Indian Geography Questions and Answers

Answer: B

Because of the overwhelming dependence on agriculture and animal husbandry along the Saurashtra coast.

The people there have long been farmers and pastoralists rather than fisherfolk, so the tradition, skills and capital for a fishing industry did not develop, even though the coast itself is suitable.

Answer: A

India covers about 2.4 per cent of the world's land surface.

Its area of 3.28 million sq km supports around 17 per cent of the world's population - the pressure of numbers on land that this ratio implies is the root of many of the country's resource problems.

Answer: B

The Umiam project is in Meghalaya.

Built on the Umiam river near Shillong and commissioned in 1965, it was the first hydroelectric project in the north-east. Its reservoir, Barapani, is now a well-known lake.

Answer: C

Lignite is a type of coal.

It is brown coal, the lowest rank, with 60–70 per cent carbon and a high moisture content, formed from peat under moderate pressure. Neyveli in Tamil Nadu holds India's largest deposit. Anthracite, at over 90 per cent carbon, is the highest rank.

Answer: B

The one-horned rhinoceros is found in West Bengal and Assam.

Kaziranga in Assam holds about two-thirds of the world population, with Pobitora, Orang and Manas nearby, and Jaldapara and Gorumara in north Bengal. The species was down to a few hundred a century ago and has recovered past 3,500.

Answer: C

The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve was the first, established in 1986.

It spans Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, taking in Mudumalai, Bandipur, Nagarhole, Wayanad and Silent Valley, and was also the first Indian reserve admitted to the UNESCO world network, in 2000.

Answer: C

The Green Index was developed by the United Nations Environment Programme.

It measures environmental performance by adjusting economic indicators for the depletion of natural resources and the cost of pollution, so that growth achieved by running down natural capital is not counted as gain.

Answer: D

This newer alluvium is called khadar.

It lies in the low-lying flood plain beside the river, is renewed by silt at every flood, and is therefore fine, porous and highly fertile. The older alluvium on the higher terraces is bhangar, which is coarser and often contains lime nodules called kankar.

Answer: D

The answer is I, II and IV.

South Indian cane gives a higher yield per acre and a higher sucrose content, because the tropical climate suits it, and the crushing season runs far longer - often eight months against four in the north, since there is no severe winter. Labour costs are not lower in the south; they are generally higher.

Answer: B

The earth is called the watery planet.

About 71 per cent of its surface is covered by water, and it is the only body in the solar system where water is stable as a liquid at the surface. Seen from space it is predominantly blue, which is also why it is called the blue planet.