Shankar IAS MCQs: India and Climate Change

Q1: Statement 1: Since the early 1990s, satellites have been used to monitor sea levels.
Statement 2: Data from these satellites show a decrease in sea levels since 1993.
(a) Both statements are true.
(b) Statement 1 is true, but statement 2 is false.
(c) Statement 1 is false, but statement 2 is true.
(d) Both statements are false.
Ans: (b)
Explanation: Satellite altimetry began providing routine, global sea-level measurements in the early 1990s. Those data show a long-term rise in global mean sea level since about 1993, not a decrease.

Q2: Arrange the following states in order of their vulnerability to sea-level rise:
1. Goa
2. Gujarat
3. Maharashtra
(a) 1, 2, 3
(b) 3, 2, 1
(c) 2, 3, 1
(d) 1, 3, 2
Ans: (a)
Explanation: Based on the provided information, Goa is considered most vulnerable due to its low-lying coast and concentrated coastal population and infrastructure; Gujarat follows with extensive low-lying coastal stretches; Maharashtra is comparatively less vulnerable among the three, making the sequence 1, 2, 3.

Q3: Which area is at risk of floods due to the rising sea levels, affecting homes and daily lives?
(a) Thar Desert
(b) Ganges Delta
(c) Central Highlands
(d) Western Ghats
Ans: (b)
Explanation: The Ganges Delta is a low-lying, densely populated coastal plain where tidal influence and storm surges combine with rising sea levels to increase flood risk and threaten homes and livelihoods.

Q4: Assertion (A): The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts accelerated ice sheet disintegration if Earth's average temperature increases by 3-4 degrees Celsius.
Reason (R): Increased global temperatures lead to the melting of large ice sheets, contributing to a rise in sea levels.
(a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true, but R is false.
(d) A is false, but R is true.
Ans: (a)
Explanation: IPCC assessments indicate that higher global temperatures (in the order of a few degrees Celsius) increase the likelihood of faster ice-sheet loss in Greenland and Antarctica. The reason is accurate: rising temperatures accelerate melting and dynamic ice loss, which increases sea level.

Q5: Statement 1: Warming seas contribute to more intense tropical storms.
Statement 2: Tropical storms have decreased in intensity due to sea temperature rise.
(a) Both statements are true.
(b) Statement 1 is true, but statement 2 is false.
(c) Statement 1 is false, but statement 2 is true.
(d) Both statements are false.
Ans: (b)
Explanation: Warmer ocean surface temperatures increase the available heat and moisture that fuel tropical cyclones, tending to increase their potential intensity. Statement 2 contradicts the established link and is therefore false.

Q6: The rising sea level causes freshwater sources to mix with seawater, leading to water scarcity.
(a) True
(b) False
Ans: (a)
Explanation: Sea-water intrusion into coastal aquifers and inundation of freshwater sources increase salinity and reduce the availability of potable water, causing local water scarcity.

Q7: Which of the following consequences is not a direct result of rising sea levels?
(a) Displacement of coastal populations.
(b) Loss of coral reefs and marine life.
(c) Decrease in agricultural productivity.
(d) Enhanced efficiency of solar panels.
Ans: (d)
Explanation: Rising sea levels cause coastal flooding, habitat loss and salinisation that lead to displacement, damage to coral reefs and reduced agricultural productivity. Improved solar-panel efficiency is unrelated to sea-level rise.

Q8: Statement 1: Cyclone risks in Orissa are expected to decrease due to sea-level rise.
Statement 2: The Ganges Delta is at risk of floods because of rising sea levels.
(a) Both statements are true.
(b) Statement 1 is true, but statement 2 is false.
(c) Statement 1 is false, but statement 2 is true.
(d) Both statements are false.
Ans: (c)
Explanation: Sea-level rise tends to increase coastal vulnerability to storm surges and may enhance cyclone impacts; thus cyclone risk in Odisha (Orissa) is expected to increase, not decrease. The Ganges Delta is indeed at flood risk from sea-level rise.

Q9: Which of the following is a primary cause of rising sea levels as per the information provided?
(a) Deforestation
(b) Thermal expansion of ocean water
(c) Increased use of fossil fuels
(d) Overfishing in the oceans
Ans: (b)
Explanation: The immediate physical cause named here is thermal expansion: as ocean water warms, its volume increases. Note that increased greenhouse-gas emissions (e.g., from fossil fuels) drive warming, which in turn causes thermal expansion and melting of land ice.

Q10: Which of the following is not an impact of sea-level rise on coastal states in India?
(a) Loss of agricultural land.
(b) Displacement of people.
(c) Increased freshwater availability.
(d) Damage to coastal buildings.
Ans: (c)
Explanation: Sea-level rise leads to land loss, displacement and damage to infrastructure, and it reduces rather than increases freshwater availability because of salinisation and inundation.

Q11: Statement 1: Sea level rise is primarily due to melting ice caps and glaciers.
Statement 2: The melting of floating icebergs contributes significantly to sea level rise.
(a) Both statements are true.
(b) Statement 1 is true, but statement 2 is false.
(c) Statement 1 is false, but statement 2 is true.
(d) Both statements are false.
Ans: (b)
Explanation: Melting land-based ice (ice sheets and glaciers) adds water to the oceans and is a major contributor to sea-level rise. The melting of floating ice (icebergs or sea ice) does not significantly change sea level because that ice already displaced ocean water while floating.

Q12: Based on satellite data since the early 1990s, what has been the trend in sea levels?
(a) A steady decrease.
(b) Fluctuations with no clear trend
(c) A consistent and notable increase.
(d) No significant change.
Ans: (c)
Explanation: Global satellite altimeter records indicate a consistent and measurable rise in global mean sea level since the early 1990s.

Q13: Which Indian state is not mentioned as being at risk due to rising sea levels?
(a) Kerala
(b) Goa
(c) Gujarat
(d) Maharashtra
Ans: (a)
Explanation: The provided material names Goa, Gujarat and Maharashtra as coastal states at risk; Kerala is not mentioned in that list within the given text.

Q14: Rising sea levels will lead to a decrease in the intensity of tropical storms.
(a) True
(b) False
Ans: (b)
Explanation: This is false. Rising sea levels by themselves alter coastal impacts, while warmer sea-surface temperatures that often accompany global warming increase the potential intensity of tropical storms.

Q15: Which of the following is a direct consequence of sea level rise on coastal communities?
(a) Increased agricultural yield.
(b) Decreased urbanization.
(c) Displacement of populations.
(d) Enhanced biodiversity.
Ans: (c)
Explanation: Sea-level rise directly causes coastal inundation and land loss, forcing people to move and thus causing displacement; it does not increase agricultural yield or necessarily enhance biodiversity.

Q16: Assertion (A): The melting of ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland is a significant contributor to sea level rise.
Reason (R): Melting ice sheets add to the overall volume of water in the oceans.
(a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true, but R is false.
(d) A is false, but R is true.
Ans: (a)
Explanation: Melting of land ice in Greenland and Antarctica transfers stored terrestrial water to the ocean, increasing ocean volume and contributing substantially to sea-level rise. The reason directly explains the assertion.

Q17: What is a major risk for coral reefs due to rising sea levels?
(a) Increased sunlight penetration.
(b) Reduced water pollution.
(c) Enhanced photosynthesis.
(d) Threatened habitat and biodiversity.
Ans: (d)
Explanation: Rising sea level combined with higher temperatures and ocean acidification threatens coral habitats by changing light availability, increasing thermal stress and causing bleaching, which endangers reef biodiversity.

Q18: According to the IPCC, what could happen if Earth's temperature increases by 3-4 degrees Celsius?
(a) Decreased ice sheet disintegration.
(b) Stabilization of sea levels.
(c) Accelerated ice sheet disintegration.
(d) Reduction in sea level rise.
Ans: (c)
Explanation: IPCC scenarios indicate that a global temperature rise of several degrees would increase the likelihood of rapid ice-sheet loss and greater long-term sea-level rise.

Q19: Statement 1: Thermal expansion of ocean water is a minor factor in sea level rise.
Statement 2: Increased freshwater from melting ice sheets is the sole cause of rising sea levels.
(a) Both statements are true.
(b) Statement 1 is true, but statement 2 is false.
(c) Statement 1 is false, but statement 2 is true.
(d) Both statements are false.
Ans: (d)
Explanation: Both statements are incorrect. Thermal expansion is a significant contributor to sea-level rise, not a minor one, and melting of land ice is important but not the sole cause - both processes (and other factors) contribute.

Q20: Which area in Mumbai is at risk due to rising sea levels?
(a) Juhu Beach
(b) Versova Beach
(c) Marine Drive
(d) Chowpatty Beach
Ans: (b)
Explanation: The material specifies Versova Beach and nearby populated areas built on tidal mudflats and creeks as being vulnerable to inundation and other impacts associated with sea-level rise.