fossil-fuels-and-kinds-of-resources MCQs for UPSC Prelims

27 practice questions on fossil-fuels-and-kinds-of-resources from the Nature's Treasures section of the UPSC Prelims syllabus. 27 come with a written explanation. Try the sample set below - the answer stays hidden until you ask for it.

9 Easy 12 Medium 6 Hard

Sample questions

Q1
medium

A news report says that the oil wells of a certain country may run dry in about forty years. This is possible because petroleum is

  1. A formed afresh in the ground every rainy season
  2. B a non-renewable resource present in a limited amount
  3. C a renewable resource that returns with every monsoon
  4. D made in refineries out of ordinary air
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - a non-renewable resource present in a limited amount

An oil field holds a fixed store of petroleum that took millions of years to form, so steady pumping can empty it. Rain has nothing to do with refilling it. A refinery only separates petroleum that has already been pumped up; it cannot make oil from air, and no fresh oil forms each season.

Q2
medium

Iron and aluminium are taken from ores dug out of the ground. These ores are

  1. A renewable, because the metals in them can be melted and shaped
  2. B non-renewable, because these metals cannot be melted
  3. C non-renewable, because the amount in the Earth is limited
  4. D renewable, because fresh ore forms in the ground every year
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C - non-renewable, because the amount in the Earth is limited

Ore deposits formed over millions of years and are limited, so mining slowly empties them and they cannot be renewed. Fresh ore does not appear each year. Melting a metal to reuse it is recycling and does not create new ore. Iron and aluminium can certainly be melted, so the last reason is wrong.

Q3
easy

Which group contains only fossil fuels?

  1. A Cow dung, coal and biogas
  2. B Petrol, wind and flowing water
  3. C Wood, coal and sunlight
  4. D Coal, petroleum and natural gas
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D - Coal, petroleum and natural gas

Coal, petroleum and natural gas all formed from the buried remains of living things long ago, so all three are fossil fuels. Wood, cow dung and biogas come from plants and animals of today. Sunlight, wind and flowing water are not fuels at all, so the other three groups are mixed.

Q4
hard

Assertion (A): Since minerals lie inside the Earth, we can never run short of them. Reason (R): Mineral deposits took millions of years to form and are present in limited amounts.

  1. A Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
  2. B Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
  3. C A is true, but R is false
  4. D A is false, but R is true
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D - A is false, but R is true

The assertion is false, because a mine can be worked out and rich deposits of many minerals are already running low. The reason is true and shows exactly why: these deposits are limited and are not being replaced. So a false assertion pairs with a true reason.

Q5
hard

Assertion (A): Coal, petroleum and natural gas are called fossil fuels because they formed from the buried remains of living things. Reason (R): Heat and pressure changed those remains into fuel within a few months.

  1. A Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
  2. B Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
  3. C A is true, but R is false
  4. D A is false, but R is true
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C - A is true, but R is false

The assertion is true, as the word fossil points to the ancient remains from which these fuels came. The reason is false, because the change took millions of years and not a few months. So the assertion stands while the reason falls, and the other three choices do not fit.

Q6
hard

Assertion (A): Coal, petroleum and natural gas are grouped together and called fossil fuels. Reason (R): All three of them are found deep inside the Earth.

  1. A Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
  2. B Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
  3. C A is true, but R is false
  4. D A is false, but R is true
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A

Both statements are true, but the reason is not the explanation. These three are called fossil fuels because they formed from the buried remains of living things over millions of years. Many other materials, such as iron ore and marble, also lie deep in the Earth without being fossil fuels.

Q7
hard

Empty glass bottles are collected from homes, melted in a furnace and shaped into new bottles. This is an example of

  1. A recycling
  2. B reusing
  3. C repairing
  4. D reducing
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - recycling

The old bottles lose their shape and the glass becomes the raw material for new bottles, which is recycling. Reuse would mean using the same bottle again as it is, without melting it. Reducing means using fewer bottles in the first place, and repairing means mending a damaged object.

Q8
easy

Which of these is a renewable resource?

  1. A Petroleum
  2. B Sunlight
  3. C Natural gas
  4. D Coal
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - Sunlight

Sunlight reaches the Earth day after day and will not be used up by us, so it is renewable. Coal, petroleum and natural gas exist in limited amounts that took millions of years to form, so once they are burnt they cannot be replaced, which makes all three non-renewable.

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