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TEST NO. : MT(GS)-1
SAMPLE ANSWERS
►QUESTION TAGS FOR L1 TESTS
DEFINE - Give the precise meaning of
ENUMERATE/ MENTION/ HIGHLIGHT - List out ALL the relevant points briefly (don’t get into
details). Note: Width is more important than depth.
DESCRIBE/ EXPLAIN / ELUCIDATE/ SUBSTANTIATE / ELABORATE/ ILLUSTRATE / CLARIFY - Bring
clarity by giving relevant details (reasons, illustration, data, facts, examples, etc)
ACCOUNT FOR / GIVE AN ACCOUNT OF - Provide a detailed narrative about the subject in
question
DISTINGUISH / DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN - Bring out the differences between the subjects in
question (or relationship if any between them)
COMMENT – Provide view-point or opinion on the subject in question. Conclusion is necessary.
ANALYZE/ DISCUSS – Explore the various dimensions of the subject in detail. State clearly the pros
and cons or argue for and against. Authenticate by giving examples or support your argument (or
stand point) by giving evidence or reasons. Conclusion is necessary.
Please note:
The GPS data, deep focus earthquake and Himalayan sediments all
point towards correctness of this theory.
The pressure belts are divided as: a) The Equilateral Low Pressure Belt,
b) The Sub-tropic High Pressure Belts, c) The sub polar low Pressure
Belts and d) The Polar high pressure belts.
As the earth is inclined on its axis and it moves around the sun, the
pressure belts shift northward during summer months and
southwards during winter months.
Landscapes directly impact the flow pattern of the wind in the following
ways:
Resistance provided by the surface
Weather impact of the local winds: Local winds are very important
from the perspective of influencing the weather of a particular area.
Land and sea breeze cool down the coastal regions and create
equitable maritime climatic conditions all year long.
Impact on agriculture: Many local winds like Loo etc have impact of
agriculture. Loo causes heat in the North Indian Gangetic Plains and it
also helps in ripening of crops in the region. It is also important for zaid
crops in the region.
Impact on economic activity: Chinook are warm and dry and allow
onset of spring in the region (enabling cultivation of spring wheat in N.
America). Mistral at the same time makes frosty condition making life
miserable.
Mid Atlantic ridge is a hot spot for hydrothermal vents which provide
habitat for unique species that could provide insight into the origins of
life on Earth. It also leads to the formation of different minerals such as
copper, gold, silver, and zinc.
Indian ocean is unique in the sense that it is the only water body which
observes annual reversal of current direction.
Introduction: Write about the meaning and relationship between the two
concepts
Body: Briefly write about the different causes and types of mass wasting
Conclusion: Indian context
The abundant water breaks apart the small sand particles and
destroys the structural stability.
Types of mass wasting: Two types depending upon the speed of the
motion and the amount of water involved:
(A) Rapid
(B) Slow
The warm air mass generating from the Mediterranean & Caspian Sea
meets the cold air mass coming from the North (Ukraine) resulting into
the formation of front which gives rise to Western Disturbance.
The cloudy weather and rains reduces the night temperature and
prevent crops from extreme cold and frost. This prevents plants &
crops destruction.
The winter rainfall in drizzle form increases soil moisture & water
table which improves agricultural productivity
EL Nino and La Nina are two climatic phenomenon which occur due to
alteration of sea surface temperatures in pacific ocean. The key
differences between them are as follows:
El Nino La Nina
Winters are warmer and drier Winters are wetter and cause
than average in the Northwest above-average precipitation
of pacific, and wetter in across the Northwest of pacific
Southwest of pacific and and drier and below average
reduced snowfalls. precipitation in South west of
pacific
La Nina
El Nino
Livestock and the fisheries (source of income for the farmers) both
are affected severely by the drought.
Deep inside the ocean there are mountain ranges, ridges, forests,
seamounts, volcanoes etc.
ADDITIONAL
CONTENT
FOR
CONCEPTUAL
CLARITY
(i) constructive
(iii) conservative
Constructive Boundaries
represents zones of ‘divergent
margins’. In this case, two plates
moves away from each other.
Destructive boundaries are also
known as ‘converging margins’.
In this case, two plates move
towards each other, converge
and in the process one plate
overrides the other. The overridden plate is subducted and goes under the asthenosphere and is lost or consumed.
Where the two plates slide pass along transform faults neither creating nor destroying earth crust it is called
conservative zone.
It is the converging boundary of the plates where folded mountains like the Himalaya build up. When two convergent
plates composed of continental crust collide against each other, the denser plate is subducted under the light of plate.
The resultant lateral compression squeezes and folds the sediment deposited on either side of the geosynclines lying
between the two.
The Himalayas are the product of such process on the convergence zone of the Asiatic plate in the north and the
Indian plate in the south. Some 70 million years ago, the Indian plate started moving towards Asian plate and the
Tethys sea began to contract due to the the movement of Indian and Asian plates towards each other. Since the
Indian plate was made of dense material then the Asian plate, the former began to subduct under the latter causing
lateral compression of the marine sediment in the bed of the Tethys. Geologists believe that the sediments got folded
in three successive phases giving rise to three important ranges of the Himalayas. Although the process of the Indian
Plate moving towards the Asian plate and formation of the Himalayan ranges was more or less completed about 10
million years ago, it is believed that the Indian Plate is still moving northwards and the Himalayas continue to rise
further.
2. PRESSURE BELTS
Regions witnessing higher insolation are hotter and thus have lower pressure while the region receiving lower
insolation are cooler and thus have high pressure. These pressure differences give rise to pressure gradients which
give rise to permanent wind system called pressure belts.
(c) The Sub-polar low Pressure Belts: The sub-polar low pressure belts extend between 60 to 65 degree in the
northern and southern hemisphere. They are known as the North sub-polar low and the South sub-polar low
pressure belts respectively. Winds coming from the sub-tropical and the polar high belts converge here to
produce cyclonic storms or low pressure conditions. This zone of convergence is also known as polar front.
(d) The Polar High Pressure Belts: In Polar Regions, sun never shines vertically. Sun rays are always slanting here
resulting in low temperatures. Because of low temperature, air compresses and its density increases. Hence, high
pressure is found here. In northern hemisphere the belt is called the North polar high pressure belt while it is
known as the South polar high pressure belt in the southern hemisphere. Winds from these belts blow towards
sub-polar low pressure belts.
Monsoon climate occur due to northward migration of the sun due to which the north intertropical convergence
(NITC) is extended upto 30°N latitude over Indian subcontinent. Equatorial westerlies bring much rain because they
come from over the ocean and are associated with tropical atmospheric storms (cyclones). The NITC get withdrawn
from over the Indian subcontinent because of southward shifting of pressure belts in winters. Hence bring dry
conditions.
3. LOCAL WINDS
Chinook (snow-eaters) are
warm and dry winds formed
due to adiabatic heating on
the leeward side of the Rocky
Mountain. It leads to cyclonic
activity which produces cloud
and precipitation on the
windward side of the
Mountain. The rise in
temperature due to it also
helps in early sowing of spring
wheat in the USA.
northern India and Pakistan in May and June. Its temperatures causes heatstroke to people.
Harmattan (doctor winds) is a hot, dusty and dry wind originates from the Sahara Desert and blow towards the
Guinea coast of Africa. It reduces humidity and make pleasant dry weather.
Sirocco - It is a hot, dust-laden, south or south-westerly wind which blows from the desert of Sahara towards the
Mediterranean Sea, especially during the summer season. There are different local names for sirocco in Africa e.g.
khamsin in Egypt (UAR), Gibliin Lybia, chilli in Tunisia etc. The warm and dry dusty winds in the Arabian Desert are
called 'simoom'. Sirocco, while passing over the Mediterranean Sea picks up moisture and yields rainfall in the
southern part of Italy where the rain associated with sirocco is called 'blood rain' because of fallout of red sands
with falling rains.
Santa Anna: This is a local hot and dry wind of originating from the Mojave Desert of California (U.S.A.).
Zonda: Similar to Chinook, it is a hot sultry wind of Argentina and Uruguay, observed on leeward side (eastern
slopes) of the Andes Mountains. In this case also, westerlies descend down the leeward side after crossing over
the Andes and thus are heated.
Fohn: A warm and dry wind similar to Chinook is called 'fohn' along the northern slopes of the Alps Mountains.
These are more common during spring and autumn in Switzerland. The weather becomes quite pleasant in the
valleys due to melting of snow after the arrival of fohn winds.
Blizzard: It is an intensely cold, strong, and abnormally high wind accompanied by falling snow. It is found in
Siberia, Canada and the northern United States. The arrival of these winds causes sudden drop in air temperature,
thick cover of snow on the ground surface and onset of cold waves. These winds reach the southern states of the
USA because of the absence of any east-west mountain barrier. They are called 'norther' in the southern USA and
'burran' in Siberia.
Bora: A strong, cold and often very dry northerly or north-easterly wind experienced along the eastern coast of
the Adriatic Sea and in the northern Italy, mainly in winter (December to March).
Mistral: It is a cold northerly or north-westerly wind experienced on the shores of north-west Mediterranean Sea,
especially in the Rhone Valley and its delta (France).
4. SEA-FLOOR SPREADING
(ii) Indian Counter Current (warm): Indian counter current is originated during winter season (northern
hemisphere). This current flows in easterly direction between 2° and 8° latitudes from Zanzibar to Sumatra.
(iii) Southwest Monsoon Current (warm): There is complete reversal in the direction of monsoon winds during
summer season. In other words, north-easterly direction of winter monsoon winds becomes south-westerly
during summer season in the northern hemisphere. This reversal of direction of monsoon winds also reverses
the direction of ocean currents of Indian Ocean during summer season. North-east monsoon ocean currents
disappear and south-west monsoon ocean currents are developed. The general direction of monsoon currents is
from south-west to north-east but several minor branches emerge from the main branch and move in Bay of
Bengal and Arabian Sea. The Indian counter current developed during winter season disappears due to this
current.
(iv) Indian Equatorial Current (warm): The currents of the southern Indian ocean are least affected by seasonal
change in the direction of monsoon winds. The Indian equatorial current flows east to west between 10 ° south
and 15 ° south latitudes from Australian coast to African coast. After being obstructed by Madagascar this current
is divided into many branches. One major branch flows southward in the name of Agulhas current (warm) while
the other branch is directed towards the north.
(v) Mozambiqe Current (warm): One branch of the Southern Indian equatorial current moves southward to
Mozambiqe channel known as Mozambiqe current. This current joins the Auglhas current near 30 ° south latitude
and moves upto the southern tip of Africa and is ultimately diverted eastward.
Like Pacific and Atlantic Ocean eastward flowing current, known as west wind drift, is also generated in the Indian
Ocean. This current is produced due to eastward blowing westerlies along 40 ° N latitude known as ‘roaring
forties’. This current bifurcates in two branches near 110 ° east longitude. One branch turns north-ward and flows as
West Australia cold current along the western coast of Australia and near the Tropic of Capricorn turns towards west
and north-west and ultimately merges with the south equatorial current near hundred ° east longitude. The second
branch of the west wind drift turns southward.
Causes
Topples occurs when rocks break away and fall from a slope
Falls occurs when rocks fell from the steep slopes such as a cliff face due to earthquakes, rain, plant-root wedging,
expanding ice etc.
Flows have material within them saturated with moisture. Example: Mudflows occur quickly after heavy
precipitation saturates a surface. Earthflows are slower and saturated with moisture.
7. WESTERN DISTURBANCE
It is a non-monsoonal precipitation pattern
It travels across the middle-east from Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan to enter the Indian sub-continent until the
Himalayas inhibits its development, upon which the depression rapidly weakens.
Though it moves across the Indian region throughout the year, they are in their peak during winter months of
January and February. Their effect is minimal during the monsoon months in India.
Disturbance means an area of “disturbed” or reduced air pressure. Equilibrium exists in nature due to which the
air in a region tries to normalise its pressure.
In the term “extra-tropical storm”, storm refers to low pressure. “Extra-tropical" means outside the tropics. As
the WD originates outside the tropical region, the word “extra-tropical” has been associated with them.
The term 'Western' refers to the direction from which they originate with regard to India.
The term 'disturbance' is used because the air within the low pressure systems tends to be unstable or disturbed.
Westerlies are prevailing winds from the west toward the east in the middle latitudes between 30 and 60
degrees latitude.
Weak western disturbances are associated with crop failure and water problems across north India.
Strong western disturbances can help residents, farmers and governments avoid many of the problems
associated with water scarcity.
La Nina
the waters in the west are abnormally warm. This prevents the formation of clouds in eastern region. At the same
time, the waters in the west are very warm, leading to increased humidity and warmer atmospheric
temperatures.
El Nino
El Nino results in a decrease in the earth's rotation rate (very minimal), an increase in the length of day,
and therefore a decrease in the strength of the Coriolis.
El Nino affects the flow of moisture-bearing winds from the cooler oceans towards India negatively impact the
summer monsoon, which accounts for over 70% of annual rainfall.
In India, Crops like Paddy, Maize, Groundnut, Guar, Castor, Tur, Moong and Bajra would also get impacted. This is
particularly true of major drought-prone regions such as southern and eastern Maharashtra, northern Karnataka,
Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Gujarat, and Rajasthan.
A lot of Farmers suicide because they are not be able to repay the loan they had taken for growing the crop.
El Nino resulting in deficit rainfall tends to lower the summer crops production such as rice, sugarcane, cotton and
oilseeds and therefore the outcome might be seen in form of high inflation rates and lower GDP due to high
contribution of agriculture sector in Indian economy.
In India, almost 50% of the area under cultivation is rain-fed. Indian agriculture is thus heavily dependent on the
climate of India: a favourable southwest summer monsoon is critical in securing water for irrigating Indian crops.
So, a significant reduction in total rain fall results in a drought like situation.
9. OCEAN SALINITY
All waters in nature, whether rain water or ocean water, contain dissolved mineral salts. It is calculated as the amount
of salt (in gm) dissolved in 1,000 gm (1 kg) of seawater. It is usually expressed as parts per thousand (‰) or ppt.
Salinity are an important property of sea water. Salinity of 24.7 ppt has been considered as the upper limit to
demarcate ‘brackish water’.
The salinity of water in the surface layer of oceans depends mainly on evaporation and precipitation.
Surface salinity is greatly influenced in coastal regions by the fresh water flow from rivers and in Polar Regions by
the processes of freezing and thawing of ice.
The ocean currents contribute to the salinity variations. Salinity, temperature and density of water are
interrelated. Hence, any change in the temperature or density influences the salinity of water in an area.
The salinity for normal Open Ocean ranges between 33 ppt and 37 ppt. In the land locked Red Sea, it is as high as 41
ppt, while in the estuaries and the Arctic, the salinity fluctuates from 0-35 ppt, seasonally. In hot and dry regions,
where evaporation is high, the salinity sometimes reaches to 70 ppt.
The salinity variation in the Pacific Ocean is mainly due to its shape and larger areal extent. Salinity decreases from 35
ppt - 31 ppt on the western parts of the northern hemisphere because of the influx of melted water from the Arctic
region. In the same way, after 15° - 20° south, it decreases to 33 ppt.
The average salinity of the Atlantic Ocean is around 36 ppt. The highest salinity is recorded between 15° and 20°
latitudes. Maximum salinity (37 ppt) is observed between20°N and 30°N and20°W-60°W. It gradually decreases
towards the north.
The North Sea, in spite of its location in higher latitudes, records higher salinity due to more saline water brought by
the North Atlantic Drift. Baltic Sea records low salinity due to influx of river waters in large quantity. The
Mediterranean Sea records higher salinity due to high evaporation. Salinity is, however, very low in Black Sea due to
enormous fresh water influx by rivers. See the atlas to find out the rivers joining Black Sea.
The average salinity of the Indian Ocean is 35 ppt. The low salinity trend is observed in the Bay of Bengal due to influx
of river water. On the contrary, the Arabian Sea shows higher salinity due to high evaporation and low influx of fresh
water.
Salinity changes with depth, but the way it changes depends upon the location of the sea. Salinity at the surface
increases by the loss of water to ice or evaporation, or decreased by the input of fresh waters, such as from the rivers.
Salinity at depth is very much fixed, because there is no way that water is ‘lost’, or the salt is ‘added’. There is a marked
difference in the salinity between the surface zones and the deep zones of the oceans. The lower salinity water rests
above the higher salinity dense water. Salinity generally increases with depth and there is a distinct zone called the
halocline, where salinity increases sharply. Other factors being constant, increasing salinity of seawater causes its
density to increase. High salinity seawater, generally, sinks below the lower salinity water. This leads to stratification by
salinity.
Factors that affect the salinity of the oceans can be broadly grouped into two categories
Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India is all set to launch ‘Deep Ocean Mission’ To Boost India’s Sea
Exploration Capabilities. The mission proposes to explore the deep ocean similar to the space exploration started by
ISRO about 35 years ago.
The focus of the mission will be on deep-sea mining, ocean climate change advisory services, underwater vehicles and
underwater robotics related technologies.
Two key projects planned in the ‘Deep Ocean Mission’ report include:
(ii) Submersible vehicle that can explore depths of at least 6,000 metres.
Based on the resource evaluation, India has now retained an area of 75,000 sq km with an estimated resource of
about 100 million tons of strategic metals such Copper, Nickel, Cobalt besides Manganese and Iron. The
estimated resource of polymetallic nodules is about 380 million tonnes, containing 4.7 million tonnes of nickel, 4.29
million tonnes of copper and 0.55 million tonnes of cobalt and 92.59 million tonnes of manganese.
It is envisaged that 10% of recovery of that large reserve can meet the energy requirement of India for the next 100
years. It has been estimated that 380 million metric tonnes of polymetallic nodules are available at the bottom of the
seas in the Central Indian Ocean.
A First Generation Mine-site (FGM) with an area of 18,000 sq km has been identified. Latest technologies for
extraction of metals from the minerals have also been developed under the programme. Detailed environmental
data has been collected for compliance with International Seabed Authorities requirements. Besides identifying the
mineral resource and developing technologies for mining and extraction, the programme has also resulted in high
impact research as well as manpower development.
India's ambition to send men to the deep sea in a submersible vehicle is likely to be a reality in 2021-22 with the
'Samudrayaan' Project. The project proposes to send a submersible vehicle with three persons to a depth of about
6000 metres to carry out deep underwater studies. The indigenously developed vehicle is capable of crawling on the
sea bed at a depth of six kilometres for 72 hours.
Polymetallic nodules (also known as manganese nodules) are potato-shaped, largely porous nodules found in
abundance carpeting the sea floor of world oceans in deep sea.
Composition: Apart from manganese and iron, they contain nickel, copper, cobalt, lead, molybdenum, cadmium,
vanadium, titanium, of which nickel, cobalt and copper are considered to be of economic and strategic importance.
TESTS SCHEDULE
LEVEL 1
RELEASE DATE
TEST SYLLABUS
(For test & test discussion videos)
MT(GS)-1 Physical Geography of India & the World 13/10/19
MT(GS)-2 Economic Geography of Indian & the World 20/10/19
Environment, Ecology, Biodiversity, Climate Change &
MT(GS)-3 03/11/19
Disaster Management
MT(GS)-4 Indian Culture 10/11/19
MT(GS)-5 Modern History 17/11/19
MT(GS)-6 Post – Independence History + World History 24/11/19
MT(Essay)-1 Essay (Themes from Geography & History) 25/11/19
MT(GS)-7 Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude - 1 01/12/19
MT(GS)-8 Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude - 2 08/12/19
MT(GS)-9 Ethics in Governance – Case Studies 15/12/19
MT(GS)-10 Indian Polity & Governance - 1 22/12/19
MT(GS)-11 Indian Polity & Governance – 2 29/12/19
MT(Essay)-2 Essay (Themes from Polity and Ethics) 05/01/20
MT(GS)-12 Indian Society and Social Justice 12/01/20
LEVEL 2
RELEASE DATE
TEST SYLLABUS
(For test & test discussion videos)
Geography + Environment, Ecology, Biodiversity + Disaster
ST(GS)-1 28/06/20
Management (GS Paper-1+3)
History - Culture, Modern, Post-Independence & World History
ST(GS)-2 05/07/20
(GS Paper-1)
Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude - Theory & Case Studies (GS Paper -
ST(GS)-3 12/07/20
4)
ST(GS)-4 Indian Polity & Governance (GS Paper-2) 19/07/20
ST(GS)-5 Indian Society & Social Justice + S&T (GS Paper-1+2) 26/07/20
International Relations & Internal Security
ST(GS)-6 02/08/20
(GS Paper-2+3)
ST(GS)-7 Economic Development (GS Paper-3) 09/08/20
LEVEL 3
TEST DATE
TEST SYLLABUS (For test & test discussion TEST TIME
videos)
FLT (Essay) - 1 Essay 16/08/20 9 am – 12 pm
FLT(GS) – 1 GS – 1 (Full Syllabus) 23/08/20 9 am – 12 pm
FLT(GS) – 2 GS – 2 (Full Syllabus) 23/08/20 2 pm – 5 pm
FLT(GS) – 3 GS – 3 (Full Syllabus) 29/08/20 9 am – 12 pm
FLT(GS) – 4 GS – 4 (Full Syllabus) 29/08/20 2 pm – 5 pm
FLT(GS) – 5 GS – 1 (Full Syllabus) 30/08/20 9 am – 12 pm
FLT(GS) – 6 GS – 2 (Full Syllabus) 30/08/20 2 pm – 5 pm
FLT(GS) – 7 GS – 3 (Full Syllabus) 05/09/20 9 am – 12 pm
FLT(GS) – 8 GS – 4 (Full Syllabus) 05/09/20 2 pm – 5 pm
FLT (Essay) - 2 Essay 06/09/20 9 am – 12 pm