Map & Location Based MCQs for UPSC Prelims

Correct answer: A - Andaman and Nicobar

The Ten Degree Channel, lying roughly along the 10 degree north latitude, separates the Andaman group of islands from the Nicobar group, so option (a) is correct. Nicobar and Sumatra are separated by the Great Channel, ruling out (b). Maldives and Lakshadweep lie in the Arabian Sea and are unrelated to this channel, ruling out (c). Sumatra and Java are separated by the Sunda Strait, ruling out (d).

Correct answer: A - Canada and the United States of America

The Canada-United States border runs about 8,891 km, making it the longest international land border between two countries. The Chile-Argentina Andean border and the China-India border are both long but considerably shorter. The Kazakhstan-Russia border is the longest continuous border within a single landmass at roughly 7,600 km, but it is still shorter than the Canada-US frontier when its total length including the Alaska section is counted.

Correct answer: D - North of Nubra Valley

The Siachen Glacier lies in the eastern Karakoram range and its meltwater feeds the Nubra river, with the glacier sitting to the north of the Nubra Valley. It is not east of Aksai Chin, which lies far to the east, nor simply east of Leh, and it is well to the east, not the north, of Gilgit. Hence Siachen Glacier is situated to the north of the Nubra Valley.

Correct answer: B - Atlas Mountains : North-Western Africa

The Atlas Mountains run across Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia in north-western Africa, so option (b) is correctly matched. Option (a) is wrong because the Abyssinian (Ethiopian) Plateau lies in Ethiopia, East Africa, not Arabia. Option (c) is wrong because the Guiana Highlands are in north-eastern South America, not south-western Africa. Option (d) is wrong because the Okavango Basin is in southern Africa (Botswana), whereas Patagonia is in southern South America.

Correct answer: A - Only two

Ukraine shares land borders with seven countries: Russia, Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova. From the listed countries, only Hungary (item 3) and Romania (item 6) border Ukraine. Bulgaria is separated from Ukraine by Romania and the Black Sea; the Czech Republic borders Slovakia, Poland, Germany and Austria but not Ukraine; and Latvia and Lithuania (Baltic states) do not touch Ukraine. Two countries qualify, so option (a) is the answer. Options (b), (c) and (d) overcount.

Correct answer: B - Gujarat

Correct answer (b) Gujarat. Gujarat fits all three clues: its northern part, including Kachchh and the Banaskantha belt, is arid to semi-arid, its central region around Saurashtra and the mainland is a major cotton-growing tract, and cash crops such as cotton, groundnut and tobacco dominate over food crops. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu do not match this exact combination of an arid north with central cotton and cash-crop dominance, so (a), (c) and (d) are incorrect.

Correct answer: A - Bhitarkanika

Bhitarkanika in Odisha lies in the delta formed by the Brahmani and Baitarani rivers near the Bay of Bengal; the Brahmani rises in Jharkhand (as the Sankh and South Koel) while the Baitarani rises in Odisha, and the area is a protected mangrove ecosystem famous for crocodiles, so option (a) fits perfectly. Chandipur-on-sea and Gopalpur-on-sea are coastal beach locations, not river-confluence biodiversity reserves. Simlipal is a hilly tiger reserve and biosphere in the interior, not a coastal river confluence. Only Bhitarkanika matches all the clues.

Correct answer: C - Only three States

Kerala (Munnar, Wayanad), Himachal Pradesh (Kangra) and Tripura are all recognised tea-producing states in India. Andhra Pradesh, although it has minor cultivation in some pockets like Araku, is not generally counted among India's known tea-producing states. Hence three of the four listed states qualify, making option (c) correct.