There were 7 Questions from Geography in 2020, of which

•  2 Questions on Fundamentals of Physical Geography
•  1 Question on Indian Physical Geography
•  1 Question on World Physical Geography 
•  3 Questions on Economic Geography

Most of the questions were aimed at testing the basic understanding of the subject and conceptual clarity.

Overall, the level of the questions was moderate to tough. 

Previous Year UPSC Geography Questions (PYQs) With Explanation 2020

1. Consider the following pairs:  

          River                                     Flows into

     1. Mekong                  :          Andaman Sea         

     2. Thames                  :          Irish Sea 

     3. Volga                      :          Caspian Sea 

     4. Zambezi                 :          Indian Ocean

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched? 

a. 1 and 2 only 

b. 3 only 

c. 3 and 4 only

 d. 1, 2 and 4 only 

1. Ans: c

Explanation:

The Mekong is a trans-boundary river in Southeast Asia. It is the world’s 12th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia.

The Mekong rises as the Lancang (Lantsang) in the “Three Rivers Area” on the Tibetan Plateau, From the Tibetan Plateau this river runs through China’s Yunnan province, Burma (Myanmar), Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It forms a complex delta system in Vietnam before entering the South China Sea. 

The river is a major trading route linking China’s southwestern province of Yunnan to Laos, Burma (Myanmar) and Thailand to the south, an important trade route between western China and Southeast Asia.

Hence, pair 1 is incorrectly matched.

River Thames -The River Thames is the second longest river in the UK flowing 346km. Its source is at the Thames Head, just north of the village of Kemble and south-west of Cirencester in Gloucester. Its mouth is the Thames Estuary, at Southend in Essex. It flows into the North Sea. 

Hence, pair 2 is incorrectly matched.

The Volga River is the world’s 18th longest and Europe’s longest river, covering a distance of about 3,530 kilometers from its source  Valdai Hills in Tver Oblast to the mouth in the Caspian Sea. It is the longest river flowing into the Caspian Sea, the world’s largest closed basin. 

Hence, pair 3 is correctly matched.

 Zambezi River, is Africa’s 4th longest river and the continent’s longest east-flowing stream. The river rises from the Central African Plateau in Zambia and flows for about 2,574 kilometers through Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique before emptying into the Indian Ocean. 

The Zambezi is a Tonga word for “Great River.” 

The river is known for several notable waterfalls, including Victoria Falls, one of the world’s largest waterfalls, and the Chavuma Falls on the Zambia-Angola border. 

Hence, pair 4 is correctly matched.  

2. “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?

(a) Cotton

(b) Jute

(c) Sugarcane

(d) Tea

2. Ans: a

Explanation: 

Cotton is a kharif crop which requires 6 to 8 months to mature.

Cotton is the most important fibre crop not only of India but of the entire world. It provides the basic raw material (cotton fibre) to the cotton textile industry. Its seed (binola) is used in the vanaspati industry and can also be used as part of fodder for milch cattle to get better milk.

Conditions of Growth

a.   Temperature:

• Cotton is the Crop of tropical and sub-tropical areas and requires uniformly high temperatures varying between 21⁰C and 30⁰C.
• The growth of cotton is retarded when the temperature falls below 20⁰C.
•  Frost is the no. one enemy of the cotton plant and it is grown in the areas having at least 210 frost-free days in a year.

b. Rainfall:

• The modest requirement of water can be met by an average annual rainfall of 50-100cm. However, it is successfully grown in areas of lesser rainfall with the help of irrigation. 
• About one-third of the total area under cotton cultivation is irrigated. About 80 per cent of the total irrigated Area under Cotton is in Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Rajasthan.
•  Moist weather and heavy rainfall at the time of boll-opening and picking are detrimental to cotton as the plant becomes vulnerable to pests and diseases.
• High amount of Rainfall in the beginning and sunny and dry weather at ripening time are very useful for a good crop.

c. Soil: 

• Cotton cultivation is closely related to deep black soil (because black soil has high fertility and retentivity of moisture) of the Deccan Plateau and the Malwa Plateau and those of Gujarat. 
• It also grows well in alluvial soils of Sutlej-Ganga plain and Red and Laterite soils of the Peninsular region.
• Cotton quickly exhausts the fertility of the soil. Therefore, regular application of Manures and fertilisers to the soil is necessary.

Hence, option a is correct. 

3. With reference to the current trends in the cultivation of sugarcane in India, consider the following statements:

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?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 3 only

(c) 1 and 4 only

(d) 2, 3 and 4 only

3. Ans: c

Explanation:

Tissue culture 

The tissue culture technique in sugarcane can be used for rapid multiplication of newly developed high yielding, high sugar, disease resistant varieties and rejuvenation of outstanding varieties under cultivation. The vegetative propagation of sugarcane through seed cane cuttings is cumbersome requiring larger quantities of vegetative seed material and seed multiplication rate is too low, needing about ten years for a new variety to be released for cultivation and cover larger areas in the field subsequently. With tissue culture technique, it is possible to release a variety within five years and propagate it quickly in the field.  

Raising of seedlings through bud chip:

Transplanting of settlings raised in polybags offers great advantages in sugarcane seed production. Nursery raised from sugarcane bud chips and planting them in main field was found to be more economical than traditional methods.

Spaced transplanting technology: 

The technology consist of transplanting of nursery raised settlings. Settling are raised by planting of single bud set in nursery about one month before transplanting in the main field. About 2 tonnes of cane seed are required to obtain settlings for transplanting in one hectare of field

Hence, option c is correct.

4. Consider the following minerals:

1. Bentonite

2. Chromite

3. Kyanite

4. Sillimanite

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

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 4 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 2, 3 and 4 only

4. Ans: d

Explanation:

MAJOR MINERALS – Chromite, kyanite, Sillimanite 

MINOR MINERALS – Bentonite 

List of minerals used in the estimation of Gross Value Added 

Hence, option d is correct.

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

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.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

5. Ans: b

Explanation:

Distribution of Temperature in Oceans

The distribution of temperature can be ocean mean temperature, Horizontal Distribution of Temperature and Vertical Distribution of Temperature.

Ocean Mean Temperature

• Ocean Mean Temperature (OMT) is measured up to a depth of 26 degrees’ isotherm. During January–March, the mean 26⁰C isotherm depth in the Southwestern Indian Ocean is 59 metres.
• It is measured with the help of satellites that orbit the earth. In the Indian Ocean, OMT is analaysed by measuring the ocean thermal energy during the period from January to March.

Hence, statement 1 is incorrect & statement 2 is correct.

 6. Siachen Glacier is situated to the:

(a) East of Aksai Chin

(b) East of Leh

(c) North of Gilgit

(d) North of Nubra Valley

 6. Ans: d

Explanation:

Siachen Glacier, is the world’s second-longest glacier in non-polar areas, lies in the Karakoram Range of the Himalayas, in the disputed Kashmir region. The glacier covers 76 km from its head at Indira Col on the China–India border to its terminus.

• The Siachen Glacier is bordered to the north by the great drainage divide, a divide separating the Indian Subcontinent and the Eurasian Plate in the Karakoram region. 
• The 75 Km long Siachen Glacier in Nubra valley has the distinction of being the largest glacier outside the polar and sub-polar regions. Lolofond and Teram Shehr are its main tributaries.
• The Siachen Glacier is the major source of the 80km long Nubra River, a major tributary of the Shyok River. 
• The Shyok River feeds into the 3,180km long Indus River, which is the source of water for the world’s largest irrigation system. 
• Siachen Glacier is situated to the North of Nubra Valley. 

Hence, option d is correct.

7. Consider the following statements:

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 less than that of the surroundings.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 2 only

(d) 1 and 3 only

7. Ans: c

Explanation:

There are several different jet streams, or jets, around the globe. The polar jet is located between the 50°-60° latitude lines in both the northern and southern hemispheres. The subtropical jet is located around the 30° latitude line. Jet streams vary in height of four to eight miles and can reach speeds of more than 275 mph (239 kts / 442 km/h). Jet streams occur in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.

The “eye” is a roughly circular area of comparatively light winds and fair weather found at the center of a severe tropical cyclone.

The eye is the region of lowest surface pressure and warmest temperatures aloft – the eye temperature may be 10°C [18°F] warmer or more at an altitude of 12 km [8 mi] than the surrounding environment, but only 0-2°C [0-3°F] warmer at the surface in the tropical cyclone. Eyes range in size from 8 km [5 mi] to over 200 km [120 mi] across, but most are in the range 30-60 km [20-40 mi] in diameter.

The eye is surrounded by the “eyewall”, the roughly circular ring of deep convection which is the area of highest surface winds in the tropical cyclone. The eye is composed of air that is slowly sinking and the eyewall has a net upward flow as a result of many moderate – occasionally strong – updrafts and downdrafts. The eye’s warm temperatures are due to compressional warming of the subsiding air. Most soundings taken within the eye show a low-level layer which is relatively moist, with an inversion above – suggesting that the sinking in the eye typically does not reach the ocean surface, but instead only gets to around 1-3 km [1-2 mi] of the surface.

The formation of the eyewall is related to the convergence of air in a shallow layer some 500 m to 1 km deep adjacent to the sea surface. This layer is referred to as the boundary layer, or friction layer. Above this layer, the swirling winds are approximately in gradient wind balance , that is, the inward-directed pressure gradient force is approximately balanced by the sum of the outward-directed centrifugal and Coriolis forces.

Hence, statement 2 is correct & statement 3 is incorrect.