Lightning and Earthquakes
Test your knowledge about natural phenomena including lightning, thunderstorms, earthquakes, and related safety measures.
Questions
Which of the following is the underlying principle behind the working of an electroscope?
- Unlike charges attract each other.
- Like charges repel each other.
- A charged body can get discharged by earthing.
- The charges on a charged body are static and not dynamic.
The process of transferring of charge from a charged object to the earth is called
- discharging
- earthing
- lightning
- conduction
Lightning is caused due to
- the accumulation of charges on the surface of the earth
- the accumulation of charges in the uppermost layer of the atmosphere
- the accumulation of charges in clouds
- All of the above
Which of the following statements is/are true?
(a) When a glass rod is rubbed with silk, it acquires a positive charge.
(b) When a plastic straw is rubbed with polythene, the plastic straw acquires a positive charge.
(c) When a balloon is rubbed with a woollen cloth, it acquires a negative charge.
- (a) only
- (b) only
- (c) only
- All of them
During the development of a thunderstorm, the air currents move _______ and the water droplets move _______.
- upwards, upwards
- downwards, downwards
- upwards, downwards
- downwards, upwards
Which of the following statements is true?
- Lightning occurs between two clouds only.
- Lightning occurs between clouds and the earth only.
- Lightning does not occur between clouds and the earth.
- Lightning can occur between two or more clouds and between clouds and the earth.
Each fragment of the earth's crust is known as a
- sector
- continent
- landmass
- plate
The base plate of a lightning conductor is usually made of
- concrete
- gold
- copper
- wood
Which of the following activities should be avoided during a thunderstorm?
(a) Making calls on a mobile phone
(b) Washing clothes under running water
(c) Switching off lights in the house
- (a) and (b) only
- (b) and (c) only
- (b) only
- (c) only
Most of the earthquakes are caused by
- volcanic eruptions
- meteor hits
- underground nuclear explosions
- movement of earth’s plates
The power of an earthquake is expressed in terms of magnitude on a scale called
- Seismic scale
- Fault scale
- Log scale
- Richter scale
Which of the following statements about the earthquake-prone zones of India is true?
- Whole of the south India is not prone to earthquakes.
- Only western and central Himalayas are earthquake-prone with the whole of northeast being danger free.
- Rann of Kutch and Rajasthan are not earthquake-prone.
- The Indo-gangetic plane is earthquake-prone.
Earthquake of following magnitudes on the Richter scale were recorded in an isolated unpopulated area:
(a) 2
(b) 5
(c) 8
(d) 9
Which of them would have been highly destructive had it/they occured in a populated area?
- (a) and (b) only
- (c) and (d) only
- (d) only
- All of these
The waves produced by an earthquake are recorded by an instrument known as a
- Reichto graph
- Intensity graph
- Seismograph
- Fault zono graph
You are in an office block on the 15th floor when suddenly an earthquake occurs. Which of the following should you do?
- Run to the lift to get down and out as soon as possible
- Run down the steps of the nearest staircase
- Take shelter under a table and stay there till the shaking stops
- Go and stand near a window so that you are visible to rescue teams