is Zeugen.

Key Points

• Zeugen landform is produced by wind erosion. 
• Zeugen:
  • It is table shaped landform.
  • Mostly seen in arid and semi-arid regions.
  • The softer part of the rock is eroded by wind and the harder part remains as it is.

Additional Information

•  Cirque:
  • Cirques are formed by glacier erosion.
  • Cirques are amphitheater-shaped valleys with precipitous walls.
• Stacks:
  • Stacks are formed by coastal wind and water waves.
  • Generally seen in coastal areas.
  • The formation of Stacks takes a very long time.

The correct answer is Mesosphere.

Key Points

• The mesosphere is the outermost layer of the atmosphere among these all options.
• Among all layers of the earth's atmosphere Exosphere is the outermost layer.
• The mesosphere is the third layer of the atmosphere, directly above the stratosphere and directly below the thermosphere.
• In the mesosphere, temperature decreases as altitude increases.

Image: 

Important Points

• The Ozone layer is in Stratosphere.
• Planes generally fly in Stratosphere.
• The stratosphere is about 5 kilometres from the ground.

Additional Information

• The asthenosphere is the highly viscous, mechanically weak, and ductile region of the upper mantle of Earth.
• The lithosphere is the rocky outer part of the Earth. 
• The troposphere is the bottom-most layer of the Earth's atmosphere.

 correct answer is History.The

Key Points

• Temporal synthesis is defined as the automated construction of a system whereby we develop a temporary specification and then try to prove it.
  • It is done in history as a discipline.
  • It refers to the comparisons made with respect to the passage of time.
  • Here, if a process is temporally extended, it means that it happens over a period of time.
  • If the occurrence of two events differs temporally, then they happened at different points in time.

Additional Information

• Spatial synthesis is attempted by Geography.
  • It includes any of the formal techniques which study entities using their topological, geometric, or geographic properties.

The atmosphere around the earth:

• The atmosphere consists of different layers with varying densities and temperatures.
• The column of the atmosphere is divided into five different layers depending upon the temperature condition.
• They are troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere.

Stratosphere:

• It is suitable for flying aircraft because this layer is almost free from weather disturbances.
• It extends from tropopause up to 50 km of height.
• It is an extremely dry region and almost no clouds are present in it except cirrus and mother of pearl clouds.
• The ozone layer is found in this layer.
• The ozone layer absorbs UV rays and safeguards the earth from harmful radiation.

Thus, it is clear that the statements describe the Stratosphere.

Key Points 

• Troposphere:
  • It is the lowermost and the most important layer of the atmosphere, as almost all the weather phenomena occur in this layer.
  • It extends from the earth's surface up to 8 km over the pole and 18 km over the equator it means, the troposphere is thick over the equator than over the pole. the first 1.5 to 2 km height of the troposphere is called the friction layer.
  • The troposphere is not suitable for flying aircraft, because bumpy air pockets are present in this layer.
• Mesosphere:
  • It extends from 50 km to 80 km in height.
  • In this layer, temperature decreases with height, and at the end of this layer, temperature becomes -100°C, which is the minimum temperature of the atmosphere.
• Thermosphere:
  • It extends from 80 km to 400 km in height and it is the thickest among above all layers.
  • In this layer, most of the gases are present in an ionized state and electrical conductivity is responsible for reflecting the radio waves and other electromagnetic waves back to the earth's surface.

The correct answer is Cotton.

• Cotton is the most suitable cash crop for black soil.
• The largest producer of cotton in India is Maharashtra followed by Gujarat and Telangana.
• The largest producer of cotton in the world is India followed by China and the United States of America (USA).
• The cash crop is also known as profit crop is an agricultural crop that is grown to sell for profit.
• Some examples of cash crops are tea, coffee, rubber, coconut, and spices.
• Black soil which is found in India is rich in metals such as Aluminium, Magnesium, Lime, Calcium, and Iron.
• It is deficient in Phosphorous, Potassium, Nitrogen, and organic matter.
• The black soil is also called regur and black cotton soils because cotton is the most important crop grown on these soils.
• This soil is mainly found in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and parts of Karnataka.
• It has the highest water-retaining capacity.
• The texture of the black soil is Clayey.

Image of Cotton:

The correct answer is 7516.6 kms.

Key Points

• Coastline of India
  • The peninsular part of India extends towards the Indian Ocean.
  • This has provided the country with a coastline of 6,100km on the mainland.
  • The total length of the coastline of the mainland, Lakshadweep Islands, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands are 7,516.6 km.
  • India's coastline extends to Nine states (Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal) and four Union Territories (Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands).
  • Gujarat has the largest share (23%) in India's coastline, followed by Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Additional Information