BPSC CCE Prelims
World Geography Previous Year Questions (PYQs)
Solved Previous Year Questions (PYQs) for World Geography in BPSC CCE Prelims in English & Hindi Medium.
Chapter Breakdown: Scroll →
Which of the following minerals occurs in the Minas Gerais province of Brazil?
Detailed Explanation:
Minas Gerais in Brazil is renowned for the Iron Quadrangle (Quadrilátero Ferrífero), one of the world's largest high-grade iron ore deposits.
Brazil is the second-largest iron ore exporter globally, with most production from Minas Gerais through companies like Vale S.A.
Which of the following has highly elongated elliptical orbit?
Detailed Explanation:
Comets have highly elongated elliptical orbits, originating from the Oort Cloud or Kuiper Belt, traveling close to the Sun at perihelion and far away at aphelion (e.g., Halley's Comet).
Asteroids have nearly circular orbits in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter; meteorites are fragments that land on Earth with no orbit; meteors are light streaks from burning meteoroids with no permanent orbit.
Which of the following cities is located along the side of river Seine?
Detailed Explanation:
Paris is located on the banks of the River Seine, which flows through the heart of the French capital.
Belgrade lies on the Sava and Danube rivers, Lisbon on the Tagus River, and Budapest on the Danube River.
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In the end of its mountainous journey at Attock, the Indus River is joined by which river from Afghanistan?
Detailed Explanation:
At Attock in Pakistan, the Indus River is joined by the Kabul River, which originates in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan.
The Helmand River flows into the Hamun Lake in Iran-Afghanistan border, the Amu Darya flows northward into the Aral Sea, and neither joins the Indus River.
Which of the following statements is true about troposphere?
Detailed Explanation:
✅ Statement 1 – Correct: The troposphere has an average height of 13 km (varies from 8 km at poles to 18 km at equator).
❌ Statement 2 – Incorrect: The troposphere is the lowest layer of the atmosphere, not the topmost; the exosphere is the outermost layer.
❌ Statement 3 – Incorrect: Temperature in the troposphere decreases with height at a rate of approximately 6.5°C per km (normal lapse rate).
The southern continent broken from Pangae is called
Detailed Explanation:
Gondwanaland was the southern supercontinent that broke away from Pangaea around 200 million years ago, comprising present-day South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, and the Indian subcontinent.
Laurasia was the northern counterpart that included North America, Europe, and Asia, while the Pacific Ocean is a water body, not a continental mass.
The Arctic region and the Antarctica continent are situated near
Detailed Explanation:
Arctic region is located near the North Pole at the northernmost part of Earth, while Antarctica is a continent situated near the South Pole at the southernmost part of Earth.
The Amazon Basin is located in South America near the equator, and the Sahara Desert is in North Africa, both far from the polar regions.
The atmosphere is mainly heated by the
Detailed Explanation:
The atmosphere is primarily heated through the greenhouse effect mechanism, not direct solar radiation.
Solar radiation (short-wave) passes through the atmosphere largely unabsorbed and heats the Earth's surface.
The heated surface emits long-wave terrestrial (infrared) radiation, which is absorbed by greenhouse gases (CO₂, water vapor, methane) in the atmosphere, warming it from below.
Reflected solar radiation escapes back to space and does not contribute to atmospheric heating.
This indirect heating process explains why the troposphere is warmest near the surface and cools with altitude.
Geodesy is the science that deals with
Detailed Explanation:
Geodesy is the Earth science dealing with the measurement and representation of Earth's shape, size, and dimensions, including its gravitational field and orientation in space.
Option 1 refers to geochronology, Option 3 to topography/hypsometry, and Option 4 to tectonics/geology—none define geodesy's core function of measuring Earth's dimensions.
Therefore, geodesy's primary focus on Earth's measurement makes Option 2 the correct answer.
The theory of continental drift was developed by
Detailed Explanation:
Alfred Wegener (1912) proposed the Theory of Continental Drift, suggesting that continents were once part of a supercontinent Pangaea and drifted apart over geological time.
J. J. Wilson contributed to plate tectonics, Du Toit supported Wegener's theory with evidence from Gondwanaland, and H. Hess developed seafloor spreading theory—but none originated the drift hypothesis.
Therefore, A. Wegener developed the continental drift theory, making Option 2 the correct answer.
Sunda Trench lies parallel to the island of
Detailed Explanation:
The Sunda Trench is a deep oceanic trench in the Indian Ocean that runs parallel to the Indonesian island arc. It extends along both Java and Sumatra, forming part of the Sunda Arc subduction zone where the Indo-Australian Plate slides beneath the Eurasian Plate.
Maldives and Mauritius are isolated island groups in the Indian Ocean, far from any major tectonic trenches and unrelated to the Sunda system.
Therefore, since the Sunda Trench parallels both Java and Sumatra (more than one option), Option 5 is the correct answer.
An effective Coriolis force results from
Detailed Explanation:
The Coriolis force is an apparent deflection of moving objects (air, water, projectiles) caused by the Earth's rotation. It acts perpendicular to the direction of motion and the axis of rotation, influencing wind patterns, ocean currents, and cyclone formation.
The solar system and Earth's interior do not generate this effect, and ocean currents like the Colorado and Gulf Streams are themselves influenced by the Coriolis force, not its cause.
Therefore, Earth's rotation is the sole cause of the Coriolis force, making Option 2 the correct answer.
Which of the following countries does not have a land border with the Dead Sea?
Detailed Explanation:
The Dead Sea is bordered by only two countries: Jordan (east) and Israel (west and south). The West Bank (Palestine) also touches its western shore between Israeli territory.
Lebanon lies far to the north and shares no border with the Dead Sea. Since Option 1 (Lebanon) is the only correct individual answer, and it appears among the options, the question's logic points to Option 5.
Therefore, Lebanon does not border the Dead Sea, making Option 5 the correct answer.
Which of the following planets has the least density?
Detailed Explanation:
Saturn has the lowest density of all planets at approximately 0.687 g/cm³—less than water (1 g/cm³). Its composition is primarily hydrogen and helium gases with a small rocky core, making it extremely light relative to its volume.
Earth (5.52 g/cm³), Venus (5.24 g/cm³), and Mars (3.93 g/cm³) are terrestrial planets with dense metallic cores and rocky surfaces, resulting in significantly higher densities.
Therefore, Saturn has the least density, making Option 4 the correct answer.
Which of the following statements are concerned with eskers and drumlins?
- Eskers are ridges of crudely bedded gravels and sands.
- Drumlins are constituted mostly of boulder and clay.
- Basket of eggs topography is the characteristic of terrains with eskers
- While eskers are built by glacier streams, drumlins result from glacier action.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below.
Detailed Explanation:
Eskers are sinuous ridges formed by glacial meltwater streams, composed of crudely bedded gravels and sands (Statement 1 correct). Drumlins are streamlined hills formed by direct glacial action, consisting mainly of boulder clay/till (Statement 2 correct). Statement 4 correctly distinguishes their formation: eskers by subglacial streams, drumlins by moving ice.
Statement 3 is incorrect: "Basket of eggs topography" characterizes terrain with drumlins, not eskers. Drumlin fields resemble baskets of eggs when viewed from above due to their oval, clustered appearance.
Therefore, statements 1, 2, and 4 are correct, making Option 2 the correct answer.