BPSC CCE Prelims
Physical Geography of India Previous Year Questions (PYQs)
Showing solved Previous Year Questions for Chapter: Physical Geography of India
Topic Breakdown: Scroll →
India's territorial limit extends towards the sea up to how many nautical miles/km from the coast?
Detailed Explanation:
India's territorial waters extend up to 12 nautical miles (approximately 21.9 km) from the baseline of the coast, as defined under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), 1982 and India's Territorial Waters, Continental Shelf, Exclusive Economic Zone and other Maritime Zones Act, 1976.
Within these territorial waters, India exercises complete sovereignty over the sea, seabed, subsoil, and airspace above, similar to its land territory, subject only to the right of innocent passage for foreign vessels.
Compare the Himalayan river with the Peninsular river based on the following comparisons :
- Most of the Himalayan rivers are perennial, whereas most of the Peninsular rivers are rain sed.
- The gradient of the Himalayan river is steeper than the Peninsular river.
- The Peninsular river causes more erosion on its way in comparison to the Himalayan river,
Choose the correct answer from the options given below,
Detailed Explanation:
Himalayan rivers are perennial (fed by glaciers and monsoons), while Peninsular rivers are mostly rain-fed (seasonal flow). Himalayan rivers originate from steep slopes (3,000–5,000 m), creating a steeper gradient than Peninsular rivers flowing over gentler plateaus.
Statement 3 is Incorrect: Steeper gradients and higher velocity enable Himalayan rivers to cause more erosion (deep gorges, V-shaped valleys) compared to Peninsular rivers with gentler slopes and slower flow.
Therefore, only statements 1 and 2 are correct, making Option 1 the correct answer.
Ganga Plain has been described as a
Detailed Explanation:
The Ganga Plain is a geosyncline—a large, linear depression filled with thick sediments from the Himalayas over millions of years. The Indo-Gangetic trough formed between the stable Peninsular shield and the rising Himalayas, accumulating over 6,000 meters of alluvium.
A pediplain is an erosional plain in arid regions; a peneplain is a low-relief surface from prolonged erosion; and a karst plain features limestone dissolution landforms—none describe the depositional Ganga Plain.
Therefore, the Ganga Plain is a geosyncline, making Option 3 the correct answer.
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Which of the following is a freshwater lake?
Detailed Explanation:
Wular Lake (Jammu & Kashmir) and Loktak Lake (Manipur) are both freshwater lakes, making more than one option correct.
Chilika Lake (Odisha) is a brackish lagoon connected to the Bay of Bengal, and Sambhar Lake (Rajasthan) is India's largest inland saltwater lake.
Therefore, since both Options 3 and 4 are freshwater lakes, Option 5 (More than one of the above) is the correct answer.
The confluence of the rivers Son and Ganga is located in which district of Bihar?
Detailed Explanation:
The Son River confluences with the Ganga River near Digha Ghat in Patna district, Bihar. This confluence site is historically and geographically significant.
Buxar, Bhojpur, and Nalanda districts do not host this specific river confluence point.
Therefore, the Son-Ganga confluence is in Patna, making Option 2 the correct answer.
The rivers Damodar, Koel and Subarnarekha originate from which of the following?
Detailed Explanation:
The Damodar, Koel, and Subarnarekha rivers originate from the Chota Nagpur Plateau in eastern India, covering parts of Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, and Chhattisgarh. This ancient plateau is a major watershed for several east-flowing rivers.
The Deccan Plateau is in peninsular India (south of Narmada), the Central Highland lies between Aravalli and Vindhya ranges, and the Meghalaya Plateau is in the northeast—none are the source of these three rivers.
Therefore, Chota Nagpur Plateau being the origin, Option 3 is the correct answer.
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