Geography previous Year Questions 2020

1. Consider the following pairs:

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched? (UPSC/ IAS 2020)

2. Steel slag can be the material for which of the following? (UPSC/ IAS 2020)

1. Construction of base road
2. Improvement of agricultural soil
3. Production of cement

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3. Consider the following statements: (UPSC/ IAS 2020)

1. Coal ash contains arsenic, lead and mercury.
2. Coal-fired power plants release sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen into the environment.
3. High ash content is observed in Indian coal.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

4. What is the use of biochar in farming? (UPSC/ IAS 2020)

1. ‘Biochar can be used as a part of the growing medium in vertical farming.
2. When biochar is a part of the growing medium, it promotes the growth of nitrogen fixing microorganisms.
3. When biochar is a part of the growing- medium, it enables the growing medium to retain water for a longer time.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

5. What is/are the advantages/advantages of zero tillage in agriculture? (UPSC/ IAS 2020)

1. Sowing of wheat is possible without burning the residue of the previous crop.
2. Without the need for nursery of rice saplings, direct planting of paddy seeds in the wet soil is possible.
3. Carbon sequestration in the soil is possible.

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6. According to India’s National Policy on Biofuels, which of the following can be used as raw materials for the production of biofuels? (UPSC/ IAS 2020)

1. Cassava
2. Damaged wheat grains
3. Groundnut seeds
4. Horse gram
5. Rotten potatoes
6. Sugar beet

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7. With reference to pulse production in India, consider the following statements: (UPSC/ IAS 2020)

1. Black gram can be cultivated as both kharif and rabi crops.
2. Green-gram alone accounts for nearly half of pulse production.
3. In the last three decades, while the production of kharif pulses has increased, the production of rabi pulses has decreased.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

8. “The crop is subtropical in nature. A hard frost is injurious to it. It requires at least 210 frost free days and 50 to 100 centimeters of rainfall for its growth. A light well-drained soil capable of retaining moisture is ideally suited for the cultivation of the crop.” Which one of the following is that crop? (UPSC/ IAS 2020)

9. With reference to the current trends in the cultivation of sugarcane in India, consider the following statements: (UPSC/ IAS 2020)

1. A substantial saving in seed material is made when ‘bud chip settings’ are raised in a nursery and transplanted in the main field.
2. When direct planting of setts is done, the germination percentage is better with single budded setts as compared to setts with many buds.
3. If bad weather conditions prevail when setts are directly planted, single-budded setts have better survival as compared to large setts.
4. Sugarcane can be cultivated using settings prepared from tissue culture.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

10. With reference to solar water pumps, consider the following statements: (UPSC/ IAS 2020)

1. Solar power can be used for running surface pumps and not for submersible Pumps.
2. Solar power can be used for running centrifugal pumps and not the ones with piston.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

11. In the context of India, which of the following is/are considered to be of practice(s) of eco-friendly agriculture? (UPSC/ IAS 2020)

1. Crop diversification
2. Legume intensification
3. Tensiometer use
4. Vertical farming

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12. What are the advantages of fertigation in agriculture? (UPSC/ IAS 2020)

1. Controlling the alkalinity of irrigation water is possible.
2. Efficient application of Rock Phosphate and all other phosphatic fertilizers is possible.
3. Increased availability of nutrients to plants is possible.
4. Reduction in the leaching of chemical nutrients is possible.

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13. Consider the following minerals: (UPSC/ IAS 2020)

1. Bentonite
2. Chromite
3. Kyanite
4. Sillimanite

In India, which of the above is/are officially designated as major minerals?

14. With reference to Ocean Mean Temperature (OMT), which of the following statements is/are correct? (UPSC/ IAS 2020)

1. OMT is measured up to a depth of 26°C isotherm which is 129 meters in the southwestern Indian Ocean during January — March.
2. OMT collected during January — March can be used in assessing whether the amount of rainfall in the monsoon will be less or more than a certain long-term mean.

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15. With reference to chemical fertilizers in India, consider the following statements: (UPSC/ IAS 2020)

1. At present, the retail price of chemical fertilizers is market-driven and not administered by the Government.
2. Ammonia, which is an input of urea, is produced from natural gas.
3. Sulphur, which is a raw material for Phosphoric acid fertilizer, is a by-product of oil refineries.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

16. Siachen Glacier is situated to the (UPSC/ IAS 2020)

17. Consider the following statements: (UPSC/ IAS 2020)

1. Jet streams occur in the Northern Hemisphere only.
2. Only some cyclones develop an eye.
3. The temperature inside the eye of a cyclone is nearly 10°C lesser than that of the surroundings.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?