DAY – 8 : Insta 75 Days Revision Plan-2025 : GEOGRAPHY

Solution: C

Strait of Hormuz: Correctly matched. It connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman.

Bab-el-Mandeb: Incorrectly matched. It connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, not the Mediterranean Sea.

Bosphorus Strait: Correctly matched. It connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara.

Strait of Malacca: Correctly matched. It connects the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean) with the South China Sea (Pacific Ocean).

Solution: C

Khartoum: approximately 15.5°N

Addis Ababa: approximately 9°N

Mogadishu: Located in 2.03^oN.

Nairobi: located in southern Kenya at 1.29^o S.

The correct order from North to South is:

Khartoum (2) – Addis Ababa (1) – Mogadishu (4) – Nairobi (3)

Solution: C

Botswana is a completely landlocked country in southern Africa that does not share its border with any of the African Great Lakes. It is bordered by Namibia to the north and west, Zimbabwe to the northeast, and South Africa to the south and southeast.

• Uganda borders Lake Victoria and Lake Albert.
• Burundi is part of the African Great Lakes region and borders Lake Tanganyika.
• Rwanda is also part of the African Great Lakes region and borders Lake Kivu

Solution: D

Carpathian Mountains: Correctly matched. The Carpathians pass through Romania, Ukraine, and Poland, among other countries.

Atlas Mountains: Correctly matched. The Atlas Mountains run through Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.

Caucasus Mountains: Correctly matched. The Caucasus region includes Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.

Zagros Mountains: Correctly matched. Zagros Mountains, mountain range in southwestern Iran, extending northwest-southeast from the border areas of eastern Turkey and northern Iraq to the Strait of Hormuz.

Solution: A

• Zaporizhzhia is located on the banks of the Dnieper River in Ukraine: Correct. Zaporizhzhia is a city in southeastern Ukraine situated on the banks of the Dnieper River.
• Nagorno-Karabakh is a disputed region between Azerbaijan and Armenia: Correct. Nagorno-Karabakh has been a long-standing disputed region between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
• Houthi-controlled Hodeidah is a port city located on the Red Sea coast: Correct. Hodeidah, controlled by the Houthis, is a port city on Yemen’s Red Sea coast.
• Gaza Strip shares its borders with Israel, Egypt, and Lebanon: Incorrect. The Gaza Strip shares its borders with Israel and Egypt but not Lebanon

Solution: A

Barents Sea: Located to the west of the Kara Sea, near Norway and Russia.

Kara Sea: Lies to the east of the Barents Sea and west of the Laptev Sea.

Laptev Sea: Located east of the Kara Sea and west of the Chukchi Sea.

Chukchi Sea: The easternmost sea, located near Alaska and Russia’s eastern coast.

Answer: C

Explanation:

• India has limited uranium reserves, and most of its uranium deposits are of low grade. The country’s uranium resources are primarily found in Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, and Telangana. However, the quality and quantity are not sufficient for self-sufficiency.
• India’s nuclear power generation is constrained by a lack of uranium reserves. Since India has limited uranium reserves, its nuclear power generation is significantly affected.
  • Before the 2008 Indo-US Civil Nuclear Agreement, India faced difficulties in acquiring uranium due to restrictions imposed by the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
  • Indigenous uranium reserves were prioritized for fuelling pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs), limiting India’s nuclear power expansion.
• India relies on the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) members for uranium imports. Post-2008, following the NSG waiver, India was allowed to engage in civil nuclear trade despite not being a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
  • Since then, India has signed agreements with several NSG members, including Kazakhstan, Canada, Russia, and Australia, to import uranium for its nuclear power plants.

Hence, both statements are correct here.

Solution: B

• Socotra – Yemen: Correct. Socotra is an island that belongs to Yemen.
• Lampedusa – Greece: Incorrect. Lampedusa is actually an Italian island, part of the Sicilian province of Agrigento.
• Spratly Islands – Philippines: Incorrect. The Spratly Islands are disputed, with claims from multiple countries including the Philippines, but they are not exclusively Philippine territory.
• Falkland Islands – United Kingdom: Correct. The Falkland Islands are a British overseas territory.

Solution: B

Nile River: 6,650 km (4,130 miles).

The Yangtze River, locally known as the Chang Jiang, spans an impressive 6,300 kilometers (3,917 miles). It holds the title of the longest river in Asia and ranks as the third-longest river in the world.

Mississippi-Missouri River System: 5,971 km (3,710 miles).

Yenisei River System: 5,540 km (if including Selenga–Angara–Yenisei)

Solution: A

The Northern Sea Route (NSR) is a shipping lane that runs along the Russian Arctic coast, connecting the Atlantic Ocean (via the Barents Sea) to the Pacific Ocean (via the Bering Strait). It provides a shorter alternative for maritime trade between Europe and Asia compared to traditional routes like the Suez Canal.

This route does not involve the Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, or Norwegian Sea as described in other options.

Solution: C

• The Reykjanes Peninsula please locate it in Southwest Iceland which is the continuation of the submarine Reykjanes Ridge (part of the mid Atlantic Ridge).
• The Peninsula is home to several volcanic systems like Reykjanes, Svartsengi, Fagradalsfjall, Krysuvik and Hengill; characterized by echelon fissure systems.
• It is a tourist spot; popular attractions include volcano tours hiking and the Blue Lagoon geothermal Spa.
• Iceland is a Nordic Island nation which is defined by its dramatic landscape with volcanoes, geysers, Hot strings and Lava fields; Reykjavik is its capital.
• The country lies on a rift between tectonic plates and its geological activity include geysers and frequent volcanic eruptions.

Hence option C is correct

Solution: A

• The Malanjkhand copper belt ine Madhya Pradesh comprises of a large body of copper ore in granite rocks varying from diorite to granite in composition.
• The Malanjkhand Copper project was established in 1982 by Hindustan Copper Limited to exploit copper ore through an open pit mine.
• This copper deposit located 20 km away from the Kanha National park, is the single largest copper deposit of India with nearly 70% of the country’s reserve and contributing around 80% to HCL’s total copper production.

Hence statements 1 and 3 are correct

• HCL, a public sector undertaking is a major player in copper mining and production in India.
• It is the only vertically integrated copper producer in India.
• But there are several other copper producers in India including Vedanta Limited, Hindalco Industries, Rajnandini metal Limited and others.

Hence statement 2 is incorrect

Solution: A

• The Baltic Sea forms part of the North Atlantic Ocean situated in Northern Europe separating the Scandinavian Peninsula from continental Europe
• The countries surrounding the Baltic Sea are Denmark, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Finland and Sweden.
• It connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the Danish straight facilitating Global trade and connectivity
• The Gulf of Bothnia lies to the north, the Gulf of Finland to the east and Gulf of Riga to the south
• About 250 rivers drain into the Baltic Sea with the Neva river being the largest one.
• It has over 20 islands and archipelagos with Gotland (off the coast of Sweden) being the largest.

Hence option A is correct

Solution: C

• India is a net importer of diamonds.
• Since last 3 years (2022, 2023, 2024), the largest exporter of diamonds to India was United Arab Emirates followed by Belgium and Hong Kong.
• However, the top importers of diamond globally in 2023 were United States, United Arab Emirates, India, Hong Kong and Belgium.

Hence statement 1 is correct

• Since 2021 Russia has been the world’s largest producer of uncut diamonds. Alrosa, a state-owned company in Russia, dominates the diamond industry.
• Russia is known for having the largest diamond reserves in the world.
• In 2022 Russia produced a proximity 35% of the total volume of diamonds produced globally.
• In 2023 Russia produced around 37.3 million carats, followed by Botswana and Canada.
• In 2024 Russia held the largest industrial Diamond reserves and producing 16 million carats followed by Botswana with 8 million carats.
• However, United Arab Emirates is a major Global Diamond trading hub particularly for rough diamonds with Dubai acting as the key centre; but UAE does not have any diamond mines; it relies on imports and exports.

Hence statement 2 is incorrect

Solution: B

• Tantalum is a rare metal with atomic number 73
• It is grey coloured, heavy very hard and one of the most corrosion resistant metals used today
• It is almost completely immune to chemical attack at temperatures below 150°C and is attacked only by hydrofluoric acid, acidic solutions containing fluoride ion and free sulphur trioxide.

Hence statement 1 is incorrect

• Tantalum has a high melting point and it is frequently used as a substitute for platinum which is more expensive
• It does not react with bodily fluids and is used to make surgical equipment and in plants like artificial joints.

Hence statement 2 is correct

• Recently Tantalum has been discovered in the sands of Sutlej River in Punjab by a team of researchers from Indian Institute of Technology Ropar.

Hence statement 3 is correct

Solution: C

• The Kerch Strait is located in Eastern Europe connecting the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
• It separates the Kerch Peninsula of Crimea in the West from the Taman peninsula of Russia’s Krasnoda Krai in the East
• It is the only direct link between Russia and Crimea and plays a major role in supply food, fuel and other essential items to Crimea, which host the port of Sevastopol, the home base of Russia’s Black Sea fleet.
• It became a major supply route for Russian forces after military campaign was launched against Ukraine in 2022.

Hence option C is correct.

Solution: B

• Koderma district is in Jharkhand.
• The Hazaribagh and Gaya districts of Bihar and Koderma district of Jharkhand is the belt that contains the richest deposit of high quality Ruby mica in India.
• Koderma is a well known place for mica production in Jharkhand.

Hence option 1 is incorrect

• Sukinda Valley is located in Jajpur district in Odisha.
• It is a renowned place for its extensive chromite ore deposits, holding about 97% of chromite reserves in the country
• It is the location of large open caste chromite mines.

Hence option 2 is correct

• Chalk Hills is located in Salem, Tamil Nadu.
• It is a major source of magnesite in India.

Hence option 3 is correct

• Dantewada is in Chhattisgarh.
• It is the only district in India known for tin mining with tin ore or cassiterite found in the Govindpal- Tonkpal area, mined from stream sediments.

Hence option 4 is incorrect

Solution: B

• Demographic transition is a theory that describes how birth and death rates change over time in a population.
• It is based on the idea that societies with more Technology, education and economic development have lower birth and death rates.

Demographic transition has three stages:

• Stage 1 is characterized by low growth rate with birth and death rates fluctuating due to food disease or conflicts.
• Stage 2 is characterized by high growth rate with population growing faster due to economic development and industrial revolution.
• Stage 3 is characterized by moderate growth rate with birth rates declining while death rates remaining low
• Stage 4 is characterized by low birth and death rates; most high income developed countries have reached this stage.

Hence option B is correct

Solution: C

• Abkhazia is a conflict region located in Georgia.
• Recently Georgia was in news as USA and European Union called for a probe after reports of election violations in Georgia.
• Georgia is located in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey.

Hence pair 1 is correct

• Casablanca is the largest city and the major Atlantic Ocean port in Morocco.
• It is also an industrial and commercial hub.
• In recent times, Morocco is emerging as a springboard for India’s ambition to expand its presence in Africa for defence exports.

Hence pair 2 is correct.

• Transnistria is a tiny break away region of Moldova located to the east of Dniester River.
• Recently Republic of Moldova, a European country, inaugurated its embassy in New Delhi, India.

Hence pair 3 is correct.

Solution: C

• Garrison towns or cantonment towns are those that developed primarily for military purposes.
• These towns were designed to support military activities including housing by providing logistic supports and serving as military bases.
• Major Garrison towns in India are Ambala (in Haryana known for military installations); Jalandhar (in Punjab, known for significant military presence); Mhow ( in Madhya Pradesh, a major cantonment town and home to Defence Services Staff College); Babina (in Uttar Pradesh, known for military training purposes); Udhampur (located in Jammu and Kashmir, a prominent military hub)

Hence options 1, 3 and 4 are correct

• Kurukshetra is a city in Haryana.
• It is not a Garrison town.

Hence option 2 is incorrect

Solution: B

Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) Framework for Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) :

• Introduced by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to ensure timely supervisory intervention and necessary remedial measures for UCBs to restore financial health.
• Replaces the Supervisory Action Framework (SAF), providing a more structured and risk-based monitoring system.
• Focuses on three key financial indicators: capital, asset quality, and profitability, with stricter monitoring for larger UCBs.
• Allows flexibility through entity-specific supervisory action plans based on individual risk assessments.
• Aligned with similar frameworks for Scheduled Commercial Banks and Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) while maintaining regulatory rigor.
• Does not apply to small Tier-1 UCBs; RBI has categorized UCBs into four tiers for regulatory oversight.

Solution: D

Aditya-L1 Mission:

• India’s first space-based solar observatory, placed at Lagrangian Point L1 for continuous solar observation without occultation or eclipses.
• Aims to study Coronal Heating, Solar Wind Acceleration, Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), solar flares, and their impact on space weather.
• Carries 7 payloads – 4 directly observe the Sun, while 3 conduct in-situ studies of particles and fields at L1 to understand solar activity propagation.
• Lifespan: 5 years, with a Halo Orbit taking 178 days to complete one revolution around L1.
• Developed by ISRO’s U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) with advanced flight dynamics software for precise orbit calculations.
• Achievements: Captured images of the Sun using SUIT and VELC payloads, successfully completed its first Halo Orbit, and validated state-of-the-art flight dynamics software.

Solution: B

Tirzepatide:

• Tirzepatide is a weight-loss drug soon to be approved in India, aligning with global trends in obesity treatment.
• Works by boosting GLP-1 and GIP hormones, which help in satiety (feeling full) and glucose management.
• Clinical trials show up to 20.9% weight loss in participants.
• Additional benefits include lower blood sugar, reduced hunger and body fat, and decreased risk of chronic diseases.
• Administered once a week via subcutaneous injection, but ongoing use is necessary to maintain results, as stopping the drug leads to weight regain.
• Possible side effects include nausea, vomiting, and a potential risk of thyroid tumors.

Solution: C

Great Indian Bustard:

• Scientific Name: Ardeotis nigriceps; among the heaviest flying birds in the world.
• Found only in the Indian subcontinent, with a current population of 100-150 individuals, mostly in the Thar Desert, Rajasthan (~100 birds).
• Inhabits dry grasslands and scrublads, relying on open landscapes for survival.
• Large bird with a black crown on the forehead, pale neck and head, and brownish body with black, brown, and grey-marked wings.
• Weighs up to 15 kg, with males and females being similar in size.
• Breeds mainly during the monsoon season, laying a single egg on open ground.
• Omnivorous diet, feeding on grass seeds, insects (grasshoppers, beetles), small rodents, and reptiles.
• Conservation Status: Critically Endangered (IUCN Red List), Schedule I (Wildlife Protection Act, 1972), Appendix I (CITES).

Solution: B

Caucasus Mountains:

• Extends across Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.
• Forms a natural boundary between Europe and Asia.
• Mount Elbrus (5,642 meters) is the highest peak in the Caucasus range and Europe.
• Originates major rivers such as Terek, Kura, and Rioni.
• Known for diverse ecosystems, ranging from temperate forests to alpine meadows.
• Strategic importance due to its location and historical role as a cultural and geopolitical divide.

Correct Option: B

Justification:

The central focus of the passage is on the LWEs who are fighting an ideological battle, where their ideology is guilty of the same crimes as the ideology they are fighting for. Hence B.

Correct Option: A

Justification:

Let total distance = 100x

Distance covered by car = 20% of 100x = 20x

Distance covered by Train =   (5/5 + 3)× 50% of (100x – 20x) = (5/8)*40 x = 25x

Distance covered by Taxi = (3/5 + 3)× 50% of (100x – 20x) = (3/8)   *40 x = 15x

Distance covered on feet = 100x – 20x – 25x – 15x = 40x

Total distance covered by Car and Taxi = 20x + 15x = 35x = 126 km (Given)

Length of journey = 100 × (126/35)    = 360 km

Hence, option (A) is correct.

Correct Option : C

Justification :

Speed of the train relative to  person

=          (105/2 )           m/sec ⇒          (105/2 × 18/5) = 189 km/hr.

Let speed of the train be x kmph.

then, relative speed ⇒ (x + 2) = 189

⇒ x = 187 kmph.

Hence, option C is correct.

Correct Option : A

Justification :

Let the speed of boat in still water and speed of stream be 4x and 3x respectively.

According to the question,

224/4   = 4x + 3x

x =       (224/7)            × 4

x =       32/4     = 8

Required difference = 4x – 3x = x

x = 8 km/hr

Hence, option A is correct.

Correct Option : A

Justification :

Explanation –

Let the speed of boat in still water and speed of current are x and y km/h respectively.

i.e, Downward speed of boat = (x + y) km/h.

According to question,

x + y = 9/2

2x + 2y = 9 …(i)

x – y = 9/6

2x – 2y = 3 …(ii)

On solving equations (i) and (ii), we get

x = 3, y = 3/2