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Geography MCQ, Class-11, Chapter-5, Geomorphic Processes
Geography MCQ, Class-9th, Chapter-6, Population
NCERT Based MCQ with Explanation:
1. What is the primary source of water in the hydrological cycle?
(a) Rivers
(b) Oceans
(c) Lakes
(d) Groundwater
Explanation: Oceans hold about 71% of Earth's water, acting as the main reservoir for the hydrological cycle. Water evaporates from oceans, forms clouds, and returns as precipitation, sustaining the cycle.
2. Which process converts liquid water into vapor in the water cycle?
(a) Condensation
(b) Precipitation
(c) Evaporation
(d) Infiltration
Explanation: Evaporation transforms liquid water from oceans and land into vapor using solar energy, enabling water to enter the atmosphere and continue the hydrological cycle.
3. What percentage of Earth's planetary water is stored in oceans?
(a) 59%
(b) 71%
(c) 85%
(d) 97%
Explanation: Approximately 71% of Earth's water resides in oceans, making them the largest component of the hydrosphere and critical to the global water cycle.
4. Which state of water is NOT involved in the hydrological cycle?
(a) Liquid
(b) Solid
(c) Gaseous
(d) Plasma
Explanation: The hydrological cycle includes water as liquid (oceans), solid (ice), and gaseous (vapor) forms, but plasma, an ionized gas state, is not part of this cycle.
5. Why is Earth commonly called the 'Blue Planet'?
(a) Extensive ice caps
(b) Vast ocean coverage
(c) Blue atmospheric hue
(d) Blue land vegetation
Explanation: Oceans cover about 71% of Earth's surface, giving it a blue appearance from space due to water's dominance, earning the title 'Blue Planet'.
6. Which water cycle process returns water to Earth's surface?
(a) Evaporation
(b) Condensation
(c) Precipitation
(d) Sublimation
Explanation: Precipitation occurs when water vapor condenses in the atmosphere and falls as rain, snow, or hail, redistributing water from the atmosphere to Earth's surface.
7. What causes uneven water distribution across Earth's regions?
(a) Ocean currents
(b) Geographic location
(c) Wind patterns
(d) Solar radiation
Explanation: Geographic location influences rainfall and climate, leading to abundant water in some areas (e.g., rainforests) and scarcity in others (e.g., deserts), creating uneven water distribution.
8. Which ocean is the smallest by surface area?
(a) Pacific Ocean
(b) Atlantic Ocean
(c) Indian Ocean
(d) Arctic Ocean
Explanation: The Arctic Ocean is the smallest of the five oceans, with a significantly smaller surface area compared to the Pacific, Atlantic, or Indian Oceans.
9. What is the typical depth range of the continental shelf?
(a) 30–600 m
(b) 600–3,000 m
(c) 3,000–6,000 m
(d) 6,000–10,000 m
Explanation: The continental shelf, the shallowest ocean region, has depths ranging from 30 to 600 meters, forming a gently sloping extension of continents.
10. Which ocean floor feature is the shallowest?
(a) Continental Slope
(b) Continental Shelf
(c) Deep Sea Plain
(d) Oceanic Trench
Explanation: The continental shelf is the shallowest ocean floor feature, with depths of 30–600 meters, serving as the submerged edge of continents.
Geography MCQ, Class 10, Chapter-5, Mineral and Energy Resources11. What is the average gradient of the continental shelf?
(a) 1° or less
(b) 2–5°
(c) 5–10°
(d) 10–15°
Explanation: The continental shelf has a gentle slope, typically 1° or less, making it much flatter than the steeper continental slope or other ocean features.
12. Which ocean contains the widest continental shelf?
(a) Pacific Ocean
(b) Atlantic Ocean
(c) Arctic Ocean
(d) Indian Ocean
Explanation: The Siberian shelf in the Arctic Ocean is the widest continental shelf, extending up to 1,500 km, far broader than shelves in other oceans.
13. What is the main source of sediments on continental shelves?
(a) Volcanic activity
(b) Ocean currents
(c) Rivers and glaciers
(d) Coral reefs
Explanation: Rivers and glaciers transport sediments from land to continental shelves, where they accumulate over time, often forming valuable fossil fuel deposits.
14. Which feature marks the boundary between the continental shelf and slope?
(a) Shelf break
(b) Thermocline
(c) Halocline
(d) Mid-oceanic ridge
Explanation: The shelf break is a steep drop where the continental shelf ends and the continental slope begins, marking a transition to deeper ocean regions.
15. What is the depth range of the continental slope?
(a) 30–200 m
(b) 200–3,000 m
(c) 3,000–6,000 m
(d) 6,000–10,000 m
Explanation: The continental slope spans depths of 200 to 3,000 meters, connecting the shallow continental shelf to the deeper ocean basins.
16. Which ocean floor feature is known for being the flattest?
(a) Continental Slope
(b) Deep Sea Plain
(c) Oceanic Trench
(d) Mid-Oceanic Ridge
Explanation: Deep sea plains are the flattest ocean floor regions, gently sloping with depths of 3,000–6,000 meters, covered by fine sediments like clay and silt.
17. What is the typical depth range of deep sea plains?
(a) 200–3,000 m
(b) 3,000–6,000 m
(c) 6,000–9,000 m
(d) 9,000–12,000 m
Explanation: Deep sea plains, the smoothest ocean floor areas, have depths between 3,000 and 6,000 meters, characterized by fine-grained sediment deposits.
18. Which ocean floor feature is the deepest?
(a) Continental Shelf
(b) Deep Sea Plain
(c) Oceanic Trench
(d) Mid-Oceanic Ridge
Explanation: Oceanic trenches are the deepest ocean features, often 3–5 km deeper than surrounding floors, formed by tectonic activity and associated with earthquakes.
19. How many oceanic trenches have been explored globally?
(a) 32
(b) 57
(c) 76
(d) 91
Explanation: A total of 57 oceanic trenches have been explored, with 32 in the Pacific, 19 in the Atlantic, and 6 in the Indian Ocean, per current records.
20. Which ocean contains the most oceanic trenches?
(a) Atlantic Ocean
(b) Indian Ocean
(c) Pacific Ocean
(d) Arctic Ocean
Explanation: The Pacific Ocean has the highest number of oceanic trenches, with 32 identified, due to its extensive tectonic activity along plate boundaries.
21. What is a mid-oceanic ridge primarily composed of?
(a) Flat plains
(b) Mountain chains
(c) Deep trenches
(d) Coral reefs
22. Which feature is an example of a mid-oceanic ridge?
(a) Hudson Canyon
(b) Iceland
(c) Emperor Seamount
(d) Great Salt Lake
23. What is a seamount?
(a) A flat plain
(b) A volcanic mountain
(c) A coral island
(d) A deep trench
24. Which is an example of a seamount?
(a) Siberian Shelf
(b) Emperor Seamount
(c) Baltic Sea
(d) Red Sea
25. What characterizes a submarine canyon?
(a) Flat sediment deposits
(b) Deep valleys
(c) Coral reefs
(d) Mountain ridges
26. Which is a well-known submarine canyon?
(a) Hudson Canyon
(b) Siberian Shelf
(c) Great Salt Lake
(d) Lake Van
27. What is a guyot?
(a) A coral reef
(b) A flat-topped seamount
(c) A deep trench
(d) A mid-oceanic ridge
28. Where are guyots most abundant?
(a) Atlantic Ocean
(b) Indian Ocean
(c) Pacific Ocean
(d) Arctic Ocean
29. What is an atoll?
(a) A deep trench
(b) A coral reef island
(c) A flat plain
(d) A volcanic ridge
30. Which factor primarily heats ocean waters?
(a) Earth’s core
(b) Solar energy
(c) Ocean currents
(d) Wind patterns
31. Which factor affects ocean temperature by reducing insolation toward poles?
(a) Latitude
(b) Ocean currents
(c) Wind direction
(d) Land distribution
32. Why do northern hemisphere oceans record higher temperatures?
(a) Stronger winds
(b) More land contact
(c) Deeper trenches
(d) Higher salinity
33. How do onshore winds affect ocean temperature?
(a) Lower temperature
(b) Raise temperature
(c) No effect
(d) Increase salinity
34. Which ocean current raises temperatures along Europe’s west coast?
(a) Labrador Current
(b) Gulf Stream
(c) Kuroshio Current
(d) Benguela Current
35. What is the thermocline in ocean waters?
(a) A salinity boundary
(b) A temperature boundary
(c) A density layer
(d) A sediment layer
36. At what depth does the thermocline typically begin?
(a) 10–50 m
(b) 100–400 m
(c) 500–1,000 m
(d) 1,000–2,000 m
37. What is the temperature range of the top ocean layer in tropical regions?
(a) 5–10°C
(b) 10–15°C
(c) 20–25°C
(d) 25–30°C
38. How thick is the thermocline layer in oceans?
(a) 100–300 m
(b) 300–500 m
(c) 500–1,000 m
(d) 1,000–1,500 m
39. What is the average surface temperature of ocean waters globally?
(a) 17°C
(b) 22°C
(c) 27°C
(d) 32°C
40. How does temperature change with depth below the thermocline?
(a) Increases steadily
(b) Remains constant
(c) Approaches 0°C
(d) Fluctuates widely
41. Why is the highest ocean temperature not at the equator?
(a) Stronger winds
(b) Land distribution
(c) Ocean currents
(d) Cloud cover
42. What is the average annual temperature of northern hemisphere oceans?
(a) 16°C
(b) 19°C
(c) 22°C
(d) 25°C
43. What defines salinity in ocean waters?
(a) Dissolved gases
(b) Dissolved oxygen
(c) Dissolved salts
(d) Suspended sediments
44. How is ocean salinity typically expressed?
(a) Parts per hundred
(b) Parts per thousand
(c) Parts per million
(d) Parts per billion
45. What is the salinity threshold for brackish water?
(a) 15 ppt
(b) 24.7 ppt
(c) 35 ppt
(d) 41 ppt
46. Which factor primarily affects surface ocean salinity?
(a) Ocean currents
(b) Evaporation and precipitation
(c) Wind speed
(d) Sea ice formation
47. What increases salinity in coastal regions?
(a) River inflow
(b) High precipitation
(c) Low evaporation
(d) Freezing of ice
48. Which water body has the highest recorded salinity?
(a) Dead Sea
(b) Great Salt Lake
(c) Lake Van
(d) Red Sea
49. What is the average salinity of the open ocean?
(a) 25–30 ppt
(b) 33–37 ppt
(c) 40–45 ppt
(d) 50–55 ppt
50. Which factor influences salinity by transferring water between regions?
(a) Ocean currents
(b) Wind
(c) Temperature
(d) Precipitation