Mock Test - FocusWBCS


					Geography — Mock Test
				
			25 Questions
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			SET / GEOGRAPHY
			Q. 01 / 25
		
		Which strait is a critical global chokepoint linking the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea and East Asia, of major importance to India’s trade?
		
							
								
								
								
						
		
					
				Explanation: The Strait of Malacca, between Malaysia/Singapore and Indonesia, is one of the world's busiest and most strategically important shipping chokepoints for Indian Ocean-Pacific trade.			
			
		
		
			SET / GEOGRAPHY
			Q. 02 / 25
		
		Which of the following Union Territories has its own elected Legislative Assembly?
		
							
								
								
								
						
		
					
				Explanation: Puducherry (along with Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir) has a Legislative Assembly and a Council of Ministers, unlike fully centrally-administered UTs such as Chandigarh, Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.			
			
		
		
			SET / GEOGRAPHY
			Q. 03 / 25
		
		The small island once disputed between India and Sri Lanka, ceded to Sri Lanka under a 1974 agreement and still a subject of political debate, is:
		
							
								
								
								
						
		
					
				Explanation: Katchatheevu, a tiny uninhabited island in the Palk Strait, was ceded to Sri Lanka by India under a 1974 maritime agreement; its status remains a recurring political and fisheries issue.			
			
		
		
			SET / GEOGRAPHY
			Q. 04 / 25
		
		[WBCS Prelims pattern] Arrange the following states in the correct west-to-east order in which the Tropic of Cancer crosses them: Gujarat, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Tripura.
		
							
								
								
								
						
		
					
				Explanation: West to east, the Tropic of Cancer crosses Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura and Mizoram — so among the four listed, the order is Gujarat → Chhattisgarh → Jharkhand → Tripura.			
			
		
		
			SET / GEOGRAPHY
			Q. 05 / 25
		
		Which Indian Union Territory’s actual local (solar) time runs considerably ahead of IST because of its far eastern location?
		
							
								
								
								
						
		
					
				Explanation: Being far to the east (around 92–94°E), the Andaman & Nicobar Islands' local solar time runs roughly 45 minutes ahead of IST, while parts of western India run correspondingly behind it.			
			
		
		
			SET / GEOGRAPHY
			Q. 06 / 25
		
		Which of the following states is NOT crossed by the Tropic of Cancer?
		
							
								
								
								
						
		
					
				Explanation: The 8 states crossed are Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura and Mizoram. Odisha lies just south of the line but is not crossed by it — a common exam trap.			
			
		
		
			SET / GEOGRAPHY
			Q. 07 / 25
		
		India’s coastline of about 7,516.6 km touches how many coastal states and Union Territories in total?
		
							
								
								
								
						
		
					
				Explanation: Nine states (Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal) and four Union Territories (Daman & Diu part of the merged UT, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Andaman & Nicobar Islands) are coastal.			
			
		
		
			SET / GEOGRAPHY
			Q. 08 / 25
		
		India’s newest state, formed on 2 June 2014 by bifurcation from Andhra Pradesh, is:
		
							
								
								
								
						
		
					
				Explanation: Telangana, carved out of Andhra Pradesh, became India's 29th state (now one of 28, following the 2019 J&K reorganisation) on 2 June 2014.			
			
		
		
			SET / GEOGRAPHY
			Q. 09 / 25
		
		India’s maritime boundary dispute with Bangladesh in the Bay of Bengal was resolved through arbitration by the:
		
							
								
								
								
						
		
					
				Explanation: In 2014, a tribunal under the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled on the India-Bangladesh maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal; India accepted the verdict, which favoured Bangladesh on a significant share of the disputed area.			
			
		
		
			SET / GEOGRAPHY
			Q. 10 / 25
		
		India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extends up to how many nautical miles from the baseline?
		
							
								
								
								
						
		
					
				Explanation: Under UNCLOS and India's Maritime Zones Act, the EEZ extends up to 200 nautical miles from the baseline, within which India has sovereign rights over marine resources.			
			
		
		
			SET / GEOGRAPHY
			Q. 11 / 25
		
		The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, converted the erstwhile state of J&K into:
		
							
								
								
								
						
		
					
				Explanation: Effective 31 October 2019, J&K was reorganised into two Union Territories — Jammu & Kashmir (with a legislature) and Ladakh (without one) — reducing India's state count from 29 to 28.			
			
		
		
			SET / GEOGRAPHY
			Q. 12 / 25
		
		Which state has the longest stretch of the Tropic of Cancer passing through it?
		
							
								
								
								
						
		
					
				Explanation: Madhya Pradesh, being the widest state that the line crosses, has the longest stretch of the Tropic of Cancer within its borders.			
			
		
		
			SET / GEOGRAPHY
			Q. 13 / 25
		
		[WBCS Prelims pattern] The Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, came into effect (i.e., the state was actually reorganised into two Union Territories) on:
		
							
								
								
								
						
		
					
				Explanation: Although the Act was passed and received assent in early August 2019, it formally came into effect on 31 October 2019, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.			
			
		
		
			SET / GEOGRAPHY
			Q. 14 / 25
		
		Which country shares the shortest land border with India?
		
							
								
								
								
						
		
					
				Explanation: Afghanistan shares India's shortest land border (about 106 km), touching the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir region near the Wakhan Corridor.			
			
		
		
			SET / GEOGRAPHY
			Q. 15 / 25
		
		[SSC/Railway pattern] As per the Maritime Zones Act, India’s territorial sea extends up to how many nautical miles from the baseline?
		
							
								
								
								
						
		
					
				Explanation: India's territorial waters extend 12 nautical miles from the baseline, consistent with UNCLOS provisions.			
			
		
		
			SET / GEOGRAPHY
			Q. 16 / 25
		
		Because of India’s longitudinal extent, the local (solar) time difference between its easternmost and westernmost points is approximately:
		
							
								
								
								
						
		
					
				Explanation: India's longitude spans about 29° (68°7'E to 97°25'E). At 4 minutes per degree, this works out to roughly 116 minutes ≈ 2 hours of natural time difference, which is why a single Standard Meridian was adopted.			
			
		
		
			SET / GEOGRAPHY
			Q. 17 / 25
		
		[SSC/Railway pattern] Which Indian Union Territory was created most recently through a merger of two existing UTs rather than through bifurcation of a state?
		
							
								
								
								
						
		
					
				Explanation: Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli, two separate UTs, were merged into a single UT effective 26 January 2020.			
			
		
		
			SET / GEOGRAPHY
			Q. 18 / 25
		
		One hour of local time difference corresponds to a longitudinal difference of:
		
							
								
								
								
						
		
					
				Explanation: The Earth rotates 360° in 24 hours, i.e., 15° per hour (or 1° every 4 minutes).			
			
		
		
			SET / GEOGRAPHY
			Q. 19 / 25
		
		The only Indian state capital located directly on the Tropic of Cancer is:
		
							
								
								
								
						
		
					
				Explanation: Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, lies almost exactly on the Tropic of Cancer — the only state capital to do so. Bhopal and Gandhinagar are close to it but not on it.			
			
		
		
			SET / GEOGRAPHY
			Q. 20 / 25
		
		India lies completely within which two hemispheres?
		
							
								
								
								
						
		
					
				Explanation: India lies entirely north of the Equator and east of the Prime Meridian. Its latitude ranges from 8°4'N to 37°6'N and longitude from 68°7'E to 97°25'E, so the whole country falls in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres.			
			
		
		
			SET / GEOGRAPHY
			Q. 21 / 25
		
		India’s wide range of climates, from tropical in the south to alpine in the Himalayan north, is primarily explained by its:
		
							
								
								
								
						
		
					
				Explanation: A large latitudinal spread (nearly 29° of latitude) combined with major differences in altitude (from sea level to the high Himalayas) produces India's wide range of climatic zones.			
			
		
		
			SET / GEOGRAPHY
			Q. 22 / 25
		
		“String of Pearls” is a term used to describe:
		
							
								
								
								
						
		
					
				Explanation: "String of Pearls" is a geopolitical concept describing China's growing network of port and infrastructure links across the Indian Ocean rim, seen by some analysts as a strategic concern for India.			
			
		
		
			SET / GEOGRAPHY
			Q. 23 / 25
		
		Which two Union Territories were merged in January 2020 to form a single Union Territory?
		
							
								
								
								
						
		
					
				Explanation: Effective 26 January 2020, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli were merged into a single Union Territory, bringing the UT count back down to 8.			
			
		
		
			SET / GEOGRAPHY
			Q. 24 / 25
		
		India’s official strategic vision for cooperative maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region is termed:
		
							
								
								
								
						
		
					
				Explanation: SAGAR ("Security and Growth for All in the Region"), articulated in 2015, outlines India's vision for a secure, stable and cooperative Indian Ocean Region.			
			
		
		
			SET / GEOGRAPHY
			Q. 25 / 25
		
		[WBCS Prelims pattern] Indian Standard Time (IST) is based on the local time of a place near:
		
							
								
								
								
						
		
					
				Explanation: IST is calculated from the 82°30'E Standard Meridian, which passes near Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh.