UPSC Geoscientist

31. Aral Sea in Central Asia is situated along which of the following two

Aral Sea in Central Asia is situated along which of the following two countries ?

Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan
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The Aral Sea is an endorheic lake located between Kazakhstan in the north and Uzbekistan in the south. Historically, it was the world’s fourth-largest inland body of water.
The Aral Sea lies between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
The Aral Sea has been shrinking dramatically since the 1960s due to the diversion of the rivers that feed it (the Amu Darya and Syr Darya) for irrigation projects by the Soviet Union.

32. Which of the following statements regarding Mount Kilimanjaro in Afric

Which of the following statements regarding Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa is/are correct ?

  • It is situated on the Equator.
  • It is the highest free standing mountain in the world.

Select the answer using the code given below :

1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2
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The second statement, “It is the highest free standing mountain in the world,” is correct. Mount Kilimanjaro is widely recognised as the world’s highest free-standing mountain. The first statement, “It is situated on the Equator,” is incorrect. Mount Kilimanjaro is located in Tanzania, which is just south of the Equator.
Mount Kilimanjaro is located near, but not on, the Equator and is the highest free-standing mountain globally.
Mount Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano and the highest mountain in Africa. It is located in Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania. While Tanzania lies just south of the Equator, the mountain itself is situated at approximately 3 degrees South latitude.

33. Which one of the following blocks of elements is called ‘Representativ

Which one of the following blocks of elements is called ‘Representative elements’?

s-block elements only
f-block elements only
d-block elements only
p-block elements together with s-block elements
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The s-block elements and the p-block elements together are called ‘Representative elements’ or ‘Main Group elements’.
Representative elements are those where the last electron enters either the s orbital or the p orbital of the outermost shell. They exhibit a wide range of chemical properties and their valencies are generally predictable based on their group number.
The d-block elements are known as Transition elements, and the f-block elements are known as Inner Transition elements (Lanthanides and Actinides). These elements generally have more complex electron configurations and chemical behaviors compared to the representative elements.

34. Who among the following scientists developed the Modern Periodic Table

Who among the following scientists developed the Modern Periodic Table ?

Henry Moseley
Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev
John Alexander Newlands
Johann Döbereiner
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Henry Moseley developed the Modern Periodic Table based on atomic number.
Moseley’s work in 1913 using X-ray spectroscopy showed that the atomic number (the number of protons in an atom’s nucleus) is a more fundamental property than atomic mass for organizing the elements. Arranging elements by increasing atomic number resolves anomalies present in Mendeleev’s table.
Dmitri Mendeleev is credited with creating the first widely accepted periodic table in 1869, which was arranged by increasing atomic mass and predicted the existence and properties of undiscovered elements. John Alexander Newlands proposed the Law of Octaves in 1865, arranging elements by atomic weight. Johann Döbereiner’s Law of Triads (1829) grouped elements with similar properties. While these scientists made important contributions, Moseley’s work led to the arrangement used in the modern periodic table.

35. Which one among the following is the correct ground state electronic c

Which one among the following is the correct ground state electronic configuration of Cr atom ?

1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d⁴ 4s²
1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d⁵ 4s¹
1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d⁶ 4s⁰
1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p³ 4s²
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The correct ground state electronic configuration of a Cr (Chromium) atom is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d⁵ 4s¹.
Chromium (atomic number 24) is an exception to the standard Aufbau principle filling order. The configuration 3d⁵ 4s¹ is more stable than 3d⁴ 4s² due to the enhanced stability of a half-filled d subshell.
The electronic configuration follows the Aufbau principle generally, filling orbitals in increasing order of energy (1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s, 3d…). However, for chromium and copper, promotion of an electron from the 4s orbital to the 3d orbital leads to half-filled (d⁵) or fully filled (d¹⁰) d subshells, which are particularly stable arrangements. The full configuration starts with the filled inner shells (equivalent to Argon, [Ar]), which is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶, followed by 3d⁵ 4s¹.

36. Which one of the following experiments explains the wave nature of ele

Which one of the following experiments explains the wave nature of electromagnetic radiation ?

Black-body radiation
Photoelectric effect
Rutherford’s scattering experiment
Diffraction of light
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Diffraction of light is a phenomenon that demonstrates the wave nature of electromagnetic radiation.
Diffraction occurs when waves bend around obstacles or spread out through openings. This bending and spreading are characteristic wave behaviors.
Black-body radiation (explained by Planck) and the photoelectric effect (explained by Einstein) are phenomena that provided evidence for the particle nature of light (photons). Rutherford’s scattering experiment demonstrated the nuclear model of the atom, not the wave nature of light. Other phenomena demonstrating the wave nature of light include interference and polarization.

37. Which one among the following statements regarding acids and bases is

Which one among the following statements regarding acids and bases is not correct ?

A conjugate base of a strong acid is a weak base.
In aqueous solution, the hydroxide ion is hydrated to give several ionic species like H₃O₂⁻, H₅O₃⁻ and H₇O₄⁻ etc.
AlCl₃ is an electron deficient compound, and can act as a Lewis base.
Fluoride ion acts as a Lewis base as it can donate any one of its four electron lone pairs.
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The statement “AlCl₃ is an electron deficient compound, and can act as a Lewis base” is not correct.
AlCl₃ is electron deficient because the central aluminum atom has only six valence electrons (an incomplete octet). According to the Lewis definition, substances that can accept an electron pair are Lewis acids, while substances that can donate an electron pair are Lewis bases.
Since AlCl₃ is electron deficient, it readily accepts electron pairs from other molecules (like water, ammonia, or chloride ions) to complete its octet. Therefore, AlCl₃ acts as a Lewis acid, not a Lewis base. Statement A is correct (e.g., Cl- from HCl is a weak conjugate base). Statement B is correct regarding the hydration of hydroxide ions. Statement D is correct; a fluoride ion has four lone pairs and can donate one to act as a Lewis base.

38. Which one of the following sources contains tartaric acid ?

Which one of the following sources contains tartaric acid ?

Lemon juice
Orange juice
Tamarind paste
Vinegar
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Tamarind paste is a significant source of tartaric acid.
Tartaric acid is one of the principal acids found in tamarind, contributing to its characteristic sour taste.
Lemon juice and orange juice are rich in citric acid. Vinegar primarily contains acetic acid. Tartaric acid is also found naturally in grapes, bananas, and citrus fruits, but tamarind contains particularly high concentrations. It is also used as a food additive (E334) for its antioxidant and acidic properties.

39. Who among the following is the recipient of Nobel Prize in Medicine in

Who among the following is the recipient of Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2022?

David Julius
Svante Paabo
Charles M. Rice
Ardem Patapoutian
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Svante Pääbo was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2022.
He received the prize for his discoveries concerning the genomes of extinct hominins and human evolution.
Svante Pääbo’s pioneering work includes sequencing the genome of the Neanderthal, discovering the existence of Denisovans (another extinct hominin group), and revealing that gene transfer occurred from these extinct hominins to Homo sapiens after the migration out of Africa. This gene flow has physiological relevance today, for example, affecting how our immune system reacts to infections. David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian received the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2021. Charles M. Rice shared the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2020.

40. According to scientists, which one of the following is the only known

According to scientists, which one of the following is the only known animal, except for humans, capable of telling the difference between odd and even numbers?

Butterfly
Honeybee
Dragonfly
Cricket
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According to scientific studies, honeybees have demonstrated the ability to distinguish between odd and even numbers.
Research published in journals like Science Advances has shown that honeybees can be trained to identify and differentiate between sets of objects containing odd and even numbers, suggesting numerical cognition beyond simple counting.
This capability was tested by training bees to associate sugary rewards with one parity (odd or even) and bitter quinine solutions with the other, demonstrating their ability to generalize this rule to new sets of numbers within a certain range. This finding adds to the understanding of cognitive abilities in insects.
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