Day 59 - 15 Jan - UPSC Prelim English Quiz Solution

Day 59 - 15 Jan - UPSC Prelim English Quiz Solution

Based on UPSC Syllabus and Current Affairs

Subject: Geography

                      Next Quiz will be uploaded tomorrow @11:30 AM . Join us on https://t.me/kk_upsc for all important notifications

---

Q 1. Bepi Colombo mission which will determine if the nearest planet to the Sun contains water is carried out by

a) European Space Agency
b) NASA
c) China National Space Administration
d) ISRO
Solution:   a Explaination   

• The spacecraft is named after Italian scientist Giuseppe "Bepi" Colombo. Bepi Colombo is a planned European-Japanese mission to Mercury. It was successfully launched on Oct. 19, 2018. The mission includes a carrier spacecraft called the Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) - which supplies electrical power during interplanetary cruise - and two separate orbiters. The European Space Agency's spacecraft is the Mercury Planet Orbiter (MPO) and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency's spacecraft is the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO).

• Bepi Colombo will release two probes - Bepi and Mio - that will independently investigate the surface and magnetic field of Mercury. The ESA-developed Bepi will operate in Mercury's inner orbit, and JAXA's Mio will be in the outer orbit to gather data that would reveal the internal structure of the planet, its surface and geological evolution.

---

Q 2. In which of the following countries, mountain plays a significant role in deciding political boundary?

1. India

2. Georgia

3. Italy

4. Finland

5. Russia

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

a) 1 and 3 only
b) 1, 2 and 3 only
c) 1, 2, 3 and 4 only
d) 1, 2, 4 and 5 only
Solution:   b Explaination   

• Political boundaries are the dividing lines between countries, states, provinces, counties, and cities. These lines, more often called borders, are created by people to separate areas governed by different groups. Sometimes, political boundaries follow physical boundaries. A physical boundary is a naturally occurring barrier between two areas. Rivers, mountain ranges, oceans, and deserts can all serve as physical boundaries. Many times, political boundaries between countries or states form along physical boundaries. For example, the boundary between France and Spain follows the peaks of the Pyrenees Mountains, while the Alps separate France from Italy.

• The Alps separate France from Italy Greater Caucasus between Georgia and Russia.

• Caucasus plays a significant role as Georgia's political boundary but with respect to Russia it is not a significant political boundary considering the size of the country.

• From the map we can observe that there is no mountain that plays a significant role in deciding political boundary between Finland and its neighbouring countries.

---

Q 3. Which of the following countries is/ are highly vulnerable to Climate Change?

1. Chad

2. Norway

3. Bangladesh

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

a) 3 only
b) 1 and 3 only
c) 1, 2 and 3 only
d) None of the above
Solution:   b Explaination   

• Bangladesh is highly vulnerable to climate change because of the following reasons: High population density, Glacial melting could disrupt surface and ground water resources, high susceptibility to tropical cyclones.

• Of the 186 countries assessed in a recent survey of climate vulnerability, Chad was rated most in peril. A combination of high poverty, frequent conflicts, and the risk of both droughts and floods means the central African nation is bottom of the list, just below Bangladesh and some way behind Norway, the country least vulnerable to climate change.

Around 87% of Chadians are classified as poor, according to the Multidimentional Poverty Index, which factors in health, education and living standards. That's the fourth highest rate in the world. This is exacerbated by the fact that the country has been in civil war or conflict for 35 out of the 57 years since it gained independence from France.

---

Q 4. Which of the following country is not affected by tropical cyclones?

a) Australia
b) Myanmar
c) France
d) Eritrea
Solution:   c   

• Tropical cyclones are violent storms that originate over oceans in tropical areas and move over to the coastal areas bringing about large scale destruction caused by violent winds, very heavy rainfall and storm surges. They are known as Cyclones in the Indian Ocean, Hurricanes in the Atlantic, Typhoons in the Western Pacific and South China Sea, and Willy-willies in the Western Australia.

Tropical cyclones originate and intensify over warm tropical oceans. The conditions favourable for the formation and intensification of tropical storms are: (i) Large sea surface with temperature higher than 27° C; (ii) Presence of the Coriolis force; (iii) Small variations in the vertical wind speed; (iv) A pre-existing weak low-pressure area or low-level-cyclonic circulation; (v) Upper divergence above the sea level system.

---

Q 5. Which of the following climate(s) is/are influenced by ocean current?

1. Desert climate

2. British climate

3. Laurentian climate

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

a) 2 only
b) 1 and 3 only
c) 2 and 3 only
d) 1, 2 and 3
Solution:   d Explaination   

Ocean currents are like river flow in oceans. They represent a regular volume of water in a definite path and direction. Ocean currents can also be classified based on temperature: as cold currents and warm currents:

(i) cold currents bring cold water into warm water areas. These currents are usually found on the west coast of the continents in the low and middle latitudes (true in both hemispheres) and on the east coast in the higher latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere;

(ii) warm currents bring warm water into cold water areas and are usually observed on the east coast of continents in the low and middle latitudes (true in both hemispheres). In the northern hemisphere they are found on the west coasts of continents in high latitudes.

Desert climate: All most all the deserts are confined within the 15° and 30° parallels of latitude north and south of the equator. They lie in the trade wind belt on the western parts of the continents where trade winds are offshore. They are bathed by cold currents which produce a desiccating effect so that the moisture is not easily condensed into precipitation. Such deserts are tropical hot deserts or trade wind deserts. Eg: The desiccating effect of the cold Peruvian Current on the Atacama Desert makes it one of the driest places on Earth.

British climate: The main influence on the British Climate is the close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and the warming of the waters around the land by the Gulf Stream (a warm current of the northern Atlantic Ocean).

Laurentian climate: The Cool Temperate Eastern Margin climate is also known as the Laurentian climate. It is the intermediate between the British and Siberian type of climates. It is found only in two regions ie, North-eastern North America, including eastern Canada, north-east U.S.A., and Newfoundland which can be referred as the North American region and the eastern coastlands of Asia, including eastern Siberia, North China, Manchuria, Korea and northern Japan and can be referred to as the Asiatic region. It has cold, dry winters and warm, wet summers. The summers are less warm due to the influence of cold currents from the arctic (Labrador Current in the Newfoundland region and Oyashio current in the Japan region). Fishing is an important economic activity of the Laurentian climatic regions. Mixing of warm current and cold currents make these regions one of the most productive fishing grounds on earth (Mixing of warm Gulf Stream and cold Labrador currents near Newfoundland & Mixing of warm Kuroshio current and cold Oyashio currents near Japan). The mixing of warm and cold currents help to replenish the oxygen and favour the growth of planktons, the primary food for fish population.

---

Q 6. Consider the following Protected Areas:

1. Nokrek National Park, Meghalaya

2. Neora Valley National Park, Darjeeling

3. Namdapha National Park, Arunachal Pradesh

4. Khangchendzonga National Park, Sikkim

Which of the following species could be found in the all above areas?

a) Bengal Tiger
b) Snow Leopard
c) Red Panda
d) Asian Elephant
Solution:   c   

Red panda is a small arboreal mammal found in the forests of India, Nepal, Bhutan and the northern mountains of Myanmar and southern China. It thrives best at 2200-4800m, in mixed deciduous and conifer forests with dense under stories of bamboo.

In India, it is found in Sikkim, western Arunachal Pradesh, Darjeeling district of West Bengal and parts of Meghalaya. It is also the state animal of Sikkim. Listed as Endangered in the IUCN red list of Threatened Species and under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the red panda has the highest legal protection at par with other threatened species. WWF-lndia has been working since 2005 in the eastern Himalayan region for the conservation of this species.

---

Q 7. Apart from Lipu Lekha Pass of Uttarakhand, which of the following Pass is very suitable for carrying out the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra?

a) Nathu La
b) Rohtang Pass
c) Manali Pass
d) Zoji La
Solution:   a   

Standing tall at 22,000 feet, Mount Kailash-known to be the abode of Lord Shiva-is one of the world's most revered holy places. A peak in the Kailash range, Mount Kailash is a part of the Transhimalaya in Tibet. The Kailash Manasarovar yatra is mainly known for two things: doing a parikrama of Mount Kailash and taking a holy dip in the Mansarovar Lake. There are two routes for this Yatra. One through Lipulekh Pass (Uttarakhand), which involves some trekking and the other route is through Nathu La Pass (Sikkim) and it is motorable.

Q 8. Consider the following statements regarding the Kanchenjunga:

1. It is the second highest peak in the world.

2. The territory of this peak is shared between India, Nepal and Bhutan.

Which of the statements given above is/ are correct?

a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2
Solution:   d   

Kanchenjunga is world's third highest mountain, with an elevation of 28,169 feet (8,586 metres). It is situated in the eastern Himalayas on the border between Sikkim state, north eastern India, and eastern Nepal, (74 km) north-northwest of Darjiling, Sikkim. The mountain is part of the Great Himalaya Range

💡 Daily News Analysis explained in Hindi, Click to read

💡 UPSC Topicwise Mains Previous Year Paper, Click to Download

💡 UPSC Daily Online Prelim Hindi Quiz - UPSC 2019

💡 UPSC Daily Online Prelim English Quiz - UPSC 2019

💡 UPSC Mains Answer Writing Practice 🎖 2019