UPSC CSE Prelims 2022 Previous Year Question Answer with Explanation Part-3

Question 21. Among the following crops, which one is the most important anthropogenic source of both methane and nitrous oxide?

(a) Cotton

(b) Rice

(c) Sugarcane

(d) Wheat

Correct Option: (b)

Explanation:

Methane and nitrous oxide are emitted from conventional and modifi ed rice cultivation systems.

Question 22. “System of Rice Intensifi cation” of cultivation, in which alternate wetting and drying of rice fi elds is practised, results in :

1. Reduced seed requirement

2. Reduced methane production

3. Reduced electricity consumption

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Option: (d)

Explanation:

System of Rice Intensifi cation (SRI) includes a method called Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) which is a form of controlled or intermittent irrigation of the rice crops. The benefi ts from the programme include reduction in methane emissions from traditional rice cultivation, and signifi cant reduction in water consumption. The crop yields are maintained and not affected negatively, and the programme leads to the creation of community organisation and strengthening of networks through the formation of farmer groups. Typically, farmers use diesel to pump large amounts of water to fl ood their fi elds. With intermittent fl ooding, water pumps are run for shorter periods of time, reducing fuel consumption.

Benefi ts and Impacts of SRI

To increase paddy yields usually by 20-50% and sometimes 100% or more;

To reduce required seeds for transplanting by 60-80%;

To reduce use of chemical fertilizers and agrichemicals;

To reduce irrigation water by 25-50%;

To reduce production costs usually by 10-20%; and

With increased output and reduced costs, farmers’ net income is increased.

Question 23. Which one of the following lakes of West Africa has become dry and turned into a desert ?

(a) Lake Victoria

(b) Lake Faguibine

(c) Lake Oguta

(d) Lake Volta

Correct Option: (b)

Explanation:

One example of increasing aridity in Mali appears in Lake Faguibine. These false-color Landsat satellite images of the lake show how it changed over the decades.

Lying at the end of a series of basins watered by the Niger River when it fl oods, Lake Faguibine has experienced widely fl uctuating water levels since the turn of the twentieth century but, at its fullest, has ranked among the largest lakes in West Africa. In 1974, this lake covered roughly 590 square kilometers (230 square miles). Starting in the late 1980s, a drop in precipitation steadily dried the lake. By the late 1990s, the traditional livelihoods of fi shing, agriculture, and livestock herding became impractical. Even though normal rainfall resumed after the year 2000, the lake remained nearly dry.

Question 24. Gandikota canyon of South India was created by which one of the following rivers? 

(a) Cauvery

(b) Manjira

(c) Pennar

(d) Tungabhadra

Correct Option: (c)

Explanation:

Gandikota is a small village in the Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh. The village is majorly known for housing the spectacular gorge which is famously adjudged as the Grand Canyon of India.

The stunning gorge has been created by the waters of the famous river Pennar that streams from the Erramala hills.

Penna (also known as Pinakini, Pennar, Penner, Penneru (Telugu), Pennai (Tamil)) is a river of southern India.

India has always been a popular tourist destination for its historic forts, stunning palaces and dense jungles.

Now, a lesser known gorge in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh is drawing visitors. The gorge is a stunning maze of jagged rocks layered in shades of red. The PennaRiver meanders through the canyon fl oor as it cuts through the Erramala hills.

The area is known as the Grand Canyon of India because of its resemblance to the famous US landmark.

It’s also home to two ancient temples and a 12th Century fort that sits atop the hills surrounding the gorge.

Question 25. Consider the following pairs Peak Mountains

1. NamchaBarwa - Garhwal Himalaya

2. Nanda Devi – Kumaon Himalaya

3. Nokrek – Sikkim Himalaya

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

(a) 1 and 2

(b) 2 only

(c) 1 and 3

(d) 3 only

Correct Option: (b)

Explanation:

NamchaBarwa is in an isolated part of southeastern Tibet rarely visited by outsiders. It stands inside the Great Bend of the YarlungTsangpo River as the river enters its notable gorge across the Himalaya, emerging as the Siang and becoming the Brahmaputra. On other hand the Garhwal Himalayas are mountain ranges located in the Indian state of Uttarakhand

Kumaun Himalayas, west-central section of the Himalayas in northern India, extending 200 miles (320 km) from the Sutlej River east to the Kali River. The range, comprising part of the Siwalik Range in the south and part of the Great Himalayas in the north, lies largely within the state of Uttarakhand, northwest of Nepal. It rises to 25,646 feet (7,817 metres) at Nanda Devi, the range’s highest peak.

The Nokrek Biosphere Reserve is located in the northeast of India on the Tura Range, which forms part of the Meghalaya Plateau (average altitude: 600 metres).

Question 26. The term “Levant” often heard in the news roughly corresponds to which of the following regions?

(a) Region along the eastern Mediterranean shores

(b) Region along North African shores stretching from Egypt to Morocco

(c) Region along Persian Gulf and Horn of Africa

(d) The entire coastal areas of Mediterranean Sea

Correct Option: (a)

Explanation:

Levant, the region along the eastern Mediterranean shores, roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and certain adjacent areas.

Question 27. Consider the following countries:

1. Azerbaijan

2. Kyrgyzstan

3. Tajikistan

4. Turkmenistan

5. Uzbekistan

Which of the above have borders with Afghanistan?

(a) 1, 2 and 5 only

(b) 1, 2, 3 and 4 only

(c) 3, 4 and 5 only

(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

Correct Option: (c)

Explanation:

Afghanistan is completely landlocked—the nearest coast lies along the Arabian Sea, about 300 miles (480 km) to the south—and, because of both its isolation and its volatile political history, it remains one of the most poorly surveyed areas of the world. It is bounded to the east and south by Pakistan to the west by Iran to the north by the Central Asian states of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.

It also has a short border with Xinjiang, China, at the end of the long, narrow (Wakhan Corridor), in the extreme northeast.

Question 28. With reference to India, consider the following statements :

1. Monazite is a source of rare earths.

2. Monazite contains thorium.

3. Monazite occurs naturally in the entire Indian coastal sands in India.

4. In India, Government bodies only can process or export monazite.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1, 2 and 3 only

(b) 1, 2 and 4 only

(c) 3 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Correct Option: (b)

Explanation:

Monazite is a mineral mainly containing rare earths and thorium-a prescribed substance to be handled by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). Accordingly, Indian Rare Earths Ltd. (IREL) wholly owned by the Govt. of India, under the administrative control of the Dept. of Atomic Energy (DAE) utilises monazite mainly for production of rare earth compounds, and thorium, as needed in the Department of Atomic Energy.

In-situ monazite established by AMD so far are present in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, and Jharkhand.

Question 29. In the northern hemisphere, the longest day of the year normally occurs in the: 

(a) First half of the month of June

(b) Second half of the month of June

(c) First half of the month of July

(d) Second half of the month of July

Correct Option: (b)

Explanation:

Summer solstice: The two moments during the year when the path of the Sun in the sky is farthest north in the Northern Hemisphere (June 20 or 21) or farthest south in the Southern Hemisphere (December 21 or 22).

At the summer solstice, the Sun travels the longest path through the sky, and that day therefore has the most daylight.

Question 30. Consider the following pairs:

Wetland / Lake Location

1. Hokera Wetland – Punjab

2. Renuka Wetland – Himachal Pradesh

3. Rudrasagar Lake — Tripura

4. Sasthamkotta Lake – Tamil Nadu

How many pairs given above are correctly matched?

(a) Only one pair

(b) Only two pairs

(c) Only three pairs

(d) All four pairs

Correct Option: (b)

Explanation:

Hokera Wetland- Jammu and Kashmir

Renuka Wetland- Himachal Pradesh

Rudrasagar Lake- Tripura

Sasthamkotta Lake- Kerala