[DAY 56] 60 DAY RAPID RE-VISION (RaRe) SERIES for UPSC Prelims 2022 – GEOGRAPHY, CURRENT AFFAIRS & CSAT; Test Series, Videos & Notes!

Solution (b)

Basic Info:

Hills of the Peninsular India:
 Most of the hills in the peninsular region are of the relict type (residual hills).

Aravali Range

They are aligned in north-east to south-west direction. At the south-west extremity the range rises to over 1,000 m. Here Mt. Abu (1,158 m), a small hilly block, is separated from the main range by the valley of the Banas. Guru Sikhar (1,722 m), the highest peak, is situated in Mt. Abu.

Vindhyan Range

The Vindhyan Range, overlooking the Narmada valley, rises as an escarpment (a long, steep slope at the edge of a plateau or separating areas of land at different heights) flanking the northern edge of the Narmada-Son Trough. The Vindhyas are continued eastwards as the Bharner and Kaimur hills.

Satpura Range

Satpura range is a series of seven mountains. Dhupgarh (1,350 m) near Pachmarhi on Mahadev Hills is the highest peak. Amarkantak (1,127 m) is another important peak.

Madugula Konda range

The Madugula Konda range has higher elevations ranging from 1,100 m and 1,400 m with several peaks exceeding 1,600 m.

Jindhagada Peak (1690 m) in Araku Valley, Arma Konda (1,680 m), Gali Konda (1,643
m) and Sinkram Gutta (1,620 m) are important peaks

Solution (b)

Basic Info:

Kashmir valley:
Kashmir Valley is surrounded by Great Himalayan Range in the northeast and the Pir Panjal Range in the southwest. The basin is formed by tectonic upliftment of Pir Panjal Range, which impound the drainage of Himalayan side and gave rise to a vast lake, known as “Karewa Lake”.

Tectonically Kashmir Valley constitutes the Nappe Zone representing a tectonic depression formed by the upliftment of Pir Panjal Range along the Panjal thrust.

The Valley in the form of a graben is flanked by two horsts, Pir Panjal Range in the southwestern side and Zanskar Range in the northeastern side.

The word “Karewa” is derived from Kashmiri dialect meaning “Wudars”. The lake was drained through the Baramullah “Tatamulla Gorge” due to continued upliftment of Pir Panjal Range.

The sediments deposited in the lake are about 1300m in thickness, known as Quaternary sediments of Karewa Group.

Karewas are lacustrine deposits. According geographers, the Karewa Formation are glacio- fluvial-lacustrine and aeolian loess of Plio-Pleistocene age.  

Solution (a)

Basic Info:

Rock system of India: Based on the geological history of India, it is of four types viz. Archaean Rock System (oldest), Purana Rock System, Dravidian Rock System, and Aryan Rock System.

 The Archaean rock system includes:

Archaean Rocks: These are very old primary rocks, which have been metamorphosed into gneiss and schist. Bundelkhand Gneiss (Bellary Gneiss) is the oldest among them. Bengal gneiss and Nilgiri gneiss are other examples of these rocks.

Dharwar Rocks: These are the layered rocks formed after the erosion and deposition of the Archean rocks. These are highly metamorphosed and fossils are not found inside. These rocks are found in Dharwar and Bellary districts of Karnataka, Aravalli range, Balaghat, Rewa,
Chota Nagpur, etc.

 The Purana rock system includes:

Cuddapah Rocks: These rocks have been formed by the erosion and deposition of Dharwar rocks. These are less metamorphosed but devoid of fossils. These rocks are found in Krishna valley, Nallamalai hills area, Papaghani, and Cheyar valleys.

Vindhyan Rocks: These rocks have been formed after the formation of Cuddappah rocks. These rocks are spread from Chittorgarh of Rajasthan to Sasaram of Bihar.

 Dravidian Rock System (Palaeozoic) was formed about 600 – 300 million years ago and found in the Extra Peninsular region (Himalayas and Ganga plain) and are very rare in Peninsular
India. The rocks of Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, and Carboniferous periods fall under the Dravidian system.

Carboniferous rocks comprise mainly of limestone, shale and quartzite Mount Everest is composed of Upper Carboniferous limestones. Coal formation started in the Carboniferous
age.

Aryan Rock System includes Gondwana System, Jurassic System, Deccan Trap, and the Tertiary System.

Gondwana Rocks: These are the rocks formed in upper Carboniferous to Jurassic era,
hence these are especially important for coal deposits. About 98% of the coal deposits of India are found in these rocks. These rocks are found in the river valleys of Damodar, Mahanadi
and Godavari and its tributaries.

Jurassic system: The marine transgression in the latter part of the Jurassic gave rise to thick series of shallow-water deposits in Rajasthan and in Kuchchh. Coral limestone, sandstone, conglomerates, and shales occur in Kuchchh.

Deccan Trap: This was formed in the Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic era due to volcanic eruption (Reunion Hotspot) through fissure.

Tertiary System: It is the most significant period in India’s geological history because the Himalayas were born and India’s present form came into being in this period.

Solution (c)

Basic Info:

Bhor Ghat is a mountain passage located between Palasdari and Khandala for railway and between Khopoliand Khandala on the road route in Maharashtra, India situated on the crest of the Western Ghats.

It is located at an elevation of four hundred and forty-one meters elevation above sea level. The ghat has a bit of historical evidence. The ghat was the ancient route developed by Satavahana to connect the ports of Choul, Revdanda Panvel, etc. on the Konkan coast and the surrounding areas on the Deccan plateau.

Thal Ghat is a ghat section (mountain incline or slope) in the Western Ghats near the town of Kasara in Maharashtra. The Thal Ghat is located on the busy Mumbai–Nashik route, and is one of the four major routes, rail, and road routes, leading into Mumbai. The railway line, which passes through the ghat is the steepest in India with a gradient of 1 in 37

Haldighati Pass is located in the Aravali Range in the state of Rajasthan. Located about 40 km from Udaipur, the mountain pass is said to be the historic location of the ‘Battle of Haldighati’ between the Mewar king Maharana Pratap and the Mughals under Emperor Akbar in 1576. The Government of India commissioned the setting up of the Maharana Pratap National Memorial in 1997 on the site which included a bronze statue of Maharana Pratap’s horse Chetak.

Solution (d)

Basic Info:

River islands of India:

These islands are formed by rivers hence called as riverine islands.
Bhavani Island situated in the midst of the Krishna River, at Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.

Munroe Island is an inland island group located at the confluence of Ashtamudi Lake and the Kallada River, in Kollam district, Kerala.

Umananda Island is the smallest river island in the world. It is in the midst of river Brahmaputra near Guwahati, Assam.

Sagar Island is an island in the Ganges delta, lying on the Continental Shelf of Bay of Bengal in West Bengal.

Quibble Island is a river island in the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It is formed by the encirclement of the Adyar river and one of its tributaries.

Some other islands are Majuli (World’s largest river island) in Assam, Abdul Kalam Island (or, Wheeler Island) in Odisha, Dibru-Saikhowa in Assam, Mandhata island, also known as Shivapuri or Omkareshwar in the Narmada river in
Madhya Pradesh.

Solution (a)

Basic Info:

Himalayan Mountains:

Himalayas are the young fold mountains. This is the highest mountain range of the world. Himalayas act as natural barrier. The extreme cold, snow and rugged topography discourage the neighbors to enter India through Himalayas. They run from west-east direction from Indus to Brahmaputra along the northern boundary of India covering a distance of 2500 km. Their width varies from 400 km in the west and 150 km in the East.

The Himalayas may be divided into three parallel ranges:

The Greater Himalayas or Himadari: The Greater Himalayas comprises of the northern most
ranges and peaks. It has an average height of 6000 metres and width lies between 120 to 190 Kms. It is the most continuous range. It is snow bound and many glaciers descend from this range. It has high peaks like Mt. Everest, Kanchenjunga, Makalu, Dhaulagiri, Nanga Parbat etc. having a height of more than 8000 metres. Mt. Everest (8848 m) is the highest peak of the world and Kanchenjunga is the highest peak of Himalaya in India. High Mountain passes also
exist in this range, namely, Bara Lacha-La, Shipki-La, Nathu-La, Zoji-La, Bomidi-La etc. The Ganga
and Yamuna rivers originate from this Himalayas.

The Lesser Himalayas or Himachal: The altitude of this range lies between 1000 and 4500 metres and the average width is 50 km. The Prominent ranges in this are Pir Panjal, Dhaula Dhar and Mahabharata ranges. It comprises of many famous hill stations like Shimla, Dalhousie Darjeeling, Chakrata, Mussoorie, Nanital etc. It also comprises of famous valleys
like Kashmir, Kullu, Kangra etc.

The Outer Himalayas or the Siwaliks: It is the outer most range of the Himalayas. The altitude varies between 900-1100 meters and the width lies between 10 km-50 km. They have low hills like Jammu Hills, etc. The valleys lying between Siwalik and Lesser Himalayas (Himachal) are
called ‘Duns’ like Dehra Dun, Kotli Dun and Patli Dun.

Solution (d)

Basic Info:

Ghaghra/ Karnali river:

It is an antecedent river originating from the southern slope of the Himalayas. It is the longest river in Nepal (507 km).

Kali/Sarda, which forms the Indo-Nepal border, is its tributary which meets Ghaghra at Brahmaghat in India. Thereafter it is known as Ghaghra, before this, it is known as Saryu.

It is the largest tributary of the Ganges by volume and the second-longest tributary of
the Ganges in length after the Yamuna.

Solution (b)

Basic Info:

Narmada River: Narmada is the largest west flowing river of peninsular India. It flows westwards through a rift valley between the Vindhyan Range on the north and the Satpura Range on the south.

It rises from the Maikala range near Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh, at an elevation of about 1057 m. Narmada basin extends over states of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh having an area about 1 Lakh Sq.km.

It is bounded by the Vindhyas on the north, Maikala range on the east, Satpuras on the south, and by the Arabian Sea on the west. Its total length from its source in Amarkantak to its estuary in the Gulf of Khambhat is 1,310 km.

The hilly regions are in the upper part of the basin, and lower-middle reaches are broad and fertile areas well suited for cultivation. Jabalpur is the only important urban center in the basin.

The river slopes down near Jabalpur where it cascades (a small waterfall, especially one in a series) 15 m into a gorge to form the Dhuan Dhar (Cloud of Mist) Falls.

Tributaries of Narmada River

Right bank tributaries are the Barna, Hiran River, Tendoni River, Choral River, Kolar River, Man River, Uri River, Hatni River, Orsang River

Left bank tributaries – Burhner River, Banjar River, Sher River, Shakkar River, Dudhi River, Tawa River, Ganjal River, Chhota Tawa River, Kaveri River, Kundi River, Goi River, Karjan River

The major Hydro Power projects in the basin are Indira Sagar, Sardar Sarovar, Omkareshwar, Bargi & Maheshwar.

Solution (d)

Basic Info:

Extreme cold temperatures, rainfall and intense fog in the months of December and January are witnessed by north and northwest India.

Every year, in the second half of December and the first half of January, temperatures routinely drop to 2-4°C at some point of the day in many places in north and northwest India.

A cold-day condition is said to prevail when the maximum temperature during the day is at least 4.5°C below normal.

If the maximum temperature is at least 6.5°C below normal, it is classified as a severe cold day.

The cold wave usually arrives from the west, through the Western Disturbance wind system.
This system is also responsible for causing rains in northern and northwestern parts, after having picked up moisture on its way from the Mediterranean Sea.

The intensity of the cold also depends on the amount of snowfall that happens in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and nearby areas.

They combine in different ways to produce different kinds of winter conditions.

The frequency and intensity of both heat waves and cold waves have increased in the last few years, and are predicted to increase further. The same is the case with extreme rainfall and drought.

Flow of north-westerly winds over northwest India that too over much lower levels, further fuelled the chill factor, making the days much colder than normal during December.

This extended cold spell has been triggered due to low stratus clouds that are blanketed
over a large geographical area — between Pakistan, cutting across India and running up to Bangladesh.

Solution (d)

Basic Info:

Climatic Regions of India according to Koeppen’s Scheme:

The whole of India has a monsoon type of climate. But the combination of elements of the weather, however, reveals many regional variations. These variations represent the subtypes of the monsoon climate. It is on this basis that the climatic regions can be identified.

Koeppen based his scheme of Climatic classification on monthly values of temperature and precipitation. He used letter symbols to denote climatic types.  According to this scheme, the climatic regions in India are as follows:

• Monsoon with short dry season (Amw): It is found on the west coast of India south of Goa.
• Monsoon with dry summer (As): It is found on the Coromandel coast of Tamil Nadu.
• Tropical savannah (Aw): It is found in most of the peninsular plateaus, south of the Tropic of Cancer.
• Steppe climate (BShw): In North-western Gujarat, some parts of western Rajasthan and Punjab.
• Hot desert Extreme (BWhw): In western Rajasthan.
• Monsoon with dry winter (Cwg): In Ganga plain, eastern Rajasthan, northern Madhya Pradesh, and most of North-east India.
• Cold humid winter with short summer (Dfc): Arunachal Pradesh
• Polar type (E): Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Solution (d)

Basic Info:

Heat Waves:

As the sun moves northwards after March equinox, central India heats up during April and northwest India during May. This heat is transferred to eastern regions through advection and resulting in heatwave conditions in these areas also.

Anti-cyclone conditions in the Bay of Bengal prevent the extension of maritime influence
in the coastal regions and leading to a rise in temperature there also.

The reason behind heatwaves is believed to be a sudden increase in the atmospheric pressure, due to the descent of the heavier air from the upper levels of the atmosphere, happening especially over interior parts of the country.

In recent years because of the global warming effect, frequent El-Nino the events of heatwaves have increased and in the year 2015 more than 2000 people died because of heatstroke, mostly in the regions of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Solution (c)

Basic Info:

Drake Passage

It is the body of water between South America’s Cape Horn, Chile and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica.

It connects the southwestern part of the Atlantic Ocean (Scotia Sea) with the southeastern part of the Pacific Ocean and extends into the Southern Ocean.

It is the shortest crossing from Antarctica to any other landmass. There is no significant land anywhere around the world at the latitudes of Drake Passage, which is important to the unimpeded flow of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current which carries a huge volume of water through the Passage and around Antarctica.

Solution (c)

Basic Info:

It was launched by Ministry of Finance. The platform will enable online auction of attached assets by banks.

The aim of this portal is to boost user experience via access to information by the search based on the type and location of property available for e-auction, put up by banks in India.

eBKray platform will give navigational links to all Public Sector Banks (PSBs) e-auction sites, property search feature and will also provide single-window access to information on properties up for e-auction, comparison of similar properties. It has videos and photographs of the uploaded properties as well.

With the help of this platform, buyers can easily navigate to the bank e-auction site once a notified property is selected. Users can also search for a property using state-wise, district-wise and bank-wise details.

Solution (a)

Basic Info:

Spices Production in India: India is the world’s largest producer, consumer and exporter of spices.

Due to the varying climates – from tropical to subtropical to temperate-almost all spices grow splendidly in India.

Spices Board (Ministry of Commerce and Industry) is the flagship organization for the development and worldwide promotion of Indian spices. It was established by the Spices Board Act, 1986.

The export of spices contributes 41% of the total export earnings from all horticulture crops in the country. It ranks fourth among agricultural commodities, falling behind only the marine products, non basmati rice and basmati rice.

The largest spices-producing states in India are Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Assam, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

The top 5 exports are Chilli, Cumin, Turmeric, Ginger, Coriander.

Solution (b)

Basic Info:

Tribes in Ladakh
The total tribal population in Ladakh region is more than 97 percent.

The region is inhabited by following Scheduled Tribes which are Balti, Beda, Bot, Boto, Brokpa, Drokpa, Dard, Shin, Changpa, Garra, Mon, Purigpa, etc.

Tribes in Kerala: According to the 2001 census of India, the Scheduled Tribe population in Kerala is 3,64,189 (lunas – 180,169 and felunas – 184,020). Wayanad has the highest number of tribals (1,36,062)

Adiyan and Kadar are tribes found in Kerala.

Solution (d)

Basic Info:

Shivanasamudra Hydro Power Project was commissioned in 1902. It has a total installed capacity of 42 Megawatt. It is located in Karnataka.

Salal Hydroelectric Power Station, is a runoff the river hydropower project on the Chenab river in the Reasi district of the Jammu and Kashmir.

Indira Sagar Project is a multipurpose project with an installed capacity of 1000 MW, located in the state of Madya Pradesh.

Omkareshwar Hydel Power Plant (Omkareshwar Dam) is erected at 40 km downstream of Indira Sagar in the Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh in India.

Solution (b)

Basic Info:

The Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM): In India, the new HAM is a mix of BOT Annuity and EPC models.

As per the design, the government will contribute to 40% of the project cost in the first five years through annual payments (annuity).

The remaining payment will be made on the basis of the assets created and the performance of the developer.

Here, hybrid annuity means the first 40% payment is made as a fixed amount in five equal installments whereas the remaining 60% is paid as variable annuity amount after the completion of the project depending upon the value of assets created.

As the government pays only 40%, during the construction stage, the developer should find money for the remaining amount. Here, he has to raise the remaining 60% in the form of equity or loans.

The private developer will recover his investment from the government by receiving annuity payments over a period of 15 years.

India’s first Hybrid Annuity (HAM) project in the sewerage sector, the 14MLD Sewage Treatment Plant (STP)  is located in Sarai village of Haridwar district of Uttarakhand.

The project has been developed under the Namami Gange project of National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG).

Solution (b)

Basic Info:

Minerals and India:

Odisha produces over 40 per cent iron ore of India. The most important deposits occur in Sundargarh, Mayurbhanj, Cuttack, Sambalpur, Keonjhar and Koraput districts. India’s richest haematite deposits are located in Barabil-Koira valley.

Madhya Pradesh has become the largest producer of copper in India surpassing Karnataka, Rajasthan and Jharkhand in succession. The state is blessed with a fairly large belt in Taregaon area, in Malanjkhand belt of Balaghat district. This district has recoverable reserve of 84.83 million tonnes of copper ore having 1,006 thousand tonnes of metal.

Reserves of moderate size are also found in Kherlibazar-Bargaon area of BetuI district. Some other areas are also reported to have copper ore reserves.

Silver is another precious metal produced in India. It is valued next only to gold for making ornaments due to its softness and attractive white colour.

The main production comes from Zawar mines in Udaipur district of Rajasthan. Here, silver is obtained as a by-product during the concentration and smelting of galena ore in Hindustan Zinc Smelter.

Solution (d)

Basic Info:

BALCO has its operations at Korba in the state of Chhattisgarh with a smelter capacity of 570
ktpa with capabilities to produce ingots, Alloy ingots, wire-rods, busbars and rolled products.

Rourkela Steel Plant, in Rourkela, Odisha is the first integrated steel plant in the public
sector in India. It was set up with West German collaboration with an installed capacity of 1
million tonnes in the 1960s. It is operated by Steel Authority of India.

Durgapur Steel Plant is one of the integrated steel plants of Steel Authority of India Limited,
located in Durgapur, in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal. It was set up with the help of
United Kingdom.

Solution (c)

Basic Info:

Geothermal Energy:

When the magma from the interior of earth, comes out on the surface, tremendous heat is
released. This heat energy can successfully be tapped and converted to electrical energy.

Apart from this, the hot water that gushes out through the geyser wells is also used in the generation of thermal energy. It is popularly known as geothermal energy.

India has very limited potential of geothermal energy. According to one estimate, the total
geo-thermal energy is about 600 MW.

There are 115 hot water springs in the country and 350 sites from which geothermal energy can be produced. The Puga Valley in Jammu and Kashmir, the Manikaran area in Himachal Pradesh, the western slopes of the Western Ghats in Maharashtra and Gujarat, the Narmada-Son Valley, and the Damodar Valley are the main areas which have potential for the generation of geothermal energy.

 Solution (b)

India and Denmark confirmed the aspirations through the GSP to take global leadership in pushing for an ambitious green energy transition. Green Strategic Partnership, established in 2020, is a 5-year action plan for green growth and focuses on green hydrogen, renewable energy, circular economy, water management etc.

Context – India –Denmark resolved to further strengthen GSP

Solution (c) 

Statement Analysis:

 Context – International Dark Sky Week was conducted recently

Solution (c)

Statement Analysis:

 Context – PM addressed the fourth edition of International Coalition of Disaster Resilient Infrastruture

Solution (d)

Statement Analysis:

 Context – The survey was released

Solution (a)

Statement Analysis:

 Context – Israel court paves way for eviction of 1,000 Palestinians from West Bank area.

Solution (c)

To determine Bharat’s profit we need to calculate the ratio in which they invested

Let Chaitra’s share be x, then Bharat’s share will be 5x

and Amey’s share will be 10x

i.e. They bring their share in the ratio, 1 : 5 : 10

Now, determining Bharat’s share in profits = [5/(1 + 5 + 10)] × 25600 = 8000

Solution (b)

Let p be the rate of profit per month.

Let x, 3x and 5x are initial investments of D, E and F respectively.

Since, Profit is divided according to the multiplication of invested money and time for the money invested.

Profits of D, E and F for first four months are 4xp, 12xp and 20xp respectively.

After 4 months the investments of D, E and F are 2x, 3x/2 and 5x/2 respectively.

Profits of D, E and F for remaining 8 months are 16xp, 12xp and 20xp respectively.

Total profits of D, E and F at the end of year = 20xp, 24xp, 40xp

Ratio of profits D: E: F = 20:24:40 = 5:6:10

Solution (a)

A and B have invested Rs.54,000 and Rs.90,000 in a business.

After one year A received Rs.1800.

Total profit = 3600 Profit to B = 3600 – 1800 = 1800

A is a working partner.

We know that, Profit = Investment x Time

Let, commission received by A is x.

So, Profit on investment to A = (1800 – x)

∴ 54000/90000 = (1800 – x)/1800 ⇒ 3/5 = (1800 – x)/1800 9000 – 5400 = 5x

x = 3600/5 = 720

720 expressed as percentage of total profit = (720/3600) × 100 = 20%

Solution (d)

Say P% is the rate of profit per month.

All three invested for 6 months and after that, only Kiran and Vijay invested for remaining two months.

⇒ Profit share of Arman = 6 × (P% of 8000) = 480P

Profit share of Kiran = 8 × (P% of 4000) = 320P

Profit share of Vijay = 8 × (P% of 8000) = 640P

Total profit by all three in 8 months = 480P + 320P + 640P = 1440P

Given total profit = Rs.4005

⇒ 1440P = 4005

⇒ P = 4005/1440

Profit share of Kiran = 320P = 320 × (4005/1440) = 4005/4.5 = Rs.890

Solution (b)

Statement 1 is incorrect since the Wassenaar Group is dedicated towards making the use and development of nuclear energy responsible and beneficial to the world rather than disturbing the global peace but it is not correct regarding the year of formation of Wassenaar Group.

“The Wassenaar Arrangement was founded in 1996…..i.e. in the 20th century and not in the 21st century as given in the statement.

Statement 2 is correct since it is mentioned in the passage that China is not a member of the Wassenaar Group whereas it is a member of the NSG and it blocked the application from our country at the NSG Meeting last year.

Statement 3 is also correct since the Wassenaar Agreement functions in tandem with the other agreement such as the NSG, Australia Group etc. to develop a world with better nuclear energy.