Geography · Environmental Studies

Natural Hazards and Disasters

1,386 Questions

Natural hazards and disasters involve the study of extreme natural events like earthquakes, floods, and cyclones, alongside their management and mitigation strategies. This geography and environmental studies topic is heavily tested in civil services and state public service examinations. Use these questions to prepare for inquiries on disaster response, community recovery, and tremor causes.

Earthquake and tremor causesDisaster management activitiesFlood management mythsCyclone and severe weatherPost-disaster health problemsCommunity disaster response

Natural Hazards and Disasters Questions

Multiple choice geography natural disasters - public awareness for disaster risk reduction earthquake earthquakes earth's movement and creation of landforms

An Earthquake on the sea floor or close to the coast may cause __________.

  1. landslide

  2. tsunami

  3. flood

  4. none of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation
  • Tsunamis are the catastrophic harbour waves caused by the displacement of a large amount of water at the seafloor.
  • This displacement is often triggered by an earthquake at the seafloor thus option B is correct.
  • Landslides are unrelated hence incorrect while Tsunamis may lead to flooding at the coastal zones. However, to chose one option the tsunami is the most direct answer to this question.
Multiple choice commercial applications forest and wildlife laws - environmental ethics and resource use environmental conservation. our social responsibility conservation of forest laws and movements for the conservation of forests and wildlife

In Northern Indian plains, there is an increase in floods in recent times due to

  1. Soil erosion in the plains

  2. Soil conservation on the hills

  3. Deforestation in the plains

  4. Deforsation in the catchment area
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Deforestation in the catchment areas of rivers leads to increased soil erosion and reduced water absorption, causing more rapid runoff and higher flood peaks in downstream plains.

Multiple choice chemistry water in our life how can we conserve water? droughts, floods and water conservation conservation of water and its importance and methods

Situation in which there is less water availability for agricultural purposes and no enough food in an area to feed people is called :

  1. flood

  2. monsoon

  3. drought

  4. monsoon winds
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation
A flood is an overflow of water that submerges land that is usually dry. Usually, the term monsoon is used to refer to the rainy phase of a seasonally changing pattern, although technically there is also a dry phase.
 A drought is a period of below-average precipitation in a given region, resulting in prolonged shortages in the water supply, whether atmospheric, surface water or ground water.
 An interchange of air between the land and oceans due to unequal heating and cooling of continents and oceans is known as monsoon winds.
Multiple choice chemistry water in our life how can we conserve water? droughts, floods and water conservation conservation of water and its importance and methods

Which of the following is responsible for higher level of floods and droughts?

  1. wind storms

  2. lower precipitation

  3. higher precipitation

  4. more wastage of water
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

A Higher level of floods and droughts are due to higher precipitation.A drought is a particular period of below-average precipitation in a given region, which  results in prolonged shortages in its water supply, whether surface water, atmospheric water, or ground water.

Multiple choice chemistry water in our life how can we conserve water? droughts, floods and water conservation conservation of water and its importance and methods

Higher level of floods and droughts are led by :

  1. sand storms

  2. lower precipitation

  3. higher precipitation

  4. none of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

A higher level of floods caused by higher precipitation means heavy rainfall.

Which can't be caused by a little rainfall or sand storms as sand storms cause a thunderstorm.   

Multiple choice chemistry water in our life how can we conserve water? droughts, floods and water conservation conservation of water and its importance and methods

In our country, floods cause extensive damage to ____________.

  1. crops

  2. domestic animals

  3. human life

  4. All of the above.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

In our country, floods cause extensive damage to crops, domestic animals, property and human life. During floods, the animals get carried away with the waters, get trapped on land areas and die.

Multiple choice social studies precautions for natural disasters floods, droughts and landslides and cyclones major hazards in india and prevention tsunami and floods

Flood is included in which of the following types of disasters?

  1. Geological

  2. Hydrological

  3. Artificial

  4. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

A Hydrological Disaster is a violent, sudden and destructive change either in quality of earth's water or in distribution or movement of water on land below the surface or in atmosphere.

A flood is an overflow of water that submerges land. The EU Floods Directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land which is usually not covered by water. Flooding may result from the volume of water within a body of water, such as a river or lake, which overflows causing the result that some of the water escapes its usual boundaries.

Multiple choice social studies precautions for natural disasters floods, droughts and landslides and cyclones major hazards in india and prevention tsunami and floods

Which of the following statements is true about flood warning?

  1. Should not be released until information is certain

  2. Should indicate what the threat is, what action should be taken, by whom and when

  3. It should come be a single source

  4. All of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Flood warnings should provide information on what the threat is, what action should be taken, by whom and when. While it is desirable for flood warnings to be accurate, warnings are predictions about the future, so there is inevitably some uncertainty. Accuracy needs to be balanced with timeliness, to allow enough time for appropriate action. Warnings are most likely to reach different audiences and to be heeded if they come from multiple trusted sources.

Multiple choice social studies precautions for natural disasters floods, droughts and landslides and cyclones major hazards in india and prevention tsunami and floods

Which among the following defines probable maximum flood?

  1. Maximum flood occurred in last 100 years in the area

  2. Maximum flood occurred in last 1000 years in the area

  3. An estimation of the largest possible flood that could occur at a particular location

  4. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The Probable Maximum Flood (PMF) is an estimate of the largest possible flood that could occur at a particular location, under the most severe meteorological and hydrological conditions as they are currently understood.

Multiple choice social studies precautions for natural disasters floods, droughts and landslides and cyclones major hazards in india and prevention tsunami and floods

What not to do in flood situations?

  1. Eating food prepared in flood water.

  2. Drinking boiled water

  3. Putting matchbox and dry breakfast in a plastic bag

  4. All of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Eating food prepared with flood water is dangerous because flood water is contaminated with pathogens, sewage, and chemicals. Drinking boiled water and keeping dry items in plastic bags are actually recommended safety practices during floods.

Multiple choice social studies precautions for natural disasters floods, droughts and landslides and cyclones major hazards in india and prevention tsunami and floods

The following should be avoided during floods:

  1. Do not try to swim.

  2. Don't go for a tour during flooding.

  3. Do not connect the electric wire which is cut off from the main line.

  4. All of these.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Never try to walk or swim through flowing water. Don’t go for tour in sea during flooding. If flowing water is above your ankles, then stop and turn around and go another way. If it is moving swiftly, water 6 inches deep can knock you off your feet. Be aware that people have been swept away wading through flood waters.

Turn off utilities at the main switches or valves if instructed to do so. Disconnect electrical appliances. Do not touch electrical equipment if you are wet or standing in water. Avoid floodwaters; water may be contaminated by oil, gasoline, or raw sewage. Water may also be electrically charged from underground or downed power lines.

Multiple choice social studies precautions for natural disasters floods, droughts and landslides and cyclones major hazards in india and prevention tsunami and floods

Contagious diseases like cholera, malaria etc spread after a ________.

  1. earthquake

  2. volcano

  3. draught

  4. flood
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Floods often lead to the contamination of water sources and the creation of stagnant water, which are ideal conditions for the spread of waterborne and vector-borne diseases like cholera and malaria.

Multiple choice social studies precautions for natural disasters floods, droughts and landslides and cyclones major hazards in india and prevention tsunami and floods

What not to do in drought situation?

  1. Hoard food grains

  2. Hoard fodder

  3. Holding large scale dinner parties

  4. All of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Hoarding food and fodder, or holding large parties, exacerbates the scarcity of resources during a drought. These are all actions that should be avoided.

Multiple choice book keeping and accountancy reserve and fund meaning and characteristics of reserves reserves provisions and reserves

__________is reserve created to meet any loss due to natural calamities.

  1. Revenue reserve

  2. Capital reserve

  3. Catastrophic reserve

  4. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation
Catastrophic reserve means a reserve which is meant for meeting losses arising from an entirely unexpected set of events and not for any specific purpose. This reserve is in the nature of an amount set aside for the potential future liability against the insurance policies.
Multiple choice geography rivers, coasts and glaciation landforms created by wind erosion wind and coast denudation river landform

A historic example of wind erosion is the Dust Bowl of the _________.

  1. 1930

  2. 1940

  3. 1950

  4. 1960
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The decade between 1930 and 1940, saw long periods of severe droughts accompanied by extreme dust storms in North America 

These dust storms severely damaged the ecology and agriculture of prairie regions of the United States and Canada and are characterized by severe wind erosion.
Hence the answer would be the 1930s i.e. option A.