[Mission 2022] QUIZ – 2022: INSIGHTS STATIC QUIZ, 23 May 2022 – Geography – INSIGHTSIAS

Solution: b)

The higher concentration of dust particles is found in subtropical and temperate regions due to dry winds in comparison to equatorial and polar regions. Dust and salt particles act as hygroscopic nuclei around which water vapour condenses to produce clouds.

Water vapour is a variable gas in the atmosphere, which decreases with altitude. Water vapour also decreases from the equator towards the poles. It also absorbs parts of the insolation from the sun and preserves the earth’s radiated heat.

Solution: a)

All parallel circles from the equator up to the poles are called parallels of latitudes. Latitudes are measured in degrees. As we move away from the equator, the size of the parallels of latitude decreases.

Longitude is the measurement east or west of the prime meridian. Longitude is measured by imaginary lines that run around the Earth vertically (up and down) and meet at the North and South Poles. These lines are known as meridians. Each meridian measure one arc degree of longitude. Unlike parallels of latitude, all meridians are of equal length.

Solution: d)

Nebular Hypothesis was proposed by Pierre Simon de Laplace in 1796, which explained how the solar system was formed. The hypothesis considered that the planets were formed out of a cloud of material associated with a youthful sun, which was slowly rotating.

The most popular argument regarding the origin of the universe is the Big Bang Theory. It is also called expanding universe hypothesis. According to the ‘The Big Bang Theory’, in the beginning, all matter forming the universe existed in one place in the form of a “tiny ball” with an unimaginably small volume, infinite temperature and infinite density.

Solution: b)

The column of atmosphere is divided into five different layers depending upon the temperature condition. They are: troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere.

The troposphere is the lowermost layer of the atmosphere. Its average height is 13 km and extends roughly to a height of 8 km near the poles and about 18 km at the equator. Thickness of the troposphere is greatest at the equator because heat is transported to great heights by strong convectional currents.

The stratosphere is found above the tropopause and extends up to a height of 50 km. One important feature of the stratosphere is that it contains the ozone layer.

The ionosphere is located between 80 and 400 km above the mesopause. It contains electrically charged particles known as ions, and hence, it is known as ionosphere. Radio waves transmitted from the earth are reflected back to the earth by this layer.

Solution: d)

On summer solstice, the northern hemisphere will have its longest day and the shortest night. On winter solstice, the southern hemisphere will have its longest day and the shortest night.