06 July 2022

Q1. Consider the following statements

1. A solar day is nearly 4 minutes smaller than a sidereal day
2. Approximately 1° is the distance covered by the earth in its orbit every day
3. The mean solar day at present is 86400 seconds

Which among the above statements is/are correct?

1 and 2 only

1 and 3 only

2 only

2 and 3 only

B – Explanation:

A solar day is nearly 4 minutes longer than a sidereal day. The mean solar day at present is 86400.002 seconds, It was 86400 in 1820.

Q2. With respect to the Indian Standard Time (IST- 82°30’), consider the following statements:

1. The IST meridian intersects the Tropic of Cancer in the state of Chhattisgarh.
2. The IST is shared by neighboring Sri Lanka.
3. Chaibagaan refers to India’s official Daylight Saving Time (DST) used in north-eastern states.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1 and 2 only

1 and 3 Only

2 and 3 only

1, 2 and 3

A – Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct.

Established on September 1, 1947, IST corresponds to the time schedule along the 82.5°E longitude near Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh.

States located to the west of this longitude have more daylight hours compared to those in the east.

Indian Standard Time is five and a half hours ahead of UTC / GMT. Tropic of cancer and IST meridian intersect at Koriya district in Chhattisgarh

Statement 2 is correct.

The Sri Lanka Time reverted on 15 April 2006 to match Indian Standard Time calculated from the Allahabad Observatory in India 82.5 ° longitude East of Greenwich, the reference point for GMT

Statement 3 is not correct.

India has no official Daylight Saving Time (DST) although the country spans more than 2000 Km East to West.

Some of the North eastern states have a different ‘Tea Garden Time’ to save Daylight. Chaibagaan or bagaan time was set one hour ahead of IST for tea estates, collieries and oil industry of Assam. Most tea estates still follow this time, so does the 112-year-old Digboi Refinery in eastern Assam.

Q3. Consider the following statements:

It originates from the Sivagiri hills of Western Ghats.Muthirapuzha, Cheruthoni,

Perinjankutti are its tributaries.Mullaperiyar Dam is located on it.

The above statements most appropriately are related to which of the following rivers in

Southern India.

1. Periyar
2. Cauvery
3. Vaigai
4. Pennar

A – Explanation:

The Periyar River is the longest river in the state of Kerala with a length of 244 km. It is also known as the‘Lifeline of Kerala’ as it is one of the few perennial rivers in the state.Periyar River originates from the Sivagiri hills of Western Ghats, in Tamil Nadu and flows through the Periyar National Park.The maintributaries of Periyar are Muthirapuzha, Mullayar, Cheruthoni, Perinjankutti.It is located in the State of Assam and covers 42,996 Hectare (ha). It is the single largest undisturbed and representative area in the Brahmaputra Valley floodplain.Mullaperiyar Dam is located on the confluence of the Mullayar and Periyar rivers in Kerala’s Idukki district.Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

Q4. Which of the following is/are the right bank tributaries of Krishna?

1. Musi
2. Koyna
3. Ghataprabha
4. Tungabhadra
5. Munneru

1. 1, 2 and 3 only
2. 2, 3 and 4 only
3. 3, 4 and 5 only
4. 1, 2, 4 and 5 only

B – Explanation:

River Krishna originates in Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra.It flows through Sangli and drains the sea in the Bay of Bengal.The river flows through the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.Tungabhadra River is the main tributary which itself is formed by the Tunga and Bhadra rivers that originate in the Western Ghats.Its Right bank tributaries are: Koyna, Doodhganga, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha and Tungabhadra.Its Left bank tributaries are: Bheema, Peddavagu, Musi, Paleru, Munneru.Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.

Q5. Consider the following statements:

The river originates in Varusanadu Hill, Western Ghats.The river travels through the Pandya Nadu region of Tamil Nadu.The river empties into the Palk Strait near the Pamban Bridge.The river finds a mention in Sangam literature.

Which of the following mentioned rivers is discussed in the above statements?

1. Vaigai River
2. Kaveri River
3. Bhavani River
4. Vellar River

A – Explanation:

Vaigai River originates in the Western Ghats (Varusanadu Hills). It travels through the Pandya Nadu region of Tamil Nadu.Its main tributaries are Suruliyaru, Mullaiyaru, Varaganadhi, Manjalaru, Kottagudi, Kridhumaal and Upparu. The Vaigai is 258 kms long and finally empties into the Palk Strait near the Pamban Bridge in Ramanathapuram district. Heritage River: The Vaigai was the river that flowed through the noted city of Madurai, the capital (4^th-11^th century CE) of the ancient and prosperous Pandya kingdom located in southern Tamil Nadu.The river finds a mention in Sangam literature dated to 300 before the Common Era.Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

Q6. Consider the following statements about Narmada River:

1. Narmada rises from Maikal Range near Amarkantak
2. Narmada basin extends over states of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh
3. Like most of the major rivers of peninsula it runs from West to East.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 1 and 3 only
3. 2 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

A – Explanation:

Narmada river rises near Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh at an elevation of about 900 m and flows for about 1312 km before outfalling into the Arabian Sea through the Gulf of Cambay. Its principal tributaries are the Burhner, the Halon, the Heran, the Banjar, the Dudhi, the Shakkar, the Tawa, the Barna ,the Kolar, the Ganjal, the Beda, the Goi, and the Orsang. Narmada basin extends over states of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh having an area (covering 3% of total geographical area of India). It is one of only three major rivers in peninsular India that run from east to west (longest west flowing river), along with the Tapti River and the Mahi River. It is one of the rivers in India that flows in a rift valley, flowing west between the Satpura and Vindhya ranges.

Q7. Which of the following rivers make Deltas:

1. Mahanadi
2. Krishna
3. Kaveri
4. Narmada

Select the correct answer using the code below

1. 1, 2 and 3 only
2. 1, 2 and 4 only
3. 1, 3 and 4 only

D.All of the above

A – Explanation:

Most of the east flowing rivers form deltas before entering into the Bay of Bengal. The deltas formed by the Mahanadi, the Krishna, the Kaveri and the Godavari are important examples. Narmada doesn’t make delta.

Q8. The Mahadayi river is associated with which of the following states?

1. Goa
2. Kerala
3. Karnataka
4. Maharashtra

Select the correct answer using the code below

1. 1 and 3 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1, 2 and 3 only
4. 1, 3 and 4 only

D – Explanation:

River Mahadayi (also spelt Mahadeyi or Mhadei, and called Mandovi in Goa) flows through Karnataka and Goa, before draining into the Arabian Sea. The river rises in the Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary in the Western Ghats (Karnataka) and flows in a general westerly direction, entering Goa. It is joined by a number of streams along the way, growing in volume to become the Mandovi River (one of Goa’s two major rivers) before emptying itself into the Arabian Sea at Panaji. The larger Mahadayi/Mandovi river basin, with its web of tributaries and distributaries, nourishes, besides Goa, parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka.The row between Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra over the sharing of the Mahadayi (Mandovi) river has escalated. With Karnataka headed for elections and the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal setting a February date for the final hearing, political parties in both States have upped the ante. Goa’s main contention is that Karnataka cannot divert water from an already-deficit Mahadayi basin to the Malaprabha river basin: 115 tmcft was available in the basin, while the requirement for the three States is 145 tmcft. It has said that any attempt to divert water from one river basin to the other will cause irreparable environmental damage. Karnataka claims 199.6 tmcft is available and the river is water-surplus. Of this, Karnataka wants 24.15 tmcft.

Q9. Consider the following statements:

Kailash Range separates the Karakoram Range and Pangong Tso Lake

The Kailash Range was the theatre of conflict during the 1962 Chinese offensive, with key battles at Rezang La and Gurung Hill.

Ladakh Range is located south of Zanskar Range.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1 and 2 only

1 and 3 only

2 only

1, 2 and 3

B – Explanation:

The Kailash Range was the theatre of conflict during the 1962 Chinese offensive, with key battles at Rezang La and Gurung Hill.

The Kailash Range:

The Karakoram Range ends on the northern side of the Pangong Tso.The Kailash Range originates from the southern bank and runs northwest to southeast for over 60 km.The Kailash Ridge is characterised by rugged, broken terrain with heights varying between 4,000-5,500m.Its key features include Helmet Top, Gurung Hill, Spanggur Gap, Muggar Hill, Mukhpari, Rezang La and Rechin La. The Ridge dominates Chushul Bowl; an important communications centre.

Q10. Why sometimes a ‘leap second’ is added to atomic clocks?

2. To account for the additional time at the beginning of a leap year

3. To compensate for slowdown in the Earth’s rotation

Which of the above is/are correct?

1 only

2 only

Both 1 and 2

None

B – Explanation:

An atomic clock at National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in New Delhi added ‘leap second’ (extra one second) to the Indian Standard Time (IST) on 1 January 2017 to synchronise with the Earth’s rotational clock.

The clock was programmed to add an extra second to the year 2017 in order to compensate for a slowdown in the Earth’s rotation.

• The Earth and rotation around its own axis is not regular, as sometimes slows down and sometimes speeds up due to various factors, including moon’s gravitational forces and earthquakes
• As a result, astronomical time (UT1) gradually falls out of sync with atomic time (UTC)

When the difference between UTC and UT1 approaches 0.9 seconds, a leap second is added to UTC through atomic clocks worldwide to match both times.

• This one second shift is critical for applications requiring time accuracies in the nanosecond scale, which are critical in the fields of astronomy, satellite navigation, communication networks etc.