QUIZ – 2020: INSIGHTS STATIC QUIZ, 17 August 2020 – Geography

Solution: d)

Water seeps into cracks and crevices in rock. If the temperature drops low enough, the water will freeze. When water freezes, it expands.

The ice then works as a wedge. It slowly widens the cracks and splits the rock. When ice melts, water performs the act of erosion by carrying away the tiny rock fragments lost in the split.

Weathering is a natural process, but human activities can speed it up. 

For example, certain kinds of air pollution increase the rate of weathering. Burning coal, natural gas, and petroleum releases chemicals such as nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere. When these chemicals combine with sunlight and moisture, they change into acids. They then fall back to Earth as acid rain.

Acid rain rapidly weathers limestone, marble, and other kinds of stone. The effects of acid rain can often be seen on gravestones, making names and other inscriptions impossible to read.

Thermal stress weathering results from the expansion and contraction of rock, caused by temperature changes.

For example, heating of rocks by sunlight or fires can cause expansion of their constituent minerals.

As some minerals expand more than others, temperature changes set up differential stresses that eventually cause the rock to crack apart.

Solution: b)

Due to the absence of moderation effect of sea on climate, extreme temperatures are found in the Interiors of large continents. This effect is called Continentality which implies being surrounded by only land, leading to a reduced moderation effect of the seas.

Coastal regions will see the land and sea breeze moderating climate.

Similar can be said for plains that are near large water bodies.

Tropical regions do not see much variation in temperatures and precipitation.

Solution: a)

Black soil is also known as regur soils.

Black soil is ideal for growing cotton and is also known as black cotton soil.

The black soils are made up of extremely fine i.e. clayey material. They are well-known for their capacity to hold moisture.

They develop deep cracks during hot weather, which helps in the proper aeration of the soil.

They are rich in soil nutrients, such as calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash and lime. These soils are generally poor in phosphoric contents.

It is believed that climatic condition, along with the parent rock material, are the important factors for the formation of black soil.

This type of soil is typical of the Deccan trap (Basalt) region spread over northwest Deccan plateau and is made up of lava flows.

They cover the plateaus of Maharashtra, Saurashtra, Malwa, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and extend in the south east direction along the Godavari and the Krishna valleys.

Solution: a)

Solution: a)

Coastlines of Emergence

These are formed either by an uplift of the land or by the lowering of the sea level. Bars, spits, lagoons, salt marshes, beaches, sea cliffs and arches are the typical features.

The east coast of India, especially its south-eastern part (Tamil Nadu coast), appears to be a coast of emergence.

The west coast of India, on the other hand, is both emergent and submergent. The northern portion of the coast is submerged as a result of faulting and the southern portion, that is the Kerala coast, is an example of an emergent coast.

Coastlines of Submergence

A submerged coast is produced either by subsidence of land or by a rise in sea level.

Ria, fjord, Dalmatian and drowned lowlands are its typical features.

Limestone vegetation in tropical regions is luxuriant because of the heavy rainfall all the year round.