Physical Geography MCQs set 2 for PPSC Zilladar (Revenue) Geography — 20 solved questions.
Q1. Which line of latitude divides the Earth into Northern and Southern hemispheres?
Answer: Equator
Explanation: The Equator, at 0° latitude, is the imaginary line that divides Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, equidistant from both the North and South Poles.
Q2. How many degrees of longitude are there in total around the Earth?
Answer: 360°
Explanation: A full circle of longitude around the Earth spans 360 degrees, with 180 degrees of east longitude and 180 degrees of west longitude measured from the Prime Meridian.
Q3. One time zone generally spans how many degrees of longitude?
Answer: 15°
Explanation: Since Earth rotates 360° in 24 hours, each hour corresponds to 15° of longitude, so each standard time zone ideally spans 15 degrees.
Q4. The Tropic of Cancer is at which latitude?
Answer: 23.5° N
Explanation: The Tropic of Cancer is the circle of latitude at 23.5° North, marking the northernmost point where the Sun can appear directly overhead at solar noon during the June solstice.
Q5. How many major tectonic plates does the Earth have?
Answer: 7
Explanation: Earth has seven major tectonic plates: African, Antarctic, Eurasian, Indo-Australian, North American, Pacific, and South American, plus several minor plates.
Q6. At what latitude is the Tropic of Cancer located?
Answer: 23.5° North
Explanation: The Tropic of Cancer is the northernmost latitude at which the Sun appears directly overhead at solar noon, fixed at approximately 23.5° North of the equator.
Q7. The International Date Line runs approximately along which line of longitude?
Answer: 180°
Explanation: The International Date Line runs roughly along the 180° meridian in the Pacific Ocean, with deviations to keep island groups in the same calendar day, and marks where one calendar date changes to the next.
Q8. What is the capital of Zambia?
Answer: Lusaka
Explanation: Lusaka has been the capital of Zambia since the country's independence in 1964, replacing Livingstone as the administrative centre and growing into southern Africa's fastest-growing cities.
Q9. What is the capital of Mozambique?
Answer: Maputo
Explanation: Maputo is the capital and largest city of Mozambique, located on Maputo Bay in the far south of the country near the borders with South Africa and Eswatini.
Q10. What is the elevation of Khunjerab Pass?
Answer: 4,693m
Explanation: Khunjerab Pass sits at an elevation of 4,693 m in the Karakoram range and is the highest paved international border crossing in the world, linking Pakistan with China on the Karakoram Highway.
Q11. What is the approximate elevation of the Khyber Pass?
Answer: 1,070m
Explanation: The Khyber Pass reaches its highest point at approximately 1,070 m (3,510 ft) above sea level and has served as a vital trade and invasion corridor for millennia.
Q12. What is the approximate elevation of Babusar Pass?
Answer: 4,173m
Explanation: Babusar Pass in the Kaghan Valley, KP, sits at an elevation of approximately 4,173 metres and serves as a seasonal high-altitude crossing connecting Kaghan Valley to Gilgit-Baltistan.
Q13. What is latitude?
Answer: Angular distance north or south of the equator
Explanation: Latitude is the angular distance of a point measured north or south of the equator (0°), ranging from 0° at the equator to 90° at the poles.
Q14. What is the latitude of the equator?
Answer: 0°
Explanation: The equator is defined as 0° latitude, the imaginary great circle equidistant from both poles that divides Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Q15. What does GIS stand for in the context of computerized mapping?
Answer: Geographic Information System
Explanation: GIS stands for Geographic Information System, a computer-based framework for capturing, storing, analysing, and displaying spatially referenced data on maps.
Q16. Which term refers to lines of equal elevation on a topographic map?
Answer: Contour lines
Explanation: Contour lines on a topographic map join points of equal elevation; their spacing indicates gradient - closely spaced lines mean steep terrain, widely spaced lines mean gentle slopes.
Q17. Which type of map uses different shades or colors to show statistical data distributed by area?
Answer: Choropleth map
Explanation: A choropleth map shades geographic areas in proportion to a statistical variable (e.g., population density, income) using a colour gradient to reveal spatial patterns.
Q18. Which map projection shows great circle routes as straight lines, used in aviation?
Answer: Gnomonic projection
Explanation: The gnomonic projection, centered on a point, displays all great circle routes (the shortest paths between two points on a sphere) as straight lines, making it useful in aviation route planning.
Q19. Which cartographer created the famous cylindrical map projection used on navigation charts?
Answer: Gerardus Mercator
Explanation: Gerardus Mercator, the Flemish cartographer, published his cylindrical conformal projection in 1569 specifically to allow navigators to plot straight-line rhumb-course headings, revolutionising maritime navigation.
Q20. Which statement correctly describes a large-scale map?
Answer: It shows more detail over a smaller area, e.g., 1:1,000
Explanation: A large-scale map (e.g., 1:1,000 or 1:10,000) shows a small area in great detail, while a small-scale map (e.g., 1:1,000,000) shows a large area with less detail.