Static Quiz 01 February 2023 (Geography)

Solution: C
Justification: Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded by wind and water. They are characterized by steep slopes, minimal vegetation, lack of a substantial regolith, and high drainage density. The term ‘badlands’ was first given to an arid area in South Dakota, U.S.A., where the hills were badly eroded by occasional rain-storms into gullies and ravines. The extent of water action on hill slopes and rock surfaces was so great that the entire region was abandoned by the inhabitants. Deserts with similar features are now referred to as badlands, e.g. the Painted Desert of Arizona, which lies south-east of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River.

Solution: A
Justification: Northern region of India can be characterized by:
-Presence of Himalayas with young and unconsolidated rock systems that makes S1 possible. Wular lake (Jammu & Kashmir) is the largest freshwater lake in India. It was formed by tectonic activity.
-Lack of volcanoes, which rules out option S4.
-High gradient of river flow, which rules out sediment deposition and the formation of ox-bow lakes, so S3 can’t be correct.
-Cold weather and presence of glaciers (and their movement), which makes S2 possible. A lake formed by melting of glacier is called a glacial lake. Most of the lakes in the Himalayan region are glacial lakes.

Solution: A
Justification: The pre-dominant vegetation of this Siberian “sub-Arctic” type of climate is evergreen coniferous forest. It stretches in a great, continuous belt across North America, Europe and Asia. The greatest single band of coniferous forest is the Taiga in Siberia. There are small patches of coniferous forests in European countries like Germany due to the high altitude.

Solution: B
Justification: The Eastern Ghats run from West Bengal state in the north, through Odisha and Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu in the south passing some parts of Karnataka.
Option A: Chambal forms part of the Gangetic drainage system, so it can’t cut Eastern Ghats which are not spread till the Ganges drainage system. They are eroded and cut through by the four major rivers of peninsular India, known as the Godavari, Mahanadi, Krishna, and Kaveri.
The Eastern Ghats are a discontinuous range of mountains along India’s eastern coast. The mountain ranges run parallel to the Bay of Bengal. The Deccan Plateau lies to the west of the range, between the Eastern Ghats and Western Ghats. The coastal plains, including the Coromandel Coast region, lie between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal. The Eastern Ghats are not as high as the Western Ghats.

Solution: (c)
Justification: They are important because: The titles and descriptions of kings in inscriptions reflect prevailing power hierarchies and ideals of kingship. Royal land grant inscriptions represent important socio-economic processes of their time and provide information
on administrative structures and agrarian relations.
Donative inscriptions of private individuals provide information on social history and the sources of patronage of religious establishments.
Statement 1: There is a popular saying that history is written by the victorious. If this is so, many kingdoms did not
reveal a candid war account to often protect and enhance their image. This does not portray correct history.
Statement 2: This renders a correct historical estimation really difficult.