Daily Quiz: UPSC Prelims Marathon – December 21, 2018

Danube River is the second longest in Europe after the Volga. It rises in the

Black Forest mountains of western Germany and flows for some 1,770 miles (2,850 km) to its mouth on the Black Sea.

• Ancient Greeks navigated up the Danube from the Black Sea, as far as the Iron Gate. Later, river transport was developed by the Romans; many cities along the Danube began as Roman military outposts. In medieval times, goods were moved either by boat or barge, or along its banks, fostering development of the Habsburg and Hungarian empires. Countries
• The Danube flows through ten modern- day European nations: Romania, Hungary, Serbia, Austria, Germany, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Croatia, Ukraine, and Moldova
• The Danube River flows directly through many significant European cities, including four national capitals  Vienna (Austria), Bratislava (Slovakia), Budapest (Hungary) and Belgrade (Serbia)

• A tropical marine climate is usually experienced by islands and coastal areas 10° to 20° north or south of the equator.
• The ocean is the main influence in creating the tropical marine climate.
• There are two main seasons: the wet season and the dry season. The annual rainfall is 1000 to over 1500 mm. The temperature ranges from 20°C to 35°C.
• The trade winds blow all year round and are moist, as they pass over warm seas.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct:

a) In the southern hemisphere, the climate is ex-perienced in southern Chile, Tasmania and most parts of New Zealand, particularly in South Island.

b) The natural vegetation of this climatic type is deciduous forest. The trees shed their leaves in the cold season. This is an adaptation for protecting themselves against the winter snow and frost. Shedding begins in autumn, the ‘fall’ season, during which the leaves fall and are scattered by the winds. Statement 3 is incorrect:

The British type of climate has adequate rainfall throughout the year with a tendency towards a slight winter or autumn maximum from cyclonic sources. Since the rain-bearing winds come from the west, the western margins have the heaviest rainfall. The amount decreases eastwards with increasing distance from the sea.

Some of the features associated with glacier erosion in alpine regions are cirques, horns,

and arêtes Cirques: are the bowl shaped depressions found at the head of glacial valleys. For most alpine glaciers, cirques are the areas in the alpine valleys where snow first accumulated and was modified into glacial ice. The glaciers that occupy cirques are called cirque glaciers. Horns: are pyramidal peaks that form when several cirques chisel a mountain from three or more sides. The most famous horn is the Matterhorn found in the Swiss Alps. Arêtes are the narrow serrated ridges found in glaciated alpine areas. Arêtes form when two opposing cirques back erode a mountain ridge. Moraines: Moraines are accumulations of dirt and rocks that have fallen onto the glacier surface or have been pushed along by the glacier as it moves. The dirt and rocks composing moraines can range in size from powdery silt to large rocks and boulders. A receding glacier can leave behind moraines that are visible long after the glacier retreats.

The highest and biggest plateau on Earth, the Tibetan Plateau in East Asia, resulted from a collision between two tectonic plates about 55 million years ago. The land buckled up along the seam of the collision and formed the Himalaya mountain range. Farther away, the crust uplifted but didn’t crumple and wrinkle, creating instead a raised, flat, and wide open expanse known as the “roof of the world.” The Malwa plateau and Deccan traps of India, Columbia and Snake Rivers Plateau of North America, Kimberlay Plateau of Australia and Parana and Patagonian Plateaus of South America were also formed by the solidification of molten lava which had escaped from the earth’s interior to its surface at different geological times.

PirPanjal Range: This is the largest range of the lower Himalayas and runs from the East-Southeast to west- northwest. The PirPanjal pass lies to the west of Srinagar and comprises Banihal Pass, Sinthal Pass, Rohtang La, Munawar Pass and HajiPir Pass. Ladakh Range: This range extends from the northern side of Leh to the Tibetan border. It comprises Digar La Pass and Khardung La Pass. Considered a segment of the Karakoram mountain range, the Ladakh range has an extreme climate. Leh, which is the main town of the region, is regarded as a trade centre for fine pashmina wool. Zanskar Range: This range starts from south-eastern boundaries of Kashmir and extends to the eastern limit of Baltistan. Singge La Pass, Runrang La Pass, Fotu (Fatu) La Pass, Marbal Pass and Zoji La Pass are some of the passes of this range. Dhauladhar Range: This range rises from the plains of India to the north of Mandi and Kangra. Hanuman ji Ka Tiba or the ‘White Mountain’ is the highest peak. East Karakoram Range: This range separates India from Central Asia and is also one of the larger ranges of Asia. It is home to the second highest peak of the world, K2.

The countries with coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea are Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Monaco, Montenegro, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey. In addition, the Gaza Strip and the British Overseas Territories of Gibraltar and Akrotiri and Dhekelia have coastlines on the sea