Geography (316) | Set A1 • Code 71/SS/316/A1

Ans. (A) Related to racial events in spatial context
Curricular Justification: In the sub-disciplinary categorization of geography (NIOS Lesson 1), Anthropogeography / Anthropology interfaces with geography by studying human racial classifications, physical traits, and ethnic cultural variations across geographical space. (Option B corresponds to Geomorphology, C to Demography/Population Geography, and D to Historical Geography).

Ans. (A) Related to racial events in spatial context
Justification: In the systematic branch of human geography, anthropology (specifically anthropogeography) examines the spatial distribution, physical traits, cultural adaptations, and racial characteristics of human groups over the Earth's surface.

Ans. (C) Westerly winds
Justification: Planetary (permanent or prevailing) winds blow continuously year-round in fixed latitudinal belts driven by global pressure belts. Westerlies, Trade Winds, and Polar Easterlies are permanent planetary winds; monsoons are periodic/seasonal winds, and land/valley breezes are diurnal local winds.

Ans. (D) Trophic Level V — Decomposer
Justification: In ecological food chains, Trophic Level I = Primary Producers (vegetation), Trophic Level II = Herbivores (primary consumers), Trophic Level III = Carnivores (secondary consumers), Trophic Level IV = Tertiary top carnivores, and Trophic Level V = Decomposers (bacteria/fungi saprotrophs).

Ans. (A) 22 May
Justification: The United Nations General Assembly designated 22 May as the International Day for Biological Diversity to mark the adoption of the agreed text of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on 22 May 1992.

Ans. (C) Tibet, Colorado, Bolivia
Justification: Intermontane plateaus are high elevated lands completely surrounded by mountain ranges. Tibet (between Himalayas & Kunlun), Colorado (in the Rockies), and Bolivia (Altiplano in the Andes) are classic intermontane plateaus. Patagonia is a piedmont plateau, and Malwa/Maharashtra are volcanic continental plateaus.

Ans. (A) Horst mountain
Curricular Justification: Under standard geomorphological taxonomy: • On the basis of location: Mountains are divided into Oceanic (e.g., Mauna Kea) and Continental (Coastal vs. Inland). • On the basis of origin/mode of formation: Mountains are divided into Fold, Block/Horst (tectonic faulting), Volcanic (accumulation), and Relict/Residual. Horst mountain is an original tectonic mountain formed by crustal faulting and uplift.

Ans. (B) Only I, III and IV are correct
Justification: Climate is governed by Latitude (insolation angle), Altitude (lapse rate of temperature), Relief, and Natural Vegetation. Longitude is a temporal coordinate system used to calculate standard time and has no direct influence on regional climate.

Ans. (A) Precipitation
Justification: Atmospheric pressure is directly controlled by temperature (inverse relationship), altitude (decreases with height), and moisture/humidity (water vapour lowers air density). Precipitation is a resulting hydrological output of condensation, not a causal factor controlling pressure.

Ans. (C) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
Justification: Peninsular Southern India lies south of the Tropic of Cancer in close proximity to the Equator (Kanniyakumari at 8°4' N). It receives direct solar insolation throughout the year without experiencing severe winter temperatures, reinforced by the moderating influence of the surrounding seas.

Ans. (D) Tamil Nadu
Justification: Tank irrigation is most prominent in Peninsular India, especially Tamil Nadu, due to the undulating hard crystalline rock terrain that impedes canal excavation and prevents groundwater percolation, making natural surface storage depressions ideal.

Ans. (C) Norman Myers
Justification: British ecologist Norman Myers coined the concept of "Biodiversity Hotspots" in 1988 to designate biogeographic regions that possess exceptional levels of plant endemism and are experiencing severe habitat degradation.

Ans. (B) Biosphere Reserve, Wildlife Sanctuary, National Park
Justification: In-situ conservation protects wild species within their natural ecosystems and habitats. Biosphere Reserves, National Parks, and Wildlife Sanctuaries are purely in-situ methods; zoological parks, botanical gardens, and gene banks represent ex-situ (off-site) conservation.

Ans. (B) Manganese
Justification: Manganese dioxide (MnO₂) is a vital chemical depolarizer in dry-cell electric batteries, alongside its primary metallurgical use in ferro-alloys and steel manufacturing.

Ans. (C) Road transport
Justification: Road transport provides direct, flexible, door-to-door transit indispensable for perishable items like milk and vegetables within urban areas and suburban supply corridors.

Ans. (A) 1990
Justification: The first Human Development Report (HDR) introducing the Human Development Index (HDI) was published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1990, pioneered by Dr. Mahbub ul Haq and Prof. Amartya Sen.

(a) Structural plains (संरचनात्मक मैदान) are mainly formed by the uplift of a part of the sea floor or continental shelf. (e.g., Coastal plains of USA, Coromandel coastal plain).
(b) Attrition (सन्निघर्षण) is the process of mechanical means of erosion colliding with each other, breaking and becoming smaller.

(a) Kanchenjunga (Located in Sikkim; elevation 8,586 metres).
Note on Academic Distinction: K2 (Godwin Austen, 8,611 m) is in the Karakoram range and lies in PoK. Within the Great Himalayas in undisputed Indian territory, Kanchenjunga is the undisputed highest peak. (b) Guru Shikhar (Located in Mount Abu, Sirohi district, Rajasthan; elevation 1,722 metres).

(a) Kanchenjunga (Located in Sikkim; elevation 8,586 metres).
(b) Guru Shikhar (Located in Mount Abu, Rajasthan; elevation 1,722 metres).

(a) Pacific Ocean (specifically the Tropical Eastern/South Pacific Ocean along the coast of Peru).
(b) Causes severe drought (leads to weak southwest monsoon rainfall and drought conditions in India).

(a) UDAN Scheme (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik).
(b) National Waterway 1 (NW-1) (Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system, 1,620 km).

(a) Deforestation (or over-exploitation of biological resources / illegal hunting).
(b) Maintaining ecological balance (or enabling plant pollination / sustaining nutrient cycling / ensuring soil conservation).

(a) In India, Kerala state has the highest SDG index score (ranking 1st on NITI Aayog's SDG India Index).
(b) According to the SDG index score, 50–64 score range states show Performer (परफॉर्मर) status.
Official NITI Aayog SDG Index 4-Tier Scheme: Aspirant (0–49), Performer (50–64), Front Runner (65–99), Achiever (100).

(a) The beginning of the international conference on human environment took place in the year 1972 (at Stockholm, Sweden).
(b) The Millennium Development Goals were adopted in the year 2000 (at the UN Millennium Summit in New York).

(a) Peace (शांति). The UN 2030 Agenda rests on the 5 ‘P’s: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnership. "Free from fear and violence" specifically represents Peace (SDG Goal 16).
(b) Sustainable economic growth (or price stability, productive full employment, and mitigation of extreme economic shocks).

1. Mechanism and Time of Occurrence: Sea breeze occurs during the daytime when solar radiation heats the land much faster than the sea. Warm air rises over the land creating a localized low pressure, drawing cool marine air from sea to land. Conversely, land breeze develops at night when land cools rapidly via terrestrial radiation; the sea remains warmer, causing air to blow from high-pressure land towards low-pressure sea.
2. Moisture & Thermal Impact: Sea breeze carries moisture and lowers coastal daytime maximum temperatures, creating a refreshing diurnal effect. In contrast, land breeze is dry and cool as it originates over the continental land surface.

1. Targeted Government Initiatives: Policy schemes like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, the Right to Education (RTE) Act, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs), fee concessions, mid-day meals, and free bicycle/scholarship distributions have minimized financial hurdles and vastly increased girl student retention.
2. Social Awakening and Infrastructure: Changing societal attitudes toward girls' empowerment, enforcement of legal marriage age, expansion of all-girls schools, and provision of safe school sanitation facilities have significantly curbed female dropout rates.

1. Crustal Faulting under Tectonic Forces: Endogenetic tectonic stresses generate tension or compression in the Earth's crust, fracturing the rock strata along parallel lines of weakness called faults.
2. Differential Vertical Displacement: When the central land block between parallel faults is pushed upwards above the adjacent land, or when the adjoining side blocks subside into rift valleys leaving the central block standing high, a flat-topped Horst or Block Mountain is formed (e.g., Black Forest, Vosges, and Satpura Range).

1. Warm Ocean Currents: Originate in low-latitude equatorial/tropical regions and flow poleward towards colder latitudes. They carry higher surface temperatures than the surrounding waters and warm adjacent coastal regions (e.g., Gulf Stream, Kuroshio Current, Brazil Current).
2. Cold Ocean Currents: Originate in high polar/sub-polar latitudes or ascend via deep ocean upwelling, flowing towards the Equator. They carry cold water and lower coastal temperatures, frequently causing desertification along subtropical western continental margins (e.g., Labrador Current, Peru/Humboldt Current, Benguela Current).

1. Spatio-Temporal Uncertainty of Rainfall: Indian monsoon rainfall is confined to only 3 to 4 months of the year, characterized by high spatial variability and recurrent dry spells. Controlled perennial irrigation is essential to protect standing crops against drought stress and seasonal moisture deficiency.
2. Intensive Multi-Cropping and HYV Seeds: The adoption of Green Revolution technology, multi-cropping patterns (Rabi, Kharif, Zaid), and water-intensive crops (paddy, sugarcane, wheat) requires assured, timed water supplies that rainfall alone cannot sustain.

1. Thermal Power Generation: Coal is the primary fossil fuel used in thermal power stations to generate high-pressure steam for turbines, supplying over 60–70% of India's total domestic electricity grid.
2. Metallurgical & Industrial Smelting: Bituminous coking coal serves as an irreplaceable thermal reducing agent in blast furnaces to smelt iron ore into pig iron and steel, and provides direct heat for cement kilns and chemical manufacturing.

1. Himalayan Glacial Retreat: Rising ambient temperatures cause rapid shrinking of Himalayan glaciers, initially triggering glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) and jeopardizing the future perennial dry-season base flow of river systems like the Ganga, Yamuna, and Indus.
2. Intensification of Hydrological Extremes: Shift in rainfall patterns has led to increased frequency of short-duration, high-intensity cloudbursts causing flash flooding and urban inundation, followed by extended rainless intervals that exacerbate groundwater depletion and droughts.

1. Tectonic Submergence & Eustatic Sea Level Rise: Downwarping, crustal faulting of continental coastal borders, or the post-glacial global rise in sea levels (eustasy) drowns former terrestrial coastal lowlands under shallow marine waters, transforming them into continental shelves.
2. Fluvial & Marine Sediment Deposition: Massive volumes of silt and detritus discharged by major rivers accumulate on continental margins over geological epochs, building broad prograding sub-aqueous sediment aprons and submarine deltaic platforms (e.g., the wide shelf off the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta).
3. Marine Abrasion & Wave Planation: The continuous erosive mechanical hammering of crashing sea waves and tides planes down coastal rock formations, creating gently seaward-sloping wave-cut bedrock benches that subsequently submerge to form shelves.

1. Enclosed by Fold Mountains: By physical definition, intermontane plateaus are completely or partially surrounded and enclosed by towering mountain cordilleras formed during the same orogenic cycle. A prominent example is the Tibetan Plateau, hemmed in by the Himalayas to the south and the Kunlun Mountains to the north.
2. Exceptional Altitude and Area: They represent the highest elevated plateaus on Earth. The Tibetan Plateau averages 4,500 m above sea level (earning the title "Roof of the World"), while the Bolivian Plateau (Altiplano) in the Andes stands at roughly 3,800 m.
3. Rain-Shadow Aridity & Inland Drainage: Surrounding mountain barriers intercept oceanic air masses, creating severe rain-shadow aridity, steppe vegetation, and extensive endorheic inland drainage basins containing saline or brackish lakes (e.g., Lake Titicaca and Lake Qinghai).

1. Southward Migration of Pressure Belt: With the southward migration of the Sun towards the Tropic of Capricorn, the monsoon low-pressure trough over the northern plains weakens and is replaced by high pressure, causing winds to withdraw southward toward the Bay of Bengal.
2. Phenomenon of ‘October Heat’: The retreat brings clear, cloudless skies and rising daytime temperatures while the soil remains wet from previous rains. This high temperature coupled with lingering high humidity produces an oppressive, sweltering weather condition known as ‘October Heat’.
3. Cyclonic Rainfall on Coromandel Coast: Retreating winds pick up moisture while traversing the warm Bay of Bengal and strike the southeastern coast of India. Severe tropical cyclonic depressions bring torrential and life-sustaining rains to coastal Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu (Coromandel Coast).

1. Grassroots Community Participation: Water management cannot be sustained through top-down mandates alone. Successful models like Ralegan Siddhi and Hiware Bazar in Maharashtra prove that empowering local Gram Panchayats, Pani Panchayats, and user associations ensures equitable water distribution, prevents wastage, and guarantees the upkeep of local check dams.
2. Integrated Ridge-to-Valley Watershed Development: Treating the entire micro-watershed as an integrated ecological unit—from ridge to valley—combining vegetative measures (contour trenching, pasture development, afforestation) with physical check dams and percolation tanks dramatically increases ground percolation and checks soil erosion.
3. Mandatory Rainwater Harvesting & Micro-Irrigation: Enforcing strict urban municipal bylaws for rooftop rainwater harvesting in buildings recharges depleted urban aquifers. In agriculture, subsidizing micro-irrigation (drip and sprinkler systems) along with shifting from water-intensive cash crops to drought-resistant millets preserves critical water reserves.