GK & Current Affairs Test - 3

The correct answer is Digboi, Assam.

Key Points

• The oldest oil field in India is Digboi, Assam.
• Digboi, Assam:-
  • It is India's oldest operating refinery and one of the oldest operating refineries in the world.
  • It is situated in the Tinsukia district of Assam.
  • The historic Digboi Refinery has been termed as the "Gangotri of the Indian Hydrocarbon sector".
  • A stretch of Dihing or Burhi Dihing in Eastern Assam’s Dibrugarh district witnessed fire following the spillage of crude oil which was being transported to Digboi refinery.
  • Assam is an ecologically sensitive state, spillage of crude or processed oil in river bodies threatens aquatic life.

Additional Information

• India's important oil fields are:
• Bombay High Oil Field:-
  • Bombay High (now Mumbai High) field is an offshore oilfield located in the Arabian Sea, approximately 160km west of the Mumbai coast, India.
  • Discovered in 1974, the field commenced production in 1976 and is operated by the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).
  • The oil field consists of two blocks named Mumbai High North (MHN) and Mumbai High South (MHS).
  • The blocks were divided based on shale barriers, assisting in the independent exploitation of reserves at both sites.
• Ankleshwar Oil Field:-
  • Ankleshwar oil field is one of the main onshore Cenozoic hydrocarbons bearing anticline of deltaic origin known in the Cambay Basin.
  • It runs into the Gulf of Cambay in approximately ENE-WSW direction.

The correct answer is Anaimudi.

Key Points

• Anaimudi is the highest peak of the Indian Peninsula that is the Western Ghats and South India.
• It is located in the Idukki district of Kerala.
• This peak resembles the shape of the 'Elephant forehead'.
• It has a height of 2695 m.
• It is situated in the Eravikulam National Park.
• This peak is home to Asian Elephants, Nilgiri Tahrs and Gaurs.

Additional Information

• Ootacamund:
  • It is a city located in Tamil Nadu.
  • Now, it is known as Ooty.
  • It is a hill station in the Nilgiri Hills. 
• Dodabeta:
  • ​It is the highest peak of the Nilgiri Mountains (Blue Mountains).
  • It is located in the state of Tamil Nadu.
  • It has a height of 2637 m.
• Mahabaleshwar:
  • It is a hill station located in Maharashtra.
  • It is situated in Satara district.
  • It is famous for Strawberries, Mulberries, and carrots.
  • The Krishna River originates from here.

The correct answer is Haryana.

Key Points

• The sex ratio is used to describe the number of females per 1000 males.
• It is a valuable source for finding the population of women in India and what is the ratio of women to that of men in India.
• In the Population Census of 2011, it was revealed that the population ratio in India 2011 is 940 females per 1000 of males.
• The Sex Ratio 2011 shows an upward trend from the census 2001 data.
• Considering all UTs and States together, as per the 2011 census, Daman & Diu has the lowest sex ratio of 618 and Kerala has the highest sex ratio of 1,084.
• Out of the given options, Haryana has the lowest sex ratio.
• The information of data on sex-ratio is given as under-

 The correct answer is Mahi.

• The river Mahi, originating in Madhya Pradesh and flowing through Rajasthan and Gujarat and flowing into the Gulf of Khambat (Arabian Sea), is the only river to cut the Tropic of Cancer twice.
• It is also one of the five west-flowing rivers of India.

Additional Information

•  Narmada
  • This river is located in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. It is also known in many ways as the "lifeline of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat" for the state of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.
  • The Narmada originates from the Amarkantak plateau in the Anuppur district of Madhya Pradesh.
  • It forms the traditional border between North India and South India and is 1,312 km (815.2 mi) in length from the city of Bharuch in Gujarat, 30 km (18.6 mi) west of the Arabian Sea before passing through the Gulf of Khambhat. Flows.
  • It is one of only three major rivers in peninsular India that runs from east to west (the longest flowing river) along the Tapti River and the Mahi River.
• Tapi
  • ​The Tapi River (or Tapti) is a river in central India that lies to the south of the Narmada River that flows westward before crossing into the Arabian Sea.
  • The river has a length of about 700 km and flows through the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh.
• Godavari
  • ​The Godavari is the second-longest river in India after the Ganges. Its source is in Trimbakeshwar, Maharashtra.
  • It flows eastward for 1,465 kilometers (910 mi), spanning Maharashtra (48.6%), Telangana (18.8%), Andhra Pradesh (4.5%), Chhattisgarh (10.9%), and Odisha (5.7%).

The correct answer is West Bengal.

Key Points

• Mangrove vegetation is most abundant in West Bengal (Sundarbans).
• Most of the country's mangrove vegetation is found along the eastern and western coasts.
• The Indian Sundarbans forest region is the third-largest enclosed mangrove ecological zone in the world.
• Mangrove forest is found mainly in the warm and subtropical regions between 25° north and 25° south latitudes.
• According to the India Forest Status Report 2021-
  • Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, released the ‘India State of Forest Report 2021’ on 13 January 2022.
  • It has been prepared by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) which has been mandated to assess the forest and tree resources of the country.
  • Area-wise Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest cover.
  • The total forest and tree cover of the country is 80.9 mn hectares.

Additional Information

• Mangroves are halophytes.
• Mangrove plants grow in swampy places around the seashore.
• Halophyte plants can survive in highly salinized soils or water.
• They show Vivipary germinations.
• In this particular type of germination, the seed germinates inside the fruit while it is still attached to the parent plant.
• The embryo comes out of the fruit with a massive radicle pointing downwards.
• Due to increased weight, the seedling separates from the parent plant and establishes itself in the muddy soil.
• They also possess Pneumatophores.
• Pneumatophores, also called air root are mainly specialized root that grows upwards out of the water or mud to reach the air and from there it obtain oxygen for the root systems of trees that live in swampy or tidal habitats

The correct answer is Jaisalmer.

Key Points

• Jaisalmer is a city in the Indian state of Rajasthan.
  • It is nicknamed "The Golden city".
  • It is called the Golden City due to its bounteous golden sand dunes and castles built with golden honey sandstones.
  • Jaisalmer lies in the heart of the Thar Desert.
  • Jaisalmer city was founded by Rawal Jaisal in 1156 AD.
  • The city named after its founder Rawal Jaisal.

Additional Information

• Jaipur is the capital city of the Indian state of Rajasthan.
  • Jaipur is nicknamed the "Pink City".
  • UNESCO World Heritage Committee inscribed Jaipur among its World Heritage Sites on 6th July 2019.
• Amritsar is a city in the Indian state of Punjab.
  • Amritsar is nicknamed the "Golden temple city".
• Kanpur is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
  • Kanpur is nicknamed the "leather city of the world".

The correct answer is Alluvial soil.

Important Points

• Alluvial soil is mostly available soil in India that covers about 43 per cent of the total area of the country.
• It is widespread in northern plains and river valleys.
• In peninsular India, they are mostly found in deltas and estuaries.
• Humus, lime, and organic matters are present in this soil and highly fertile.
• It is found in Indus-Ganga-Brahmaputra plain, Narmada-Tapi plain, etc are examples.
• They are depositional soil – transported and deposited by rivers, streams, etc.
• New alluvium is termed as Khadar and old alluvium is termed as Bhangar.
• Its color is Light Grey to Ash Grey.
• Its texture is Sandy to silty loam or clay.
• Wheat, rice, maize, sugarcane, pulses, oilseed, etc are cultivated mainly in this soil.

Additional Information

• Different types of Indian soil:
  • Alluvial soil [43%]
  • Red soil [18.5%]
  • Black / regur soil [15%]
  • Arid/desert soil
  • Laterite soil
  • Saline soil
  • Peaty/marshy soil
  • Forest soil
  • Sub-mountain soil
  • Snowfields

The correct answer is 17.

Key Points

• The first train in India was started by Dalhousie on April 16, 1853, from Bombay to thane (34 Kms). 
• Indian Railways was nationalised in 1950 and presently, it is the largest Railway Network in Asia and the second-largest in the world.
• Indian railways have been divided into 17 zones: 
  1. Central Railway - Mumbai.
  2. Eastern Railway - Kolkata.
  3. East Central Railway - Hajipur.
  4. East Coast Railway - Bhubaneshwar.
  5. Northern Railway - New Delhi.
  6. North Central  Railway - Allahabad.
  7. North Eastern  Railway - Gorakhpur.
  8. North Western Railway - Jaipur.
  9. North Frontier  Railway - Guwahati.
  10. Southern  Railway - Chennai.
  11. South Central Railway - Secunderabad.
  12. South Eastern Railway - Kolkata.
  13. South East Central Railway - Bilaspur.
  14. South Western Railway - Hubli.
  15. Western Railway - Mumbai CST.
  16. West Central Railway - Jabalpur.

  17. Metro Railway-Kolkata

The Himalayas, along with the Hindu Kush mountains in Pakistan, prevent cold Central Asian katabatic winds from blowing in, keeping the bulk of the Indian subcontinent warmer than most locations at similar latitudes.

Key Points

• The seasonal reversal in the wind direction during the year is known as Monsoon.
• Monsoon refers to the seasonal reversal in the wind direction during a year.
• Monsoon tends to have ‘breaks’ in rainfall; which means that there are wet and dry spells in between.
• The monsoon rains take place only for a few days at a time and then come to the rainless intervals. Seasonal reversal of wind direction takes place over the Indian subcontinent because in winter there is a high-pressure area in the north of the Himalayas & there is a low-pressure area over the ocean to the south. So cold and dry winds blow from the Himalayan region towards the ocean.
• In summer due to high temperatures, a low-pressure area develops over interior Asia as well as over northwestern India. This causes a complete reversal of the direction of the wind during summer and the rise of the Southwest monsoon.
• The bulk rainfall in India is received during the 4 months of the rainy season i.e June, July, August, and September. This is the period of Southwest monsoons blowing from sea to land. Only the Eastern coast of India receives some rainfall from the Northeast trade winds during the cold weather season.

The correct answer is Narmada River.

Key Points

• Dhuandhar Waterfall
  • The Dhuandhar Waterfall is in the Jabalpur district of Madhya Pradesh.
  • It is located on the Narmada River and is 30 meters high.
• Narmada River​
  • This river is located in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.
    • It is also called "Life Lines of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat".
  • The source of the Narmada River is the Amarkantak Plateau in the Anuppur district of Madhya Pradesh.
  • It is the west-flowing river and drains into the Arabian Sea through the Gulf of Khambhat.
  • It forms the boundary between North India and South India.

Additional Information

• Tapi River
  • The Tapi River is a river in central India that flows through Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh.
  • The Tapi River arises from Multai, Madhya Pradesh.
  • It is the west-flowing river and drains into the Arabian Sea.
• Godavari River
  • It is India's second-longest river after the Ganga.
  • It is also known as Dakshin Ganga.
  • The source of the Godavari River is in Triambakeshwar, Maharashtra.
  • It is the east-flowing river and drains into the Bay of Bengal.
• Krishna River
  • It is the fourth-biggest river after Ganga, Godavari, and Brahmaputra.
  • The Krishna river originates in the Western Ghats near Mahabaleshwar, Satara district of Maharashtra.
  • It is the east-flowing river and drains into the Bay of Bengal.