Middle East MCQs set 3 for PPSC Naib Tehsildar Geography — 20 solved questions.
Q1. Which major river dominates the irrigated plains of southwestern Iran near Iraq?
Answer: Karun River
Explanation: The Karun River, Iran's only navigable river, flows through Khuzestan Province in southwestern Iran near the Iraqi border, irrigating much of the region and draining into the Shatt al-Arab waterway.
Q2. Which strait is the chokepoint exiting the Persian Gulf into the Gulf of Oman?
Answer: Strait of Hormuz
Explanation: The Strait of Hormuz, between Oman and Iran, is the only maritime exit from the Persian Gulf into the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea, making it the world's most critical oil chokepoint.
Q3. Which modern state's republican capital shifted inland away from a famous imperial city on the Bosporus?
Answer: Turkey with Ankara inland from Istanbul
Explanation: After the Turkish War of Independence, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk relocated the capital from Istanbul on the Bosphorus to inland Ankara in 1923 to symbolise the new republic's break from Ottoman geography and reduce coastal vulnerability.
Q4. Which city anchors Qatar's sovereign government precincts?
Answer: Doha
Explanation: Doha is the capital and largest city of Qatar, housing the Amiri Diwan (royal court), all government ministries, and the country's main port - it dominates Qatar's political and economic geography.
Q5. Which city hosts the UAE federal presidency and central ministries beyond Dubai's commerce hub role?
Answer: Abu Dhabi
Explanation: Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates and seat of the federal government, hosting the Presidential Palace, central ministries, and the UAE Central Bank, while Dubai serves as the commercial hub.
Q6. Which pair forms the Mesopotamian basin system through southern Iraq?
Answer: Tigris and Euphrates
Explanation: The Tigris and Euphrates rivers both originate in eastern Turkey, flow through Syria and Iraq, and converge near Basra to form the Shatt al-Arab, creating the historic Mesopotamian heartland of ancient civilisations.
Q7. Which country occupies the Arabian side of Bab el Mandeb beside Djibouti and Eritrea littorals?
Answer: Yemen
Explanation: Yemen occupies the Arabian Peninsula's southwestern tip and controls the eastern shore of the Bab el-Mandeb strait; Djibouti and Eritrea hold the African (western) shore, making Yemen the sole Arabian-side nation at this critical chokepoint.
Q8. Which peninsula lies between Egypt's mainland masses and Gulf of Aqaba toward Saudi sandstone ramparts?
Answer: Sinai Peninsula
Explanation: The Sinai Peninsula is the triangular landmass extending southward from Egypt's northeastern corner, bounded by the Gulf of Suez to the west and the Gulf of Aqaba to the east, connecting Africa to the Arabian Peninsula.
Q9. Which city anchors Oman's national government atop a fractured coastal geography?
Answer: Muscat
Explanation: Muscat is the capital and largest city of Oman, situated on a fractured rocky coastline of the Gulf of Oman, serving as the country's political and economic centre.
Q10. Which volcano crown is Iran's highest summit towering north of Tehran on clear ridge days?
Answer: Mount Damavand
Explanation: Mount Damavand, a dormant stratovolcano in the Alborz range north of Tehran, stands at 5,610 metres, making it the highest peak in Iran and the highest volcano in Asia.
Q11. Which city is Iraq's sovereign capital midway on the Tigris away from southern delta ports?
Answer: Baghdad
Explanation: Baghdad, founded in 762 CE on the Tigris River, is Iraq's capital and largest city, located in the centre of the country away from the southern delta ports of Basra.
Q12. Which country holds the western bank of the estuary Arabs call Shatt al Arab opposing Iran's Khuzestan coast?
Answer: Iraq
Explanation: The Shatt al-Arab waterway forms where the Tigris and Euphrates merge near Basra; its western bank belongs to Iraq's Basra Governorate while the eastern bank is Iranian Khuzestan - a boundary long disputed between the two countries.
Q13. Which sea wedges between northeastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula trending south toward the Gulf of Aden?
Answer: Red Sea
Explanation: The Red Sea is a narrow seawater inlet that separates northeastern Africa from the Arabian Peninsula, running from the Suez Canal in the north to the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait in the south where it meets the Gulf of Aden.
Q14. Which limestone capital overlooks the downward Jordan valley terraces westward toward Israel and Palestine?
Answer: Amman
Explanation: Amman, Jordan's capital, is built on a series of hills overlooking the Jordan Rift Valley to the west; from its elevated limestone plateau, the terrain descends steeply toward the Jordan River, Israel, and Palestine.
Q15. Which Arabian sand sea is famously nicknamed the Empty Quarter?
Answer: Rub al Khali
Explanation: The Rub' al Khali (Empty Quarter) is the world's largest continuous sand desert, covering about 650,000 km² across Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, and Yemen.
Q16. Which long mountain belt arcs across western Iran toward Iraq Kurdish uplands east of Mesopotamia?
Answer: Zagros Mountains
Explanation: The Zagros Mountains form a long folded arc extending from northwestern Iran southeastward toward the Strait of Hormuz, rising between the Iranian plateau and the Mesopotamian lowlands of Iraq.
Q17. Which Bosporus metropolis is Turkey's population giant although ministries meet inland daily?
Answer: Istanbul
Explanation: Istanbul, straddling the Bosphorus, is Turkey's largest city with a population exceeding 15 million, though the administrative capital and seat of government ministries is Ankara in the central Anatolian interior.
Q18. Which central Anatolian city is Turkey's official capital sheltered from Marmara tides and Bosporus traffic?
Answer: Ankara
Explanation: Ankara, located on the central Anatolian plateau, has been Turkey's capital since 1923, replacing the coastal city of Istanbul to reflect the new republic's inland orientation and strategic security considerations.
Q19. Which canalized isthmus cut lets Mediterranean fleets reach Egypt's Suez anchorage onward to Red Sea docks?
Answer: Suez Canal
Explanation: The Suez Canal, opened in 1869, cuts through the Isthmus of Suez in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea and eliminating the need to circumnavigate Africa for ships travelling between Europe and Asia.
Q20. Which coastal capital nestles under Mount Lebanon scarps facing east Mediterranean ship lanes?
Answer: Beirut
Explanation: Beirut is Lebanon's capital and largest city, situated on a promontory on the eastern Mediterranean coast beneath the slopes of the Mount Lebanon range.