Physical Geography MCQs set 3 for PPSC Forest / Wildlife Officer (BS-17) Geography — 20 solved questions.
Q1. Which lines run horizontally on a globe connecting points of equal latitude?
Answer: Parallels
Explanation: Lines of latitude (parallels) run horizontally around the globe at equal angular distances from the equator, connecting all points at the same latitude.
Q2. A map scale of 1:1,000,000 is best described as which type?
Answer: Small scale
Explanation: A scale of 1:1,000,000 means one unit on the map equals one million units on the ground; such scales show large areas with little detail and are classified as small scale.
Q3. Which ancient scholar wrote Geographia, an early atlas that used coordinates to map the world?
Answer: Ptolemy
Explanation: Claudius Ptolemy wrote Geographia in the 2nd century AD, introducing a coordinate grid system of latitude and longitude to map the known world.
Q4. Which feature on a map explains the symbols and colors used on that map?
Answer: Legend (key)
Explanation: A map legend (or key) decodes the symbols, colors, and patterns used on a map, allowing readers to interpret the information accurately.
Q5. Lines of longitude running from pole to pole are called what?
Answer: Meridians
Explanation: Lines of longitude run from the North Pole to the South Pole and are called meridians; all meridians converge at the poles and are measured in degrees east or west of the Prime Meridian.
Q6. The Tropic of Capricorn lies at which latitude?
Answer: 23.5° S
Explanation: The Tropic of Capricorn at 23.5°S marks the southernmost latitude where the sun appears directly overhead at solar noon, occurring at the December solstice.
Q7. The International Date Line is located at approximately which longitude?
Answer: 180°
Explanation: The International Date Line runs approximately along the 180° meridian in the Pacific Ocean; crossing it eastward moves the calendar back one day, and westward advances it one day.
Q8. On a topographic map, closely spaced contour lines indicate what type of terrain?
Answer: Steep slope
Explanation: Closely spaced contour lines mean the elevation changes rapidly over a short horizontal distance, indicating steep terrain such as cliff faces, gorges, or mountain ridges.
Q9. What is the maximum possible value of latitude on Earth?
Answer: 90°
Explanation: Latitude is measured from 0° at the equator to a maximum of 90° at either the North Pole (90°N) or the South Pole (90°S).
Q10. Which type of map shows elevation and terrain features using contour lines?
Answer: Topographic map
Explanation: Topographic maps use contour lines - lines connecting points of equal elevation - to represent the three-dimensional shape of terrain on a two-dimensional surface.
Q11. Aerial photography used in cartography is an application of which broader discipline?
Answer: Remote sensing
Explanation: Remote sensing involves collecting data about Earth's surface from a distance - including aerial photography, satellite imagery, and airborne scanners - and is the foundational discipline underlying most modern cartographic data collection.
Q12. What is the maximum value of longitude east or west of the Prime Meridian?
Answer: 180°
Explanation: Longitude extends 180° east and 180° west of the Prime Meridian (0°); the International Date Line is situated along 180°, making 180° the maximum value.
Q13. The Antarctic Circle is located at which latitude?
Answer: 66.5° S
Explanation: The Antarctic Circle at 66.5°S is the northern boundary of the Antarctic region where polar night and midnight sun phenomena occur at the respective solstices.
Q14. Which coordinate system uses degrees, minutes, and seconds to describe locations on Earth?
Answer: Geographic coordinate system (latitude/longitude)
Explanation: The geographic coordinate system expresses any location on Earth using latitude (north-south) and longitude (east-west) measured in degrees, minutes, and seconds from fixed reference lines.
Q15. Which of these best describes a relief map?
Answer: A map showing elevation and terrain using contours or shading
Explanation: A relief map depicts the physical topography of the land surface, using contour lines, colour gradients (hypsometric tinting), or shaded relief to show elevation, hills, valleys, and mountains.
Q16. What is true of all map projections?
Answer: They all introduce some form of distortion
Explanation: Every map projection involves transferring a curved surface onto a flat plane, which mathematically guarantees that some combination of area, shape, distance, or direction will be distorted.
Q17. Which map feature represents the ratio of distance on the map to the actual ground distance?
Answer: Map scale
Explanation: Map scale expresses the ratio between a distance on the map and the corresponding distance on the ground, either as a representative fraction (e.g., 1:50,000), a verbal statement, or a graphical bar scale.
Q18. The longitude of the Prime (Greenwich) Meridian is which value?
Answer: 0°
Explanation: The Prime Meridian passes through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England, and is defined as 0° longitude, from which east and west longitudes are measured.
Q19. Which global wind belt is found between approximately 30° and 60° latitude in both hemispheres?
Answer: Westerlies
Explanation: The westerlies (also called prevailing westerlies) blow from the subtropical high-pressure belts at about 30° latitude toward the subpolar low-pressure zones near 60°, flowing generally from west to east in both hemispheres.
Q20. Which of the following rivers does NOT originate from the Himalayan glaciers and snowfields?
Answer: Hingol
Explanation: The Hingol River originates from the Makran hills of Balochistan, not from Himalayan glaciers; the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab all draw heavily on Himalayan meltwater.