Practice Questions (120 MCQs with Answers)

Attempt each set of 20 questions in 15 minutes, then check the answer key. Revise the linked topic for any wrong answer. The key follows each set.

Set 1: Location, Physiography and Himalaya

• Q1. The Tropic of Cancer passes through how many Indian states? (A) 6 (B) 7 (C) 8 (D) 9
• Q2. The Standard Meridian of India (82°30'E) passes near: (A) Mirzapur (B) Nagpur (C) Bhopal (D) Patna
• Q3. Indira Point, the southernmost point of India, is located in: (A) Lakshadweep (B) Great Nicobar (C) Little Andaman (D) Car Nicobar
• Q4. Which neighbour shares the longest land border with India? (A) China (B) Bangladesh (C) Pakistan (D) Nepal
• Q5. Which of these does NOT share a land border with India? (A) Myanmar (B) Bhutan (C) Sri Lanka (D) Nepal
• Q6. The Ten Degree Channel separates: (A) India from Sri Lanka (B) Andaman from Nicobar (C) Minicoy from Maldives (D) Lakshadweep from Kerala
• Q7. Which is the highest peak entirely in India (Indian-administered)? (A) K2 (B) Kangchenjunga (C) Nanda Devi (D) Kamet
• Q8. The pass that connects Srinagar and Leh is: (A) Banihal (B) Zoji La (C) Shipki La (D) Nathu La
• Q9. Nathu La connects Sikkim with: (A) Nepal (B) Bhutan (C) China (D) Myanmar
• Q10. The outermost range of the Himalaya is the: (A) Himadri (B) Himachal (C) Shiwalik (D) Pir Panjal
• Q11. The porous pebble belt at the foot of the Shiwaliks where streams disappear is: (A) Terai (B) Bhabar (C) Khadar (D) Bhangar
• Q12. The oldest landmass of India is the: (A) Northern Plains (B) Himalaya (C) Peninsular Plateau (D) Coastal plains
• Q13. The highest peak of the Western Ghats / peninsular India is: (A) Doddabetta (B) Mahendragiri (C) Anamudi (D) Guru Shikhar
• Q14. The Deccan Plateau's black soil was formed from: (A) glaciers (B) lava flows (C) river alluvium (D) wind-blown sand
• Q15. The largest river island in India is: (A) Sriharikota (B) Majuli (C) Divar (D) Shivasamudram
• Q16. The Thar Desert lies mainly in: (A) Gujarat (B) Haryana (C) Rajasthan (D) Punjab
• Q17. The highest peak of the Aravalli range is: (A) Guru Shikhar (B) Dhupgarh (C) Anamudi (D) Kalsubai
• Q18. The Lesser Himalaya is also known as: (A) Himadri (B) Himachal (C) Shiwalik (D) Purvanchal
• Q19. The Great Himalaya has an average height of more than: (A) 2,000 m (B) 4,000 m (C) 6,000 m (D) 8,000 m
• Q20. The Palghat Gap lies between: (A) Western and Eastern Ghats (B) Anamudi and Nilgiri hills (C) Aravalli and Satpura (D) Vindhya and Satpura

Answers, Set 1: Q1 C (eight states: Gujarat, Rajasthan, MP, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura, Mizoram). Q2 A (Mirzapur, UP; the IST meridian). Q3 B. Q4 B (about 4,096 km). Q5 C. Q6 B. Q7 B (K2 lies in Gilgit-Baltistan, in India's claimed territory). Q8 B. Q9 C. Q10 C. Q11 B. Q12 C. Q13 C (Anamudi, 2,695 m). Q14 B (Deccan Trap basalt). Q15 B. Q16 C. Q17 A (Mount Abu). Q18 B. Q19 C (about 6,000 m average). Q20 B (the gap separates the Nilgiri hills in the north from the Anamalai range, which holds Anamudi, in the south).

Set 2: Drainage and Climate

• Q21. The longest peninsular river is the: (A) Krishna (B) Godavari (C) Narmada (D) Cauvery
• Q22. The confluence of the Alaknanda and the Bhagirathi is at: (A) Rudraprayag (B) Devprayag (C) Haridwar (D) Karnaprayag
• Q23. Which is NOT a left-bank tributary of the Ganga? (A) Ghaghara (B) Gandak (C) Kosi (D) Yamuna
• Q24. The Kosi is called the "Sorrow of": (A) Bengal (B) Assam (C) Bihar (D) Odisha
• Q25. The Chenab is formed by the confluence of: (A) Chandra and Bhaga (B) Ravi and Beas (C) Jhelum and Kishanganga (D) Sutlej and Beas
• Q26. Which river is an "eastern river" under the Indus Waters Treaty? (A) Jhelum (B) Chenab (C) Beas (D) Indus
• Q27. Rivers that flow west through rift valleys are: (A) Godavari and Krishna (B) Narmada and Tapi (C) Mahanadi and Brahmani (D) Cauvery and Vaigai
• Q28. Dhuandhar Falls is on the: (A) Narmada (B) Tapi (C) Sharavati (D) Godavari
• Q29. Jog Falls is formed by the river: (A) Cauvery (B) Sharavati (C) Krishna (D) Tungabhadra
• Q30. Chilika Lake is in: (A) Andhra Pradesh (B) West Bengal (C) Odisha (D) Tamil Nadu
• Q31. Wular Lake lies in the: (A) Pir Panjal (B) Kashmir valley on the Jhelum (C) Zanskar (D) Ladakh
• Q32. Sambhar Lake is a: (A) freshwater lake in Gujarat (B) salt lake in Rajasthan (C) lagoon in Kerala (D) crater lake in Maharashtra
• Q33. The Hirakud Dam is built on the: (A) Mahanadi (B) Godavari (C) Krishna (D) Damodar
• Q34. Tamil Nadu gets much winter rain from the: (A) South-west monsoon (B) Western disturbances (C) North-east monsoon (D) Nor'westers
• Q35. The normal date of monsoon onset in Kerala is about: (A) 1 May (B) 1 June (C) 15 June (D) 1 July
• Q36. Loo is a: (A) cold wind of Punjab (B) hot, dry wind of the north-western plains (C) storm of Bengal (D) rain of Kerala
• Q37. Western disturbances bring winter rain mainly to: (A) South India (B) North-west India (C) North-east India (D) Odisha
• Q38. The wettest place in India is generally taken to be: (A) Agumbe (B) Mawsynram (C) Mahabaleshwar (D) Shillong
• Q39. El Nino generally leads to a: (A) strong monsoon (B) weak monsoon (C) cold winter (D) flood in Assam
• Q40. The Koeppen symbol "Aw" stands for: (A) tropical savanna (B) hot desert (C) tundra (D) monsoon with a dry winter in the plains

Answers, Set 2: Q21 B. Q22 B. Q23 D (the Yamuna is a right-bank tributary). Q24 C. Q25 A (at Tandi, Himachal). Q26 C (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej). Q27 B. Q28 A (near Jabalpur). Q29 B. Q30 C. Q31 B. Q32 B. Q33 A. Q34 C. Q35 B. Q36 B. Q37 B. Q38 B (Mawsynram; Cherrapunji is nearby). Q39 B. Q40 A.

Set 3: Soils, Vegetation, Wildlife and Disasters

• Q41. The black cotton soil of the Deccan is also called: (A) Regur (B) Khadar (C) Bhangar (D) Usar
• Q42. Laterite soil is formed by: (A) glaciation (B) leaching in heavy rain (C) river deposition (D) wind
• Q43. The Soil Health Card scheme was launched in: (A) 2010 (B) 2013 (C) 2015 (D) 2019
• Q44. The National Forest Policy 1988 targets forest and tree cover of: (A) 20 percent (B) 25 percent (C) 33 percent (D) 50 percent
• Q45. Teak is mainly found in: (A) tropical deciduous forests (B) alpine forests (C) thorn forests (D) mangroves
• Q46. The world's largest mangrove forest shared with Bangladesh is the: (A) Bhitarkanika (B) Sundarbans (C) Pichavaram (D) Godavari delta
• Q47. The Gir National Park is the only home of the wild: (A) Bengal tiger (B) Asiatic lion (C) snow leopard (D) rhinoceros
• Q48. India's first national park is: (A) Kaziranga (B) Jim Corbett (C) Ranthambore (D) Periyar
• Q49. The hangul or Kashmir stag is found in: (A) Kishtwar (B) Dachigam (C) Gulmarg (D) Hemis
• Q50. Project Tiger was launched in: (A) 1952 (B) 1973 (C) 1986 (D) 2006
• Q51. India's first biosphere reserve (1986) is: (A) Nilgiri (B) Sundarbans (C) Nanda Devi (D) Manas
• Q52. The number of global biodiversity hotspots in India is: (A) 2 (B) 3 (C) 4 (D) 5
• Q53. The state with the largest forest cover by area is: (A) Odisha (B) Arunachal Pradesh (C) Madhya Pradesh (D) Chhattisgarh
• Q54. The state with the highest percentage of its area under forest cover is: (A) Mizoram (B) Kerala (C) Odisha (D) Goa
• Q55. The most severe seismic zone in India is: (A) II (B) III (C) IV (D) V
• Q56. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is chaired by the: (A) Home Minister (B) Prime Minister (C) President (D) Cabinet Secretary
• Q57. The Disaster Management Act was passed in: (A) 1986 (B) 1999 (C) 2005 (D) 2013
• Q58. The only floating national park of India, Keibul Lamjao, is in: (A) Assam (B) Manipur (C) Mizoram (D) Tripura
• Q59. Namdapha National Park, with four big cats, is in: (A) Assam (B) Arunachal Pradesh (C) Meghalaya (D) Nagaland
• Q60. The Ramsar Convention on wetlands was signed in: (A) 1971 (B) 1982 (C) 1992 (D) 2002

Answers, Set 3: Q41 A. Q42 B. Q43 C (launched in February 2015 from Suratgarh). Q44 C (33 percent; 66 percent in hills). Q45 A. Q46 B. Q47 B. Q48 B (1936). Q49 B. Q50 B. Q51 A. Q52 C. Q53 C (by area, MP; check the latest ISFR). Q54 A (excluding Lakshadweep, a UT). Q55 D. Q56 B. Q57 C. Q58 B. Q59 B. Q60 A (the Iranian city of Ramsar).

Set 4: Agriculture, Minerals and Energy

• Q61. Which is a rabi crop? (A) Rice (B) Cotton (C) Wheat (D) Jute
• Q62. The leading tea-producing state is: (A) West Bengal (B) Assam (C) Kerala (D) Tamil Nadu
• Q63. The leading coffee-producing state is: (A) Karnataka (B) Kerala (C) Tamil Nadu (D) Andhra Pradesh
• Q64. The leading jute-producing state is: (A) Bihar (B) West Bengal (C) Assam (D) Odisha
• Q65. Saffron is commercially grown in: (A) Himachal Pradesh (B) Uttarakhand (C) Jammu and Kashmir (D) Sikkim
• Q66. The "Father of the Green Revolution in India" is: (A) Verghese Kurien (B) M. S. Swaminathan (C) Norman Borlaug (D) Hiralal Chaudhuri
• Q67. Operation Flood is associated with: (A) milk (B) fish (C) oilseeds (D) eggs
• Q68. The largest sugarcane-producing state is: (A) Maharashtra (B) Uttar Pradesh (C) Karnataka (D) Tamil Nadu
• Q69. Bailadila is famous for: (A) coal (B) iron ore (C) copper (D) bauxite
• Q70. Jharia is known for: (A) coking coal (B) lignite (C) manganese (D) mica
• Q71. India's first oil well was drilled at: (A) Digboi (B) Naharkatiya (C) Ankleshwar (D) Bombay High
• Q72. Mumbai High is: (A) a coalfield (B) an offshore oil field (C) a nuclear plant (D) a hydel station
• Q73. Khetri is known for: (A) copper (B) iron (C) coal (D) bauxite
• Q74. Kudremukh is a source of: (A) iron ore (B) manganese (C) gold (D) mica
• Q75. Koderma is associated with: (A) mica (B) uranium (C) copper (D) diamonds
• Q76. India's first commercial nuclear power plant, Tarapur, is in: (A) Gujarat (B) Maharashtra (C) Tamil Nadu (D) Rajasthan
• Q77. Bhadla is a well-known: (A) wind farm (B) solar park (C) coal mine (D) tidal plant
• Q78. India's diamond-producing mine region is: (A) Panna (B) Koraput (C) Kolar (D) Khetri
• Q79. Neyveli is famous for: (A) lignite (B) anthracite (C) bauxite (D) salt
• Q80. The Sindri plant is associated with: (A) steel (B) fertiliser (C) cement (D) aluminium

Answers, Set 4: Q61 C. Q62 B. Q63 A. Q64 B. Q65 C. Q66 B (Borlaug is the global father). Q67 A (Verghese Kurien, NDDB, 1970). Q68 B. Q69 B (Chhattisgarh). Q70 A. Q71 A (1889). Q72 B. Q73 A (Rajasthan). Q74 A (Karnataka). Q75 A (Jharkhand). Q76 B. Q77 B (Rajasthan). Q78 A (Madhya Pradesh). Q79 A (Tamil Nadu). Q80 B (Jharkhand, fertiliser).

Set 5: Industry, Transport and Population

• Q81. Jamshedpur is known for: (A) steel (B) cotton (C) jute (D) petrochemicals
• Q82. The Bhilai Steel Plant was built with the help of: (A) Germany (B) the Soviet Union (C) Britain (D) the USA
• Q83. Which city is called the "Manchester of India"? (A) Mumbai (B) Ahmedabad (C) Kanpur (D) Coimbatore
• Q84. The Golden Quadrilateral connects: (A) Delhi-Mumbai-Chennai-Kolkata (B) Srinagar-Kanyakumari (C) Silchar-Porbandar (D) Delhi-Agra-Jaipur-Mumbai
• Q85. The first passenger train ran in India in: (A) 1853 (B) 1857 (C) 1875 (D) 1900
• Q86. The longest national highway in India is: (A) NH 44 (B) NH 48 (C) NH 27 (D) NH 19
• Q87. The largest container port among India's major ports is: (A) Chennai (B) JNPT (C) Kolkata (D) Cochin
• Q88. Kandla port is located in: (A) Maharashtra (B) Gujarat (C) Goa (D) Karnataka
• Q89. National Waterway 1 is on the: (A) Brahmaputra (B) Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly (C) Godavari (D) West Coast Canal
• Q90. The longest railway platform is at: (A) Kharagpur (B) Gorakhpur (C) Kollam (D) Bilaspur
• Q91. India's population in Census 2011 was about: (A) 102 crore (B) 121 crore (C) 135 crore (D) 142 crore
• Q92. The state with the highest population density (2011) is: (A) West Bengal (B) Kerala (C) Bihar (D) Uttar Pradesh
• Q93. The state with the highest sex ratio (2011) is: (A) Tamil Nadu (B) Kerala (C) Puducherry (D) Odisha
• Q94. The state with the lowest literacy rate (2011) is: (A) Bihar (B) Rajasthan (C) Jharkhand (D) Arunachal Pradesh
• Q95. The state with the highest literacy rate (2011) is: (A) Goa (B) Mizoram (C) Kerala (D) Tripura
• Q96. The most populous state (2011) is: (A) Maharashtra (B) Bihar (C) Uttar Pradesh (D) West Bengal
• Q97. The least populous state is: (A) Goa (B) Mizoram (C) Sikkim (D) Arunachal Pradesh
• Q98. India's sex ratio in Census 2011 was: (A) 933 (B) 943 (C) 954 (D) 1,020
• Q99. The most urbanised major state (2011) was: (A) Goa (B) Maharashtra (C) Kerala (D) Tamil Nadu
• Q100. India's literacy rate in Census 2011 was: (A) 65.4 percent (B) 74.04 percent (C) 82.1 percent (D) 80.5 percent

Answers, Set 5: Q81 A. Q82 B. Q83 B (Ahmedabad; Coimbatore is the Manchester of the South). Q84 A. Q85 A (16 April 1853). Q86 A (Srinagar to Kanyakumari). Q87 B. Q88 B. Q89 B (Haldia to Prayagraj). Q90 B (1,366 m). Q91 B. Q92 C (Bihar, 1,106). Q93 B (Puducherry is higher but it is a UT). Q94 A (Bihar, about 61.8 percent). Q95 C (about 94 percent). Q96 C. Q97 C. Q98 B. Q99 A (about 62 percent; Delhi is a UT). Q100 B.

Set 6: Records, Rivers and Dams, Map Points

• Q101. The largest state by area is: (A) Madhya Pradesh (B) Maharashtra (C) Rajasthan (D) Uttar Pradesh
• Q102. The smallest state by area is: (A) Sikkim (B) Goa (C) Tripura (D) Nagaland
• Q103. India has: (A) 29 states and 7 UTs (B) 28 states and 8 UTs (C) 27 states and 9 UTs (D) 30 states and 6 UTs
• Q104. The state with the longest coastline is: (A) Andhra Pradesh (B) Tamil Nadu (C) Gujarat (D) Maharashtra
• Q105. The Chenab Rail Bridge in J&K is notable as the world's: (A) longest rail bridge (B) highest railway arch bridge (C) oldest bridge (D) longest sea bridge
• Q106. The Sardar Sarovar Dam is built on the: (A) Tapi (B) Narmada (C) Mahi (D) Sabarmati
• Q107. The Tehri Dam is built on the: (A) Bhagirathi (B) Alaknanda (C) Yamuna (D) Sharda
• Q108. The Bhakra Dam is on the: (A) Beas (B) Ravi (C) Sutlej (D) Chenab
• Q109. The Baglihar hydroelectric project is on the: (A) Jhelum (B) Chenab (C) Indus (D) Tawi
• Q110. Siachen Glacier lies in the: (A) Pir Panjal (B) Karakoram range (C) Zanskar range (D) Shiwaliks
• Q111. The Jawahar Tunnel is on the: (A) Pir Panjal at Banihal (B) Zojila (C) Rohtang (D) Khardung La
• Q112. The capital of Lakshadweep is: (A) Kavaratti (B) Minicoy (C) Agatti (D) Amini
• Q113. India's northernmost point is: (A) Indira Col (B) Indira Point (C) Kibithu (D) Guhar Moti
• Q114. India's easternmost village (point) is: (A) Kibithu (B) Dibrugarh (C) Itanagar (D) Kohima
• Q115. India's westernmost point is: (A) Guhar Moti (B) Dwarka (C) Porbandar (D) Okha
• Q116. The mainland's southernmost tip is: (A) Indira Point (B) Kanyakumari (C) Rameswaram (D) Dhanushkodi
• Q117. The Coromandel Coast lies along: (A) Gujarat (B) Kerala (C) Tamil Nadu and southern Andhra (D) Odisha only
• Q118. The Konkan Coast is in: (A) Maharashtra and Goa (B) Kerala (C) Odisha (D) Gujarat
• Q119. The Malabar Coast is in: (A) Karnataka-Goa border (B) Kerala (C) Andhra (D) Maharashtra
• Q120. The Rann of Kutch is a: (A) coral reef (B) salt marsh (C) glacier (D) forest

Answers, Set 6: Q101 C. Q102 B. Q103 B. Q104 C (Gujarat, mainland about 1,600 km). Q105 B (359 m, opened in 2025). Q106 B. Q107 A. Q108 C. Q109 B. Q110 B (Ladakh). Q111 A. Q112 A. Q113 A (Indira Col, in the Siachen region; the tip of the Indian claim). Q114 A (Kibithu, Arunachal Pradesh). Q115 A (Guhar Moti, Kutch, Gujarat). Q116 B (Indira Point, Great Nicobar, is the southernmost point of the country, but Kanyakumari is the mainland tip). Q117 C. Q118 A. Q119 B. Q120 B.