Indian Geography Questions and Answers

Answer: C

The region is Nagaur.

The Luni rises in the Aravalli hills near Ajmer and flows south-west across the Marwar plain to the Rann of Kachchh. Its basin covers parts of Ajmer, Nagaur, Jodhpur, Pali, Barmer, Jalore and Sirohi, and some of its tributaries, such as the Jojri, drain the Nagaur area.

Bundi, Tonk and Karauli lie in eastern Rajasthan, in the basin of the Chambal and its tributary the Banas, which drains towards the Yamuna rather than the Arabian Sea.

Answer: B

The region that is not a major petroleum area is Jhunjhunu.

Rajasthan's petroleum lies in its western sedimentary basins: the Barmer-Sanchore basin, home of the Mangala and other oilfields, the Jaisalmer basin, and the Bikaner-Nagaur basin with its heavy oil.

Jhunjhunu lies in the Aravalli belt of the north-east and is known for minerals rather than oil, above all the copper of the Khetri belt.

Answer: C

They are built on the Chambal river.

The Chambal Valley Project has a cascade of works: Gandhi Sagar dam in Madhya Pradesh, Rana Pratap Sagar dam at Rawatbhata, Jawahar Sagar dam further downstream, and the Kota Barrage, which feeds the irrigation canals. It is a joint project of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

The Mahi has the Mahi Bajaj Sagar dam near Banswara, the Jakham dam is on the Jakham river in Pratapgarh, and the Sabarmati flows into Gujarat; none carries these three dams.

Answer: D

The reason is that the Aravali ranges are in a parallel position to the monsoon winds.

The Aravallis run from south-west to north-east, the same direction in which the Arabian Sea branch of the south-west monsoon blows across Rajasthan. Since the hills lie along the winds' path instead of across it, they do not force the moist air to rise and cool, so it passes over western Rajasthan without shedding much rain. The Bay of Bengal branch has lost most of its moisture by the time it arrives.

The monsoon winds are of oceanic, not terrestrial, origin, so A is wrong. Forests do not cause low rainfall, and Rajasthan's vegetation is mostly dry and thorny in any case, and C describes no real mechanism.

Answer: D

The multipurpose dam is the Mahi Bajaj Sagar Dam.

The Mahi Bajaj Sagar dam on the Mahi river near Banswara serves both irrigation and hydroelectric power, with power houses on the project, and supplies water to southern Rajasthan and to Gujarat. It is one of the main multipurpose projects of the state, alongside the Chambal works.

None of the other three generates hydroelectric power, so they do not fit the description of a hydroelectric-cum-irrigation dam.

Answer: A

The soil is sandy.

The greater part of Rajasthan west of the Aravallis, including Jodhpur, Bikaner, the Shekhawati region and much of Ajmer, is covered by sandy desert soil. It is coarse, low in organic matter and poor at holding water, though it is productive where irrigation is available, as in the Indira Gandhi Canal area.

Brown (bhura) soils are found mainly in the Banas basin of central and eastern Rajasthan, and the other two names do not describe the soil of the western desert districts.

Answer: D

The Sabi enters Haryana.

The Sahibi (Sabi) rises in the Aravalli hills of Jaipur district, flows north through Alwar and leaves Rajasthan for Haryana, where it passes through the Rewari and Gurugram area. It is one of Rajasthan's few rivers flowing north.

Its waters eventually reach Delhi through the Najafgarh drain, which is the trap, but the state it enters on leaving Rajasthan is Haryana. It does not flow into Gujarat or Punjab.

Answer: B

The predominant type is Dhokra forests.

Dhok (Anogeissus pendula) is the most widespread tree of Rajasthan's forests. Dhok-dominated dry deciduous forest covers large parts of the Aravalli hills and the central and eastern districts, which is why it is described as the predominant forest type of the state.

Salar (Boswellia), babool and khair forests are found in particular areas, but none of them covers as much of the state's forest area as dhok.

Answer: B

The award is the Vaniki Pandit Award.

The Government of Rajasthan's forestry awards, presented for work in the development and conservation of forests, include the Vaniki Pandit award.

Purnima Devi Barman is a wildlife biologist from Assam known for her campaign to save the greater adjutant stork; no Rajasthan forestry award carries her name. 'Sustainable use of biological resources' is a category of the national India Biodiversity Awards rather than a state forestry award, which leaves Vaniki Pandit as the Rajasthan government's award.

Answer: D

The breed is Marwari.

The Marwari sheep is the most numerous breed of Rajasthan, accounting for about 45 per cent of the state's sheep. It is a hardy breed of the arid western districts around Jodhpur and the Marwar region, known for its coarse carpet wool and its ability to walk long distances on poor grazing.

Malpura, Jaisalmeri and Magra are also Rajasthan breeds, but each is confined to a smaller home tract and makes up a much smaller share of the flock.