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TNPSC Indian geography practice questions: rivers, soils and climate
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The Geography unit of the TNPSC General Studies paper is named "Geography of India" in the Group 2 prelims scheme, and in the Group 4 and Group 2 papers it carries about 5 of the 75 questions (the split is indicative). Expect questions on rivers, soils, climate and crops that connect to the Indian economy unit. The five questions below test the commonest facts. More on the whole subject is in TNPSC Geography.
What this topic covers
- Physical features: the Himalayas, northern plains, peninsular plateau, coastal plains and islands.
- Rivers: the Himalayan and peninsular rivers, east-flowing and west-flowing.
- Climate: the monsoon system, seasons and rainfall distribution.
- Soils and natural vegetation: the main soil types and their crops.
- Resources: minerals, power resources, and transport.
| Soil | Where | Typical crops |
|---|---|---|
| Alluvial | Indo-Gangetic plains, river deltas | Rice, wheat, sugarcane, jute |
| Black (regur) | Deccan plateau | Cotton, soybean, millets |
| Red | Peninsular India | Millets, groundnut, pulses |
| Laterite | Western Ghats, hills of the east | Cashew, tea, coffee, rubber |
| Desert | Rajasthan | Drought-tolerant millets |
Sample questions
Question 1
Which of the following rivers flows westward and drains into the Arabian Sea?
- A. Mahanadi
- B. Godavari
- C. Krishna
- D. Narmada
Question 2
Black (regur) soil is best suited for the cultivation of:
- A. cotton
- B. tea
- C. jute
- D. rubber
Question 3
Mawsynram, one of the wettest places on Earth, is located in:
- A. Assam
- B. Kerala
- C. Meghalaya
- D. Arunachal Pradesh
Question 4
The river known as the "Sorrow of Bihar" is the:
- A. Gandak
- B. Kosi
- C. Son
- D. Ghaghara
Question 5
Through which of the following states does the Tropic of Cancer pass?
- A. Odisha
- B. Bihar
- C. Andhra Pradesh
- D. Jharkhand
Answers and explanations
- D. The Narmada and the Tapti are the two large peninsular rivers that flow west through rift valleys into the Arabian Sea. The Mahanadi, Godavari and Krishna flow east into the Bay of Bengal.
- A. Black soil retains moisture and is rich in clay, so it suits cotton, which is why it is also called black cotton soil. Tea needs acidic hill soil, jute needs the alluvial delta, and rubber grows on laterite and red soils.
- C. Mawsynram, in the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya, records among the highest annual rainfall in the world because the monsoon winds are forced up the hills.
- B. The Kosi changes its course often and floods large parts of north Bihar, which earned it the name "Sorrow of Bihar". The Damodar was once called the "Sorrow of Bengal".
- D. The Tropic of Cancer passes through eight states: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura and Mizoram. Odisha, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh lie outside it.
How to prepare Indian geography
Use maps constantly. For rivers, trace the major ones on a blank outline map: source, direction of flow, main tributaries and where they end. Mark the Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats, Deccan Plateau and the main passes. Questions that sound like text-book trivia usually have a spatial logic that a map reveals.
Learn the monsoon in four steps: onset in June, the south-west monsoon, retreat in autumn, and the north-east (retreating) monsoon that brings rain to Tamil Nadu and parts of the south-east coast from October to December. Revise it together with the soil table above, because crops follow soils and rainfall.
Keep resource facts to those in the textbook, such as the main mineral belts (iron ore in Odisha and Jharkhand, coal in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh) and the major ports and rail zones. Rankings and production figures change, so avoid memorising them from news summaries.
Connect this to the state with TNPSC Tamil Nadu geography practice and to economics with TNPSC agriculture and industry practice. For the world view, begin at TNPSC physical geography practice.
Take the full topic test on PrepMatic
Because many geography questions are about locations, repetition works better than long study sessions. A PrepMatic topic test (about 15 questions in 30 minutes) is a good short revision tool. Tamil-medium candidates can choose Tamil as the exam language, which lets them practise with the place names as they will appear in the Tamil paper.
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