Day-605 | Daily MCQs | UPSC Prelims | GEOGRAPHY

Answer: B
Explanation:
Pair 1 is matched incorrectly:
The 49th Parallel is the border shared between the USA and Canada.
This open border between two countries has been in news due to the influx of illegal refugees into the USA through Canada.
The border between South Korea and North Korea is known as the 38th Parallel.
Pair 2 is matched incorrectly:
The Mannerheim Line is the border between Russia and Finland.
The border has been in the news since Finland joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
Pair 3 is matched correctly:
The Blue Line is the border between Israel and Lebanon.
It has been in the news due to ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.
Pair 4 is matched correctly:
Border between the Republic of Cyprus and Turkish Cyprus is known as the Green Line.

Answer: D
Explanation:
Lancang-Mekong Cooperation:
Lancang-Mekong Cooperation is a multilateral format established in 2016 for cooperation between the riparian states of the Lancang River and Mekong River.
The Lancang is the part of the Mekong that flows through China.
Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand are five downstream countries of the Mekong River.
The central purpose of the format is for China to manage water flow from its hydropower dams with the other riparian states.
LMC Special Fund was created in 2016 to aid in small and medium-sized projects by the Lancang-Mekong countries.

Answer: C
Explanation:
Pair 1 is matched incorrectly:
The Canary Islands are part of Spain in the Atlantic Ocean, situated 115 km west of the Moroccan coast.
It is a volcanic island.
It has been in the news due to the influx of illegal refugees from conflict-ridden areas of Africa and Asia.
Pair 2 is matched correctly:
Snake or Serpent Island, also known as Zmiinyi Island is a small piece of rock less than 700 metres from end to end, that has been described as being X-shaped.
Location:
It is located 35 km from the coast in the Black Sea, to the east of the mouth of the Danube and roughly southwest of the port city of Odessa.
The island is marked on the map by the tiny village of Bile that is located on it, belongs to Ukraine.

Pair 3 is matched correctly:
Macquarie Island is located around 1,500km southeast of Tasmania which belongs to Australia.
It is the exposed crest of the 1,600 km-long undersea Macquarie Ridge.
This is the only piece of land in the world formed entirely of oceanic crust.
The area is also designated as a World Heritage Area.
It has been in the news because the Federal government of Australia proposed the expansion of the marine park covering Macquarie Island’s Economic Exclusion Zone.
Pair 4 is matched correctly:
It is an archipelago consisting of 70 individual islands, of which only 20 are inhabited.
The Orkney Islands can be found roughly 10 miles off the north coast of Scotland (which is part of the United Kingdom).
The islands have been inhabited since prehistoric times and are home to numerous archaeological sites, including Neolithic stone circles, chambered tombs (such as Maeshowe).
The four monuments that make up the Heart of Neolithic Orkney are unquestionably among the most important Neolithic sites in Western Europe.
These are the Ring of Brodgar, Stones of Stenness, Maeshowe and Skara Brae.
The Heart of Neolithic Orkney is designated as a UNESCO world Heritage site.
It has been in news because Orkney Islands is looking at ways to split off from the U.K. and potentially become a self-governing territory of Norway.

Answer: C
Explanation: All statements are correct
Statement 1 is correct:
Seamount:
It is a mountain with pointed summits, rising from the seafloor that does not reach the surface of the ocean. Seamounts are volcanic in origin.
These can be 3,000-4,500 m tall. The Emperor seamount, an extension of the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean, is a good example.

Guyots:
It is a flat topped seamount. They show evidence of gradual subsidence through stages to become flat topped submerged mountains.
They develop under the sea surface.
It is estimated that more than 10,000 seamounts and guyots exist in the Pacific Ocean alone.

Statement 2 is correct:
Ocean trenches are long, narrow depressions on the seafloor.
These chasms are the deepest parts of the ocean—and some of the deepest natural spots on Earth.
Ocean trenches are a result of tectonic activity, which describes the movement of the Earth’s lithosphere.
In particular, ocean trenches are a feature of convergent plate boundaries, where two or more tectonic plates meet.
At many convergent plate boundaries, dense lithosphere melts or slides beneath less-dense lithosphere in a process called subduction, creating a trench.

Statement 3 is correct:
The continental shelf is the seaward extension of the continent from the shoreline to the continental edge. Whereas, the continental slope connects the continental shelf and continental rise.
Continental shelf ends where there is a sharp increase in the slope angle.

Answer: A
Explanation: Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I
Statement-I is correct:
The Purple Revolution or Lavender Revolution, launched by the Ministry of Science & Technology, aims to promote the indigenous aromatic crop-based agro economy through the ‘aroma mission’ of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

Aim: The mission aims to increase the income of the farmers and promote lavender cultivation on a commercial scale.
Lavender oil, which sells for, at least, Rs. 10,000 per liter, is the main commodity. Other popular products include medicines, incense sticks, soaps, and air fresheners.
The cultivation of lavender is very cost-effective as it yields revenue immediately.
Under the One District One Product-Districts as Export Hubs (ODOP-DEH) initiative, lavender cultivation in Jammu and Kashmir has experienced a significant boom. Lavender has been designated by the central government as a “Doda brand product” to promote the rare aromatic plant and boost the morale of farmers, entrepreneurs, and agribusinesses involved in its cultivation as part of this Aroma Mission.
Statement-II is correct and also the correct explanation for Statement-I
Jammu and Kashmir climatic conditions are conducive to lavender cultivation, since the aromatic plant can withstand both chilly winters and pleasant summers.
Apart from the requirement of temperate climatic conditions, efforts from CSIR have made it possible that Jammu and Kashmir has emerged as a top destination.
Jammu and Kashmir climatic conditions are conducive to lavender cultivation, since the aromatic plant can withstand both chilly winters and pleasant summers.
Additionally, it is a low maintenance crop, which can be used from its second year of plantation and blossoms for fifteen years.
In its entirety, lavender production gives better returns when compared to other traditional crops.
CSIR has developed an elite variety of lavender suitable for cultivation in temperate regions of J&K and provided free saplings and end-to-end agro-technologies to farmers and also installed distillation units for essential oil extraction in several regions of J&K.