UGC NET Paper 2 Geography Mock Test - 2 - UGC NET MCQ

Correct Answer: D.N. Livingstone.

Key Points

• The quarter of a century since the publication of David Livingstone’s (1992) The Geographical Tradition provides an apt moment to reflect on the book’s theses, lacunae, and legacies, and to take stock of the ways in which its provocations and reception might instruct the wider project of rendering the discipline’s history.
• In framing this themed intervention, we engage the assertion that contextualizers need contextualizing; there exists scope to heighten awareness of the location within time, space, and culture from which contextualist historiographies of geography are written. We call attention to the meaning and implications of the particular and situated contextualist methodology mobilized and executed in The Geographical Tradition.
• The Geographical Tradition undoubtedly broke new ground in its relentless scrutiny of the reciprocal constitution of text and context and its sustained contextualist interrogation of geography, Geography, and geographers. For Withers, a key to The Geographical Tradition was Livingstone’s “insistence that we must situate geography historically and geographically”.
• The four traditions are the Spatial or Locational Tradition, the Area Studies or Regional Tradition, the Man-Land Tradition, and the Earth Science Tradition. Each of these traditions is interrelated, and they are often used in conjunction with one another, rather than alone.

​ Additional Information

• Livingstone detected two critical flaws in existing historiographical accounts: ‘presentism’ or interpreting past geographical ideas by the (scientific, moral, and aesthetic) standards of today, and ‘internalism’ or construing the evolution of the discipline in terms of interior drivers of change (scholarly fields, their champions, spats, alignments, and plays). Refusing to label and police the boundaries of his alternative approach too strictly, he invoked the simple yet powerful idea of 'situated messiness'.

Answer: 1) Supervised classification involves human input to identify training samples, while unsupervised classification uses algorithms to group pixels based on similarity. 

Key Points 

Supervised and Unsupervised classification:

• Supervised classification involves human input to identify training samples.
• unsupervised classification uses algorithms to group pixels based on similarity.
• In supervised classification, the interpreter selects a number of training samples that represent the different land cover classes of interest.
• The training samples are then used to train a classifier, which is an algorithm that can assign each pixel in the image to a land cover class.
• In unsupervised classification, the interpreter does not select any training samples. Instead, the algorithm uses statistical methods to group pixels into clusters based on their similarity.
• The clusters can then be labeled with land cover class names by the interpreter.

Additional Information 

Comparison between Supervised and Unsupervised classification:

The correct answer is Troposphere.

Key Points

• Troposphere
  • The troposphere is the lowest layer of the Earth's atmosphere.
  • The air is very well mixed and the temperature decreases with altitude.
  • The air in the troposphere is heated from the ground up.
  • The surface of the Earth absorbs energy and heats up faster than the air does.

Additional Information

• The different layers of the atmosphere are listed below:
  • Exosphere
    • This is the upper limit of our atmosphere.
    • It extends from the top of the thermosphere up to 10,000 km (6,200 mi).
  • Thermosphere
    • The thermosphere starts just above the mesosphere and extends to 600 km (372 miles) high.
    • Aurora and satellites occur in this layer.
  • Mesosphere
    • The mesosphere starts just above the stratosphere and extends to 85 km (53 miles) high.
    • Meteors burn up in this layer.
  • Stratosphere
    • The stratosphere starts just above the troposphere and extends to 50 km (31 miles) high.
    • The ozone layer, which absorbs and scatters the solar ultraviolet radiation, is in this layer.
  • Ionosphere
    • The ionosphere is an abundant layer of electrons and ionized atoms and molecules that stretches from about 48 km.
    • The ionosphere is a critical link in the chain of Sun-Earth interactions.
    • This region is what makes radio communications possible.

Biotic and Abiotic Components-

• Biotic and abiotic are the two important factors of the ecosystem which have important characters in shaping the ecosystem. Therefore, both the biotic and abiotic factors affect the survival and reproduction process of all living beings.
• Both components are related to each other. If one of the components or a factor is removed or changed, it affects the entire ecosystem.

Abiotic Factors

• Abiotic factors or components are mainly referred to all the non-living things with chemical and physical factors. These can be acquired from the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere.
• Sunlight (Temperature), air, moisture, minerals, and soil are some examples of abiotic factors. Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.
• These factors have a significant impact on the survival and reproduction of species in an ecosystem.

Additional Information

Biotic Factors-

• Biotic factors or components are mainly referred to all the living things in the ecosystem. Their presence or their materials affect the composition of an ecosystem. These materials include all living organisms, like animals, humans, plants, fungi, and bacteria.  All the interactions will make a difference in the survival and reproduction of each species.
• All living components of an ecosystem, including the producers, consumers, and decomposers, or detritivores are considered as biotic examples.

The correct answer is Great Canyon of Gandikota.

Key Points

• Great Canyon of Gandikota is known as the “Grand Canyon of India”.
• The Great Canyon of India is located in Gandikota, a small village in the Andhra Pradesh district of Kadapa.
• It is well-known for the breathtaking gorge that the Pennar River, which flows through the Erramala Hills, created.
• Travelers now refer to this exquisite example of natural building as India's "Hidden Grand Canyon."

Important Points

• In cross-section, the Grand Canyon in Arizona is a naturally occurring feature that is characterized by stratified bands of red rock that disclose millions of years of geological history.
• With a length of 277 miles, the canyon is enormous, averaging 10 miles across and 1 mile deep.
• With its expansive views and white-water rapids in the Colorado River, a large portion of the region is protected as a national park. 

Additional Information

• Laitlum Canyon, located near Smit in Meghalaya, is a lovely mountain ridge.
• In the Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal, India, there is a natural canyon called Gongoni Danga that is located close to the town of Garbeta.
• The state of Madhya Pradesh in central India is home to the Chambal River Gorge.  

Alfred Weber’s Industrial location theory is also called as least-cost theory. In this theory Weber explains how the industrial location will be based on the transport cost, labour cost and agglomeration cost. The assumptions made by him include things such as ‘Raw materials will be taken from a fixed source location’ and ‘perfect competitive pricing’. But they also include stipulations like the demand and the market will be constant and transport rates will remain same everywhere, but transport cost will vary according to weight and distance.

Thus, the correct answer is C.

• The Primary activities are dependent totally on the nature and natural resources. This includes agriculture, mining, quarrying, fishing, etc.
• The secondary economic activities process and produce finished output from the natural resources or raw materials from primary activities. These include factories of different kinds like metal and food processing.
• The tertiary activities are activities that contribute to transport of the goods and services produced by secondary sector. This is service sector which includes activities like transport, tourism, etc.
• Quaternary activities are based on skills of people. It includes knowledge-oriented activities like business consultancy, information technology, media, etc.

Thus, the correct answer is A.

1. North Equatorial Current: This is a warm ocean current that flows westward from the west coast of Africa towards the east coast of South America, driven by trade winds. It is part of the large-scale ocean circulation pattern near the equator, where waters are generally warmer.

2. Gulf Stream: This is also a warm ocean current that originates from the North Equatorial Current. As it reaches the east coast of South America, it is deflected northward along the western North Atlantic, becoming the Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream is a significant warm current that affects the climate of the east coast of North America, contributing to warmer temperatures and increased rainfall.

3. Peru Current: This is a cold ocean current, not mentioned in the passage but known as the Humboldt Current, which flows along the west coast of South America from the south towards the equator. It brings cold water up from the depths, making it a cold current.

4. North Atlantic Drift: This is another warm current that is a continuation of the Gulf Stream. After the Gulf Stream moves northward, it drifts eastward across the North Atlantic Ocean towards Europe, carrying warm water and affecting the climate of Western Europe.

Conclusion:

• The Gulf Stream is clearly identified as a warm ocean current in the passage, making it the correct answer.
• The North Equatorial Current and North Atlantic Drift are also warm currents, but the specific mention and detailed role of the Gulf Stream in the passage confirm it as the primary example of a warm ocean current.

The correct answer is 2. Gulf Stream.

The correct answer is 2 only.

Key Points

• Distribution of water on the surface of the earth:

• Water in groundwater is 0.62% while in lakes and rivers it is 0.008 (Salt lakes)+0.009(freshwater lakes) + 0.0001(rivers)=0.0171. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
• Water in polar ice caps and glaciers is 2% while in groundwater it is 0.62%. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

The correct answer is Shoal

Key Points

• Shoal is the accumulation of sediment in a river channel or on a continental shelf that is potentially dangerous to ships.
• Shoals appear as long and narrow ridges.
• The landform occurs when an ocean current, stream, or river facilitates the deposition of granular material and sediment leading to localized shallowing of the water.
• Shoals can form as fluvial landforms in lakes, rivers, and streams or as an ocean bank in the sea.

The correct answer is 20° N to 25° N latitudes.

Key Points

• The Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone, or ITCZ, is the region that orbits Earth, near the equator, where the northern and southern hemisphere trade winds converge.
• In January the ITCZ ​​is located at approximately 15°S.
• In July it is situated at 20°N to 25°N.

Important Points

• The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is a low-pressure area located on the equator.
• Trade winds are found in this region.
• So the air starts rising in this area.
• I.T.C.Z in the month of July. 20° to 25°N.
• It is situated in the Gangetic plain around the latitudes.
• Sometimes called a monsoon trough, this monsoon trough encourages the development of thermal low air pressure over north and north-west India.
• Due to the northward movement of ITCZ, the trade winds of the southern hemisphere cross the equator between 40° and 60° East longitude.
• Under the influence of the Coriolis force, the direction of these trade winds crossing the equator becomes from southwest to northeast.

According to Wein's displacement law:

Where A = Wein’s constant =2.898 x 10^-3 mk

T = Temperature of the body

So, as the temperature of the black body increases, the dominant wavelength of the emitted radiation shifts towards shorter wavelength.

The correct option is: Only (B)are true.
Important Points

(A)The equator is a real line running on the globe, which divides it into two equal parts.

• The statement is incorrect.
• The equator is an imaginary line running horizontally around the Earth, dividing it into the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere.
• It is not a real physical line on the Earth's surface.

(B) The equator is the longest latitude.

• The statement is true.
• The equator is the longest latitude line. It is the largest circle of latitude, measuring approximately 40,075 kilometers or 24,901 miles in length.

(C) The equator represents the 180° latitude.

• The statement is incorrect.
• The Equator represents 0° latitude.
• It is the imaginary line that equally divides the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
• Latitude lines are measured from the Equator, with values increasing up to 90° north at the North Pole and 90° south at the South Pole.
• The 180° line you may be thinking of is the 180° longitude line, which is part of the system used to divide the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

Hence Option C is the correct answer.

The correct answer is Only (A) and (B) are true.

Key Points: PointsThe question is about insolation, which is the incoming solar energy the Earth intercepts.

• Option 1 is the correct answer, as statements (A) and (B) are true.
• Statement (A) is true as insolation is the incoming solar energy the earth intercepts.
• Statement (B) is also true as the amount and intensity of insolation vary during a day, in a second, and in a year.
• These variations are due to factors such as the sun's angle, the atmosphere's thickness, and the earth's rotation and revolution.
• Option 2 is incorrect as statement (A) is true, but statement (C) is false.
• The amount of insolation actually decreases from the equator towards the poles.
• Option 3 is incorrect as statement (B) is true, but statement (C) is false.
• Option 4 is incorrect as all three statements are true, not false.

Additional Information

• Insolation is an important factor that affects climate, weather, and ecosystems.
• The variations in insolation can cause differences in temperature, pressure, wind, and precipitation patterns.
• The equator receives more insolation than the poles because the sun's rays are more direct and spread over a smaller area.
• The tilt of the earth's axis also affects the amount and distribution of insolation, leading to the seasons.

The correct answer is Hydrosphere and Lithosphere.

Key Points

The question is about the four domains of the natural environment.

• Option 2: Hydrosphere and Lithosphere is the correct answer.
  • Hydrosphere refers to all the water on Earth, including oceans, lakes, rivers, and groundwater.
  • The lithosphere refers to the solid part of Earth, including the crust, mantle, and core.
• The Atmosphere refers to the layer of gases surrounding Earth, including the air we breathe.
• The Biosphere refers to all living organisms and their interactions with the other domains.

Additional Information

• Mesosphere is the layer of the Earth's atmosphere above the stratosphere and the thermosphere.
• The stratosphere is the layer of the Earth's atmosphere above the troposphere and the mesosphere.

The correct answer is Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).

Key Points

• According to the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1993, there were 16.5 million deaths due to infectious diseases worldwide.
  • Urbanisation without health planning leads to the spread of diseases.
  • Hence option 2 is correct.

Additional Information

• The global population was 2.8 billion in 1955 and is 5.8 billion now.
  • It will increase by nearly 80 million people a year to reach about 8 billion by the year 2025.
• In 1955, 68% of the global population lived in rural areas and 32% in urban areas.
  • In 1995 the ratio was 55% rural and 45% urban; by 2025 it will be 41% rural and 59% urban.
• Every day in 1997, about 365 000 babies were born, and about 140 000 people died, giving a natural increase of about 220 000 people a day.
• Today's population is made up of 613 million children under 5; 1.7 billion children and adolescents aged 5-19; 3.1 billion adults aged 20-64; and 390 million over 65.
• The proportion of older people requiring support from adults of working age will increase from 10.5% in 1955 and 12.3% in 1995 to 17.2% in 2025.
• In 1955, there were 12 people aged over 65 for every 100 aged under 20.
  • By 1995, the old/young ratio was 16/100; by 2025 it will be 31/100.
• The proportion of young people under 20 years will fall from 40% now to 32% of the total population by 2025, despite reaching 2.6 billion - an actual increase of 252 million.
• The number of people aged over 65 will rise from 390 million now to 800 million by 2025 - reaching 10% of the total population.
• By 2025, increases of up to 300% of the older population are expected in many developing countries, especially in Latin America and Asia.
• Globally, the population of children under 5 will grow by just 0.25% annually between 1995-2025, while the population over 65 years will grow by 2.6%.
• The average number of babies per woman of child-bearing age was 5.0 in 1955, falling to 2.9 in 1995 and reaching 2.3 in 2025.
  • While only 3 countries were below the population replacement level of 2.1 babies in 1955, there will be 102 such countries by 2025.

Key Points

Assertion (A): Central Business District (CBD) of a city has a high concentration of wholesale stores, offices, and cultural and recreational activities.

The concept of CBD:

• The term Central Business District (CBD) is a widely used term in commercial real estate and is defined as the functional area of a city that has the maximum concentration of commercial, retail, and business centers.
• Geographically, it coincides with the city center and is the focal point for the transportation networks of the city.
• It has maximum urban density than other districts of the town and offers a healthy environment for carrying out various commercial activities.
• Today, CBDs are a diverse region in metro cities that not only include retail spaces, commercial, offices, financial institutions, government centres, and medical centres, but also entertainment hubs, restaurants, hotels, and residential area

Hence, the assertion is correct.

Reason (R): Prices and demand of real increases as distance towards CBD reduces.

Price and demand relationship:

• In ancient times, CBDs were the market squares where merchants and customers gathered to sell and buy things.
• However, as cities evolved, land scarcity and increasing demand reduced horizontal expansions and gave way to vertical developments.
• The relationship of land price and distance to CBD is significant and negative, which means indicating the decreasing of land price by increasing distance from the CBD.
• Market price gives the same result as the appraised price which is the effect of distance on land values is significant and negative.

Hence, the reason is also correct.

Therefore, Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

The correct answer is Bantu - Sahara.

Key Points

• Bantu peoples, the approximately 85 million speakers of the more than 500 distinct languages of the Bantu subgroup of the Niger-Congo language family, occupying almost the entire southern projection of the African continent.
  • Bantu the largest African language family, spoken in much of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Additional Information

• Fulani, a primarily Muslim people scattered throughout many parts of West Africa, from Lake Chad, in the east, to the Atlantic coast.
• The Maasai are an indigenous ethnic group in East Africa of semi-nomadic people settled in Kenya and northern Tanzania.
• Nuba, inhabitants of the Nuba Hills in the Kordofan region of central-southern Sudan.
  • Sudan is a country in North Africa.

• Australian geographer Griffith Taylor, in 1920 argued that the limit of agricultural settlements in Australia has been set by factors of the physical environment such as a distribution of rainfall. He further said that the best economic programme for a country to follow has in large part been determined by nature, and it is the geographer’s duty to interpret this programme.
• Man is able to accelerate, slow, or stop the progress of a country’s regional development. But he should not, if he is wise, depart from directions as indicated by natural environment. He is like the traffic controller in a large city who alters the rate but not the direction of progress.
• This theory is also called ‘’stop and go determinism’’.
• It says that man follows nature’s plan only if he is wise, presuming he can act foolishly, which admits the possible contention that within broad limits set by the environment, man can choose at the very least. But wisdom and folly are human concepts. Nature knows nothing about them.
• This theory says that in no environment are the possibilities limitless and for every choice a price must be paid. Man makes his choice and man himself judges its relative wisdom or folly by reference to goals he himself has established.

Answer: option 3.

• Both theories approach the concept of global dominance from different geographical standpoints, with the Heartland Theory focusing on the central Eurasian landmass and the Rimland Theory emphasizing the strategic importance of coastal areas.
• Despite criticisms and evolving global contexts, both theories contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the interplay between geography and power.
• They offer contrasting yet complementary perspectives, encouraging analysts to consider a broader range of factors when assessing geostrategic dynamics.

• This statement dismisses the foundational insights provided by both theories into the significance of geography in global politics.
• While technological advancements and new geopolitical challenges may have altered the landscape since these theories were first proposed, the core idea that geography matters in international relations remains relevant.
• Moreover, elements of these theories continue to inform strategic thinking and policy-making in various contexts.

• Declaring one theory as more universally accurate than the other oversimplifies the complexity of geopolitics.
• Each theory provides perspectives that are valuable in different contexts, and their relevance can vary depending on the specific geopolitical situation being analyzed.
• It is more productive to view them as complementary rather than in competition for accuracy.

• While it's true that the predictive power of these theories may be limited, especially in light of modern technological and international developments, this statement underestimates the continuing impact of geography on geopolitical strategies and decisions.
• These theories are not only useful for understanding past geopolitical strategies but also for framing current issues in a broader geographical context.
• The insight that geography plays a critical role in international relations remains pertinent.

Hence, option 3.The Heartland and Rimland theories provide valuable but contrasting insights is correct.

Answer: Option 1) Their emphasis on land versus sea power.

• The Heartland Theory, proposed by Halford Mackinder, emphasizes the central importance of land power.
• It argues that the nation that controls the central Eurasian plains (the "Heartland") could potentially achieve global domination, based on the premise that this area is strategically invulnerable and pivotal for controlling the World-Island (Eurasia and Africa).
• The Rimland Theory, introduced by Nicholas Spykman, counters this by highlighting the significance of sea power.
• It suggests that controlling the coastal areas or the "Rimland" that surrounds Eurasia is key to global supremacy.
• Spykman believed that maritime mobility and control over these coastal states offered superior strategic advantages over the inland-centric approach of the Heartland Theory.

Losch’s theory attempts to explain the size and shape of market area within which a location would command the largest revenue. It is assumed that the demand varies inversely with price. This gives us a demand pattern. The demand curve can be rotated round the production point to give the size and shape of the market space. With increasing competition, the size of the market area becomes hexagonal. They also become smaller as the markets are competed away.

Thus, the Correct answer is D.

The amount of radiant energy has been found to be constant. There is little variation is the quantum of solar energy received at the outer margin of the atmosphere. It is a fact verified by observations made at various places on different occasions.

Thus, the Correct answer is B.

Stream length ratio= Rl= Lu/Lu+i, where, Lu is the mean length of the streams or basins of order u; the suffix u+1 denotes the same for the next higher order.

Bifurcation Ratio, Rb= Nu/Nu+i, where Nu is the number of the streams or basin of order u; the suffix u+1 denotes the same for the next higher order.

Elongation ratio(Re)= P/π L

Where, P= basin perimeter, L is maximum basin length.

Drainage Texture may be defined as the total number of streams segments of all order in a basin per perimeter of the basin.

Thus, the Correct answer is d.

Hoover proposed his theory of industrial location whose determinants of location of industries were transportation costs and extraction costs. The delivered price for the buyers will be the cost of extraction plus the transport costs. This was represented by isotims, which start from the point of production or extraction and joins the places containing the same delivered prices. Buyers will obtain the product from the source that offers the lowest delivered price.

The direction of a horizontal line along the bedding plane is called a strike. The line (a) is a strike. The dip is the inclination of rock bed with respect to the horizontal plane. An anticline is an upfolded rock belt. The limb of the fold is the side of the fold.

Western Ghats lie near the western coast of India. They occur as a hindrance for the winds of South-west monsoon winds and lead to orographic rain in the area. First occurrence of rain in an area is called as monsoon burst. During the Monsoon season, there are periods when there are sharp decrease in rainfall over most parts of the country, this is called monsoon break. The El Nino is a warm current and hence it leads to increase in temperatures by 3-4 degree Celsius.

Andaman is home to five "particularly vulnerable" tribes. They are the Jarawas, North Sentinelese, Great Andamanese, Onge and Shompen. The Jarawas and the North Sentinelese haven't integrated with the mainstream population yet.