UPSC 2023: Questions 01—10

Mapping the past to conquer the future. [Set A]

Question 01

Physical Geography

Consider the following statements:

Jhelum River passes through Wular Lake.
Krishna River directly feeds Kolleru Lake.
Meandering of Gandak River formed Kanwar Lake.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None

Official Verdict: (a) Only one

Core Concept: Wular Lake is indeed fed by the Jhelum. However, Kolleru is situated *between* the Krishna and Godavari deltas, fed by seasonal streams (Budameru), not directly by Krishna. Kanwar Lake is an oxbow lake formed by the meandering of the Burhi Gandak, not the main Gandak river. Thus, only statement 1 stands true.

Tethered to: REALM 23: Lakes & Inland Drainage

Question 02

Economic Geography

Consider the following pairs:

Kamarajar Port: First major port in India registered as a company
Mundra Port: Largest privately owned port in India
Visakhapatnam Port: Largest container port in India

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

Official Verdict: (b) Only two pairs

Core Concept: Kamarajar (formerly Ennore) was indeed the first to be corporatized. Mundra in Gujarat is the titan of private ports. Visakhapatnam, however, is a major bulk cargo port, but Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) in Maharashtra wears the crown as the largest *container* port. Two pairs match.

Tethered to: REALM 47: Indian Ports & Economic Dev

Question 03

Flora & Ecology

Consider the following trees:

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
Mahua (Madhuca indica)
Teak (Tectona grandis)

How many of the above are deciduous trees?

Official Verdict: (b) Only two

Core Concept: Deciduous trees shed their leaves to conserve water during dry seasons. Teak and Mahua are classic tropical deciduous examples. Jackfruit, native to the humid Western Ghats, is an evergreen tree that retains a lush canopy year-round.

Tethered to: REALM 42: Forest Types

Question 04

Agriculture & Economics

Consider the following statements:

India has more arable area than China.
The proportion of irrigated area is more in India as compared to China.
The average productivity per hectare in Indian agriculture is higher than that in China.

How many of the above statements are correct?

Official Verdict: (b) Only two

Core Concept: India physically commands more arable land (~156 million hectares) than China (~119 million), and a higher percentage of our fields are actively irrigated. However, China intensely maximizes its limited land—their technological integration and fertilizer application result in a significantly higher per-hectare yield (productivity) than India.

Tethered to: REALM 03: Current Status of Indian Agriculture

Question 05

Geomorphology

Which one of the following is the best example of repeated falls in sea level, giving rise to present-day extensive marshland?

(a) Bhitarkanika Mangroves
(b) Marakkanam Salt Pans
(c) Naupada Swamp
(d) Rann of Kutch

Official Verdict: (d) Rann of Kutch

Core Concept: The Rann was once a shallow extension of the Arabian Sea. Repeated geological uplift and subsequent falls in relative sea level sealed it off. Today, it stands as a vast, stark white salt marsh—a geographical memory of the ocean that retreated.

Tethered to: REALM 12: Coastal Plains & Islands

Question 06

Economic Minerals

Ilmenite and rutile, abundantly available in certain coastal tracts of India, are rich sources of which one of the following?

(a) Aluminium
(b) Copper
(c) Iron
(d) Titanium

Official Verdict: (d) Titanium

Core Concept: Beach placer sands found heavily along the Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Odisha coasts are black because they are loaded with heavy minerals. Ilmenite and Rutile are the primary oxide ores mined specifically to extract Titanium—a vital, lightweight, high-strength aerospace metal.

Tethered to: REALM 66: Critical & Strategic Minerals

Question 07

Global Resources

About three-fourths of world's cobalt, a metal required for the manufacture of batteries for electric motor vehicles, is produced by

(a) Argentina
(b) Botswana
(c) the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(d) Kazakhstan

Official Verdict: (c) DRC

Core Concept: The global EV revolution runs on Cobalt, and geopolitically, it creates a massive choke point. Over 70% of the Earth's Cobalt is mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), making it the undisputed, though conflict-ridden, heart of battery supply chains.

Tethered to: REALM 200: Critical Mineral Supply Chains

Question 08

World Geography

Which one of the following is a part of the Congo Basin?

(a) Cameroon
(b) Nigeria
(c) South Sudan
(d) Uganda

Official Verdict: (a) Cameroon

Core Concept: The Congo Basin is the second largest tropical rainforest in the world. It spans across six countries: Cameroon, Central African Republic, DRC, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. Nigeria is too far west, and Uganda/South Sudan sit to the east in the Nile basin/rift valley regions.

Tethered to: REALM 37: Tropical Rainforest Ecosystems

Question 09

Indian Topography

Consider the following statements:

Amarkantak Hills are at the confluence of Vindhya and Sahyadri Ranges.
Biligirirangan Hills constitute the easternmost part of Satpura Range.
Seshachalam Hills constitute the southernmost part of Western Ghats.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

Official Verdict: (d) None

Core Concept: A complete geographic mismatch. Amarkantak is where the Vindhya and *Satpura* meet (Maikal range), not the Sahyadri (Western Ghats). Biligirirangan is in Karnataka, bridging the Western and *Eastern* Ghats, nowhere near the central Satpuras. Seshachalam is in Andhra Pradesh (part of the Eastern Ghats), not the southernmost Western Ghats (which would be Cardamom Hills).

Tethered to: REALM 10: Peninsular Mountains

Question 10

Connectivity Projects

With reference to India's projects on connectivity, consider the following statements:

East-West Corridor under Golden Quadrilateral Project connects Dibrugarh and Surat.
Trilateral Highway connects Moreh in Manipur and Chiang Mai in Thailand via Myanmar.
Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor connects Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh with Kunming in China.

How many of the above statements are correct?

Official Verdict: (d) None

Core Concept: Every single node here is misplaced by the examiner. The East-West Corridor spans Silchar (Assam) to Porbandar (Gujarat), not Dibrugarh to Surat. The Trilateral Highway links Moreh to Mae Sot in Thailand, not Chiang Mai. The BCIM corridor initiates in Kolkata, West Bengal, not Varanasi.

Tethered to: REALM 101: Transport Geography