Natural Hazards and Disasters Questions and Answers

Q: Landslides hazards are common in the hilly regions due to :

Landslides in hilly regions are due to all of the above.Loss of vegetation removes the roots that bind the soil and the cover that slows rainwater, so slopes become unstable. Loss of soil through erosion weakens the slope further. Cutting of hill slopes for roads, buildings and mining makes slopes steeper and removes their support at the toe.Each of the three is a recognised cause, and heavy rain often triggers a slope already weakened by them. Choosing any single one leaves out the other two, so the inclusive option is correct.

Landslides hazards are common in the hilly regions due to :

A.Loss of vegetation
B.Loss of soil
C.Cutting of hill slopes
D.All of the above

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2020, SET Exam - 2020,

Answer: D

Landslides in hilly regions are due to all of the above.

Loss of vegetation removes the roots that bind the soil and the cover that slows rainwater, so slopes become unstable. Loss of soil through erosion weakens the slope further. Cutting of hill slopes for roads, buildings and mining makes slopes steeper and removes their support at the toe.

Each of the three is a recognised cause, and heavy rain often triggers a slope already weakened by them. Choosing any single one leaves out the other two, so the inclusive option is correct.

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In case of earthquakes, an increase of magnitude 1 on Richter Scale implies

A.a ten-fold increase in the amplitude of seismic waves.
B.a ten-fold increase in the energy of the seismic waves.
C.two-fold increase in the amplitude of seismic waves.
D.two-fold increase in the energy of seismic waves.

Exam Year(s)

UGC NET - 2012,

Answer: A

The Richter magnitude is a logarithmic scale of the amplitude of seismic waves, so a rise of one unit means a ten-fold rise in amplitude. The energy released rises by about 31.6 times, not ten, since energy is proportional to amplitude raised to the power 1.5 per unit. So the correct statement is the ten-fold increase in amplitude. The statements of a ten-fold increase in energy, or a two-fold increase in either, are wrong. The answer is a ten-fold increase in the amplitude of seismic waves.

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S and P waves are associated with

A.floods
B.wind energy
C.earthquakes
D.tidal energy

Exam Year(s)

UGC NET - 2012,

Answer: C

S waves and P waves are the secondary and primary waves released by an earthquake and recorded by seismographs. P waves are compressional and travel faster, and S waves are shear waves which cannot pass through liquid. They are not connected with floods, wind energy or tidal energy. The answer is earthquakes. The P waves are longitudinal waves that arrive first, and the S waves are transverse waves that arrive later, and the time gap between them is used to find the distance of the earthquake from the station.

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Which of the following types of natural hazards have the highest potential to cause damage to humans ?

A.Earthquakes
B.Forest fires
C.Volcanic eruptions
D.Droughts and Floods

Exam Year(s)

UGC NET - 2013,

Answer: D

The natural hazards with the highest potential to cause damage to humans are droughts and floods.

Droughts and floods occur widely and repeatedly and affect a very large number of people and their livelihoods, particularly in countries such as India. Their combined effect on lives, crops and property exceeds that of the others.

Earthquakes, forest fires and volcanic eruptions are severe but are more localised and less frequent as causes of widespread harm.

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'Lahar' is a natural disaster involving

A.eruption of large amount of material
B.strong winds
C.strong water waves
D.strong winds and water waves

Exam Year(s)

UGC NET - 2014,

Answer: A

A lahar is a natural disaster involving the eruption of a large amount of material. Lahars are violent mudflows of volcanic ash, rock and water that rush down the slopes of a volcano, and they follow an eruption.

They are not caused by strong winds or by sea waves alone. Strong water waves describe a tsunami or storm surge, and strong winds describe a cyclone, so those options do not fit. The material that flows out can include ash, mud and boulders, and the flow can travel far from the crater.

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The National Disaster Management Authority functions under the Union Ministry of

A.Environment
B.Water Resources
C.Home Affairs
D.Defence

Exam Year(s)

UGC NET - 2014,

Answer: C

The National Disaster Management Authority functions under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. It was set up under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and is headed by the Prime Minister, with the Ministry of Home Affairs as the nodal ministry for disaster management.

Environment, Water Resources and Defence are not the administrative ministry for the Authority. These ministries are involved in specific aspects of disasters, but they do not oversee it.

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Match List - I and List - II and select the correct answer from the codes given below :

List - I	List - II
a. Flood	1. Lack of rainfall of sufficient duration
b. Drought	2. Tremors produced by the passage of vibratory waves through the rocks of the earth
c. Earthquake	3. A vent through which molted substances come out
d. Volcano	4. Excess rain and uneven distribution of water

Codes : a b c d

A.4 1 2 3
B.2 3 4 1
C.3 4 2 1
D.4 3 1 2

Exam Year(s)

UGC NET - 2014,

Answer: A

The correct matching is a-4, b-1, c-2, d-3, which is code (A). A flood is caused by excess rain and uneven distribution of water, a drought by lack of rainfall of sufficient duration, an earthquake by tremors produced by vibratory waves passing through the rocks of the earth, and a volcano is a vent through which molten substances come out.

The other codes pair at least two items wrongly, for example (B) matches a flood with tremors and (D) matches an earthquake with lack of rainfall.

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