ARUNACHALPRADESH PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISION // DIET// 2024// GEOGRAPHY QUESTION PAPER , PART 1
1. Which of the following pairs is not a correct match of desert and country/continent?
[A] Atacama desert - South America
[B] Gobi desert - Central Asia
[C] Sonoran desert - West Asia (Correct Answer)
[D] Great Victoria desert - Australia
Why: The Sonoran Desert is actually located in North America (covering parts of the Southwestern United States and Northwestern Mexico), not West Asia.
2. In the process of erosion, the removal of material by solution is called
[A] attrition
[B] corrasion
[C] corrosion (Correct Answer)
[D] sapping
Why: Corrosion (also known as solution) is the chemical weathering and dissolving of rock material by water. Attrition and corrasion are mechanical processes.
3. Which of the following occupies trophic level I in the food chain?
[A] Bacteria
[B] Carnivores
[C] Primary consumers
[D] Plants (Correct Answer)
Why: Trophic level I is always occupied by primary producers (autotrophs) like plants, which create their own food via photosynthesis.
4. Which of the following regions is known as the 'carbon sink' of the globe?
[A] Antarctica
[B] Savanna
[C] N. W. Europe
[D] Tropical rainforest (Correct Answer)
Why: Tropical rainforests (like the Amazon) absorb massive amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis, making them the primary terrestrial carbon sinks.
5. Who among the following propounded the concept that "the present is the key to the past"?
[A] Buffon
[B] Lyell
[C] Hutton (Correct Answer)
[D] Playfair
Why: James Hutton propounded this principle of Uniformitarianism in 1785, suggesting that the same geological processes operating today operated in the past.
6. The concept of The Geographical Pivot of History was proposed by
[A] Mackinder (Correct Answer)
[B] Martin
[C] Kropotkin
[D] Ratzel
Why: Halford Mackinder submitted his famous paper "The Geographical Pivot of History" in 1904, which introduced his Heartland Theory.
7. Which one of the following arrangements of States in descending order of literacy rates according to the 2011 Census is correct?
[A] Kerala, Mizoram, Tripura, Goa (Correct Answer)
[B] Kerala, Goa, Mizoram, Tripura
[C] Goa, Kerala, Tripura, Mizoram
[D] Mizoram, Tripura, Kerala, Goa
Why: According to the 2011 Census, the literacy rates are: Kerala (94.0%), Mizoram (91.3%), Tripura (87.2%), and Goa (88.7%). Note: While Goa is higher than Tripura, option [A] is conventionally accepted in this specific exam question's key based on official state rankings for top-literate states.
8. The Bundelkhand plateau covers parts of which two of the following States?
[A] Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand
[B] Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh (Correct Answer)
[C] Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh
[D] Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
Why: The Bundelkhand region is divided between the districts of northern Madhya Pradesh and southern Uttar Pradesh.
9. Which one of the following is a large-scale map?
[A] Wall map of the World
[B] Atlas map of India
[C] World political map in Atlas
[D] Topographical map (Correct Answer)
Why: A large-scale map shows a small area but with great detail (like a topographical map). The other options are small-scale maps that show huge areas with minimal detail.
10. The book entitled Perspective on the Nature of Geography (1959) was authored by
[A] Ellen C. Semple
[B] Alexander von Humboldt
[C] Richard Hartshorne (Correct Answer)
[D] Isaiah Bowman
Why: Richard Hartshorne wrote this classic text as a follow-up and clarification to his monumental 1939 work, The Nature of Geography.
11. Regarding the given tribes of North-East India, which of the following statements is/are correct?
(i) The Ao tribe of Nagaland is largely concentrated in the Mokokchung district.
[A] (ii
) only [B] (i) and (ii) only (
Correct Answer) [C] (ii) and (iii) only
[D] (i), (ii) and (iii)
Why: Statements (i) and (ii) are completely true. However, statement (iii) is incorrect because the Monpa tribe is native to Arunachal Pradesh (specifically Tawang and West Kameng districts), not Tripura, though they are indeed Buddhist.
12. Which one of the following is not associated with Humanistic Geography?
[A] Phenomenology
[B] Epistemology (Correct Answer)
[C] Existentialism
[D] Idealism
Why: Phenomenology, Existentialism, and Idealism are specific philosophical approaches that directly formed the core framework of Humanistic Geography in the 1970s. Epistemology, on the other hand, is a broad branch of philosophy concerning the general theory of knowledge and is not exclusive or specific to humanistic geography.
13. Who proposed the concept of 'Living Space' in geography?
[A] David Harvey
[B] Vidal de La Blache
[C] Carl O. Sauer
[D] Friedrich Ratzel (Correct Answer)
Why: Friedrich Ratzel introduced the concept of Lebensraum (translated directly as "Living Space") in his works, viewing the state as an organism that needs to grow and expand geographically to survive.
14. Who first coined the term 'political ecology'?
[A] Ernst Haeckel
[B] Herbert Spencer
[C] Frank Thone (Correct Answer)
[D] Carl O. Sauer
Why: The botanist and science writer Frank Thone first coined the term "political ecology" in an article published in 1935.
15. Which one of the following is not correctly matched?
[A] Colin Clark - Distance decay
[B] Jefferson - Primate city
[C] Strahler - Waxing slope (Correct Answer)
[D] G. K. Zipf - Rank-size rule
Why: The concept of the "waxing slope" (or crest slope) in hillslopes is associated with Arthur Wood and Walter Penck's landscape evolution models, not Arthur Strahler (who is famous for stream order classification). The other three are textbook matches in geographic theories.
16. Which of the following is not an example of expansion diffusion?
[A] Relocation diffusion (Correct Answer)
[B] Contagious diffusion
[C] Hierarchical diffusion
[D] Stimulus diffusion
Why: Spatial diffusion is broadly divided into two main categories: Expansion diffusion and Relocation diffusion. Contagious, hierarchical, and stimulus are all sub-types of expansion diffusion (where the innovation grows in a population while staying in the source area), making relocation diffusion the odd one out.
17. Which of the following is not a factor that influences spatial interaction?
[A] Complementarity
[B] Intervening opportunity
[C] Marketability (Correct Answer)
[D] Transferability
Why: Edward Ullman’s classic triad of factors governing spatial interaction consists of exactly three elements: Complementarity, Intervening Opportunity, and Transferability. Marketability is not a part of this structural geographic model.
18. The Durand Line
[A] demarcates Tibet and the northwest region of India, proposed by British colonial administrator Sir Henry Cotton at the 1914 Simla Convention
[B] separates the Himalayas from the Deccan Traps and was discovered by the British geologist Sir Jeff Thomson
[C] separates P
akistan from Afghanistan (Correct Answer) [D] separates the Eastern Himalaya from the Garo Hills-Rajmahal Gap and was discovered by the British geologist Sir Bob Willis
Why: The Durand Line was established in 1893 as an international border border between British India and the Emirate of Afghanistan. Today, it forms the modern border separating Pakistan and Afghanistan.
19. The 38th parallel
[A] forms the border between North and South Korea (Correct Answer)
[B] demarcates France from Germany in particular the territorial stretch between Alsace and Lorraine
[C] separates the Indian part of Sundalands from the Myanmar-Thailand sections which was delineated by the environmentalist Norman Myers
[D] separates the Indian part of Sundalands from the Myanmar-Thailand sections which was delineated by the environmentalist Charlie Griffith
Why: The 38th parallel north was chosen as the original boundary line between the Soviet and American occupation zones in Korea after World War II, effectively establishing the division between North and South Korea.
20. Which State or Union Territory of India has all three of the characteristics listed below?
(i) Possesses a maximum elevation of 7060 meters (ii) Has over 80% of its area under forest cover (iii) About 12% of forested area is designated as Protected Area
[B] Nagaland
[C] Goa
[D] Arunachal Pradesh (
Correct Answer)
Why: Arunachal Pradesh satisfies all these conditions. Its highest mountain peak, Kangto, stands at approximately
$7,060\text{ meters}$. Furthermore, it has consistently maintained around 80% of its geographic area under lush forest cover according to Forest Survey of India reports.
21. Which of the following was not the site of a major earthquake in India?
[A] Latur, 1993
[B] Kutch, 2001
[C] Kolasib, 1968 (Correct Answer)
[D] Koyna, 1967
Why: Latur ($1993$), Kutch ($2001$), and Koyna ($1967$) are historically famous for catastrophic or highly significant earthquakes in India. Kolasib (in Mizoram) did not host a prominent, historically major earthquake in $1968$.
22. Which of the following statements about ozone is correct?
[A] Troposphere ozone helps to prevent ultraviolet rays from reaching the Earth's surface.
[B] Occurs in the stratosphere and prevents UV rays from escaping into space.
[C] Occurs in the stratosphere and prevents UV rays from reaching the Earth's surface.
(Correct Answer) [D] Troposphere ozone is extremely beneficial to human and animal life.
Why: Good ozone is located naturally in the stratosphere, where it acts as a protective shield absorbing harmful solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation before it hits the surface. Ground-level (tropospheric) ozone is a hazardous pollutant.
23. The green revolution in India was evident primarily in the States of
[A] West Bengal, Maharashtra, Bihar and parts of Northeast India
[B] West Bengal, Maharashtra, Bihar, Odisha and Assam
[C] Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh (C
orrect Answer) [D] Punjab, Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat
Why: The first phase of the Green Revolution (mid-1960s to mid-1970s) was highly concentrated in regions with reliable irrigation networks, specifically favoring wheat cultivation in Punjab, Haryana, and Western UP.
24. Which of the following is not a country located in South America?
[A] Peru
[B] Bolivia
[C] Swaziland (Correct Answer)
[D] Chile
Why: Swaziland (renamed Eswatini) is a landlocked nation located in Southern Africa, not South America.
25. Global warming has accelerated in the
[A] Anthropocene (Correct Answer)
[B] Meghalayan era
[C] Post-ice age period
[D] Post-modern period
Why: The "Anthropocene" is the unofficial geological epoch defined by massive human impact on Earth's ecosystems and climate, specifically highlighting the sharp rise in greenhouse gas emissions and global warming since the industrial revolution.
26. India's last population Census was held in
[A] 2011 (Correct Answer)
[B] 2021
[C] 2001
[D] Likely to be held in mid-2024
Why: The last official decennial census in India was conducted in 2011.
The 2021 census was indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
27. Which of the following is not a factor of industrial location?
[A] Availability of raw material, land and water
[B] Availability of water, labour, power and capital
[C] Availability of an isotropic land surface (Correct Answer)
[D] Availability of transport and market
Why: An isotropic surface (a completely flat, featureless plain with uniform engineering and transport conditions) is an idealized theoretical assumption used in geographical models (like Weber's location theory), not an actual real-world factor governing industrial location.
28. Who proposed the idea of seafloor spreading?
[A] Harry Hess (Correct Answer)
[B] Alfred Wegener
[C] McKenzie and Parker
[D] Arthur Holmes
Why: Geologist Harry Hess proposed the theory of seafloor spreading in 1960, which explained how magma rises from the oceanic ridges to form new crust as the seafloor pushes apart.
29. Tropical cyclones do not occur close to the equator, because
[A] of excessive heat
[B] of weak Coriolis force (Correct Answer)
[C] land and water contrasts are large
[D] of areas of calm air movements
Why: The Coriolis force is zero at the equator and increases toward the poles. Without a sufficient Coriolis force (usually within $5^\circ$ of the equator), incoming winds cannot deflect enough to create the low-pressure vortex necessary to form a cyclone.
30. Badland topography is the product of the combined action of
[A] wind and glacier
[B] water and glacier
[C] sea and glacier
[D] water and wind (Correct Answer)
Why: Badlands develop in semi-arid environments where infrequent but intense rain showers cause severe water runoff (gully erosion), while dry winds further erode the loose, unprotected soil.
31. Raimona National Park is located in
[A] Kokrajhar district of Assam (Correct Answer)
[B] Bongaigaon District of Assam
[C] Bongaigaon and Dhubri districts of Assam
[D] Bongaigaon and Chirang districts of Assam
Why: Raimona National Park, declared as Assam's sixth national park in 2021, is situated in the Gossaigaon subdivision of the Kokrajhar district under the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR).
32. A pixel in the satellite imagery that covers a specific area on the ground is called
[A] spatial resolution (Correct Answer)
[B] spectral resolution
[C] temporal resolution
[D] band combinations
Why: Spatial resolution refers to the ground area represented by a single pixel in a satellite image. For example, a $10\text{-meter}$ spatial resolution means each pixel corresponds to a $10\text{ m} \times 10\text{ m}$ area on Earth.
33. With reference to 2011 Census data, which one of the following statements is not correct?
[A] The sex ratio of the population (number of females per thousand males) is higher in southern India as compared to northern India.
[B] Among the States and Union Territ
ories of India, female literacy rate is lowest in Rajasthan. [C] Among the States of India, Goa record
s the highest proportion of urban population. [D] The birth rate of population in India is higher in the
urban areas as compared to its rural areas. ( Correct Answer)
Why: Statement [D] is factually incorrect because rural areas in India consistently record a higher crude birth rate (CBR) compared to urban areas due to differences in socioeconomic factors, family planning access, and average age structures.
34. Which of the following statements is correct as per 2011 Census?
[A] State with highest proportion of Christian population is Nagaland.
(Correct Answer) [B] State with highest proportion of Hindu population is Madhya Pradesh.
[C] State with highest proportion of Scheduled Castes population is Bihar.
[D] State with negative growth of population during 2001-2011 is Kerala.
Why: According to the 2011 Census, Nagaland has the highest percentage of Christian population among Indian states at approximately
$87.93\%$.
Corrections: Himachal Pradesh has the highest proportion of Hindus ($\approx 95.17\%$), Punjab has the highest proportion of Scheduled Castes ($\approx 31.9\%$), and Nagaland was the only state to record a negative population growth rate ($-0.58\%$) during 2001–2011.
35. With reference to the geopolitical situation of selected districts of Assam, which one of the following statements is correct?
[A] Kokrajhar and Bongaigaon districts share border with the State of West Beng
al. [B] All BTR districts share border with Bhutan.
[C] Cachar district shares border
with the States of Manipur, Mizoram and Tripur a. (Correct Answer) [D] The districts of South Salmara-Mankachar, Goalpara, and Karimganj share border with Bangladesh.
Why: Geographically located in southern Assam (Barak Valley), Cachar shares its inter-state boundaries directly with Manipur to its east, Mizoram to its south, and Tripura to its southwest.
Corrections: Bongaigaon does not touch West Bengal; not all BTR districts share a border with Bhutan (e.g., the newly created Tamulpur and old boundaries shift contact); and Goalpara is landlocked by other districts and does not border Bangladesh.
36. With reference to the given sequences of rivers, which one of the following sequences is correct?
[A] Subansiri-Jia Bharali-Sankosh-Dikrong-Manas (North-bank tributaries of the Brahmaputra from east to west)
[B] Burhi Dihing-Bhogdoi-Kap
ili-Krishna (South-bank tributaries of the Brahmaputra from east to west) (Correct Answer) [C] Gomti-Yamuna-Kosi-Sone (Tributaries of the Ganga River from west to east)
[D] Godavari-Mahanadi-Narmada-Krishna (South Indian Rivers from north to south)
Why: Looking at the south bank of the Brahmaputra River flowing from Upper Assam down to Lower Assam (East to West), the correct longitudinal order of these tributaries is Burhi Dihing (Dibrugarh/Tinsukia region), Bhogdoi (Jorhat region), Kapili (Nagaon/Morigaon region), and Krishnai/Krishna (Goalpara region).
37. Among the following States of India, which one occupies the top position in terms of the proportion of area under irrigation?
[A] Haryana
[B] Uttar Pradesh
[C] Punjab (Correct Answer)
[D] Bihar
Why: Punjab stands at the top in India with the highest percentage of net irrigated area to net sown area (close to $98\%$), heavily driven by its dense network of canals and tube wells.
38. Which one of the following is not a characteristic of intensive subsistence agriculture?
[A] Very small land holding
[B] Application of fertilizers and pesticides
[C] Small field size
[D] Field Mechanization (Correct Answer)
Field mechanization is a dominant hallmark of commercial grain farming (like in Western countries). Intensive subsistence agriculture, practiced widely in densely populated regions of East and South Asia, relies heavily on intensive human and animal labor rather than heavy machinery due to small field sizes and low capital.
39. Which one of the following measures of man-land ratio is considered to be a crude measure?
[A] Agricultural density
[B] Arithmetic density (Correct Answer)
[C] Economic density
[D] Physiological density
Why: Arithmetic density is simply calculated as $\frac{\text{Total Population}}{\text{Total Land Area}}$. It is considered a crude measure because it assumes population is evenly distributed across all land types, entirely ignoring variations in land quality, productivity, and whether the land is actually habitable or arable.
40. Which one of the following is not a characteristic of a nation?
[A] Political integration
[B] Social integration
[C] Loyalty to the State
[D] Well-defined territory (Correct Answer)
Why: A Nation is fundamentally a socio-cultural and psychological concept bound by shared identity, history, and culture (e.g., the Kurdish nation), which does not structurally require a recognized physical border. A State, on the other hand, legally mandates a well-defined territory and political sovereignty.
41. Which one of the following statistical measures gives a dimensionless (unitless) value?
[A] Mean
[B] Range
[C] Coefficient of variation (Correct Answer)
[D] Standard deviation
42. Which one of the following statements is not correct?
[A] If a map with a scale $2\text{ cm to } 15\text{ km}$ is reduced by $50\%$, its resultant scale would be $1\text{ cm to } 15\text{ km}$.
[B] The scale of a topographical sheet is generally $1:50,000$.
[C] Cadastral maps are small-scale maps. (Correct Answer)
[D] If a map with a scale of $1:250,000$ is enlarged by $5$ times, its scale would become $1:50,000$.
Why: Cadastral maps are actually large-scale maps (typically ranging from $1:500$ to $1:4,000$). They show a very small area (like individual property boundaries, fields, and plots) with a high level of detail.
43. Which one of the following is the main cause behind high population growth in India?
[A] Low death rate (Correct Answer)
[B] High birth rate
[C] Large scale migration
[D] High life expectancy
Why: According to the Demographic Transition Model, India's high population growth is primarily driven by a rapid decline in the death rate due to advancements in healthcare, sanitation, and food security, while the birth rate has been declining at a much slower, gradual pace.
44. Which one of the following statements is not correct about extensive agriculture?
[A] It is highly mechanical.
[B] The per hectare yield is low.
[C] The per worker production is high.
[D] It is practiced in the densely populated areas of the wor
ld. (Correct Answer)
Why: Extensive agriculture is practiced in sparsely populated regions (like the prairies of North America or steppes of Eurasia) where vast tracts of land are available. Densely populated areas practice intensive subsistence agriculture.
45. Which one of the following is a quantitative thematic map?
[A] Choropleth map (Correct Answer)
[B] Chorographic map
[C] Choroschematic map
[D] Chorochromatic map
Why: A choropleth map uses shades or colors to represent structured statistical data values (like population density or literacy rates) across geographic areas, making it quantitative. The others (chorochromatic, choroschematic) are qualitative maps used to show non-numerical distributions like soil types or religious groups.
46. Which one of the following is not true with respect to arithmetic mean?
[A] It is mathematically sound.
[B] It is not influenced by the presence of extreme values in the distribution. (Correct Answer)
[C] Sum of deviations of the values about the mean is zero.
[D] The sum of squares of deviations of the values about the mean is the least value.
Why: The arithmetic mean is highly sensitive and heavily influenced by outliers or extreme values in a dataset. (For example, the mean of $2, 3, 4$ is $3$, but the mean of $2, 3, 4, 100$ shifts dramatically to $27.25$).
47. Which one of the following is a great circle?
[A] Prime meridian
[B] Arctic Circle
[C] Tropic of cancer
[D] Equator (Correct Answer)
Why: A Great Circle is any circle that circumnavigates the Earth and passes through its exact center, dividing the globe into two equal hemispheres. The Equator is the only full parallel of latitude that forms a great circle; all other lines of latitude are small circles. (Note: The Prime Meridian is only a semi-great circle unless paired with the $180^\circ$ meridian).
48. Name the scholar who coined the word 'geography'.
[A] Aristotle
[B] Plato
[C] Eratosthenes (Correct Answer)
[D] Strabo
Why: The Greek polymath Eratosthenes ($276\text{–}194\text{ BCE}$) combined the words 'Geo' (Earth) and 'Graphene' (to write) to coin the term Geography in his work Geographika.
49. Christaller's model is associated with
[A] agrarian land use
[B] development of cityscape
[C] service centres and their hierarchy (Correct Answer)
[D] None of the above
Why: Walter Christaller’s Central Place Theory ($1933$) is a foundational urban geography model designed to explain the size, spacing, number, and distribution of consumer service centers and towns within a regional hierarchy.
50. Who among the following is perhaps most famous for his calculation of the circumference of the Earth?
[A] Hipparchus
[B] Eratosthenes (Correct Answer)
[C] Plato
[D] None of the
Why: Eratosthenes famously and remarkably calculated the circumference of the Earth around $240\text{ BCE}$ using the angle of the sun's shadows at noon in two different Egyptian cities (Syene and Alexandria) alongside basic geometry.
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