Insights Static Quiz -142, 2018 –Physical Geography and Environment

Answer – a

• Physical forces like of the sun, moon and the windsinfluence the movement of ocean water. Thehorizontal and vertical motions are commonin ocean water bodies.
• The horizontal motionrefers to the ocean currents and waves. Ocean currentsare the continuous flow of huge amount ofwater in a definite direction while the wavesare the horizontal motion of water. Water movesahead from one place to another through oceancurrents while the water in the waves does notmove, but the wave trains move ahead. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• Thevertical motion refers to the rise and fall of waterin the oceans and seas. Due to attraction ofthe sun and the moon, the ocean water is raisedup and falls down twice a day, called tides. The upwellingof cold water from subsurface and the sinkingof surface water are also forms of verticalmotion of ocean water.

Answer – C

• Biogeochemical cycle starts by absorbing the chemical elements by the organism and is returned to the air, water and soil through decomposition. Thus the cycles are largely energised by solar insolation. These are cyclic movements of chemical elements of the biosphere between the organism and the environment. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• There are two types of biogeochemical cycles : the gaseous and the sedimentary
• In the gaseous cycle, the main reservoir of nutrients is the atmosphere and the ocean.
• In the sedimentary cycle, the main reservoir is the soil and the sedimentary and other rocks of the earth’s crust. Hence statement 2 is correct.

Answer – C

• Out of the total solar insolation that reaches the earth’s surface, only a very small fraction (0.1 per cent) is fixed in photosynthesis. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• More than half is used for plant respiration and the remaining part is temporarily stored or is shifted to other portions of the plant. Hence statement 2 is correct.

Answer – B

• The interactions of a particular group of organisms with abiotic factors within a particular habitat resulting in clearly defined energy flows and material cycles on land, water and air, are called ecological systems. Hence statement 1 is incorrect, but statement 2 is correct.

Answer – B

• Certain carnivores that feed also on carnivores are known as top carnivores like hawks and mongooses. Hence statement 1 is incorrect
• Decomposers are those that feed on dead organisms (for example, scavengers like vultures and crows), and further breaking down of the dead matter by other decomposing agents like bacteria and various microorganisms. Hence statement 2 and 3 are correct.