Geography · Environmental Studies

Oceanography and Hydrology

1,673 Questions

Find relevant questions on oceanography and hydrology that address aquatic ecosystems and physical geography. The topics include coastal landforms, coral reefs, ocean salinity, and tidal patterns. These concepts frequently appear in civil services and state level administrative examinations.

Coral reef structuresCoastal landformsOcean salinity patternsGlacial retreat impactsMangrove ecosystems

Oceanography and Hydrology Questions

Multiple choice

A piece of land surrounded by water is called a

  1. delta

  2. island

  3. gulf

  4. strait
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

An island is defined as a piece of land completely surrounded by water. A delta is land formed at river mouths, a gulf is a large inlet of sea, and a strait is a narrow water passage between two land masses.

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

a. About 71 percent of the planetary water is found in the oceans. b. Nearly 90 percent of the water that falls on land returns to the atmosphere through evaporation from over the oceans as well as from other places. c. The hydrological cycle is the circulation of water within the Earth’s hydrosphere in different forms.

  1. a only

  2. b only

  3. c only

  4. a and b

  5. a and c
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

This is the correct answer.

Multiple choice

Canyons and trenches are observed in

  1. continental shelf

  2. continental slope

  3. deep sea plains

  4. oceanic deep

  5. oceanic trenches
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Canyons and trenches are observed in continental slope.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is/are incorrect?

a. The enclosed seas in the low latitudes record relatively lower temperature than the open seas. b. The enclosed seas in the high latitudes have higher temperature than the open seas. c. The temperature of surface water decreases from the equator towards the poles. d. The oceans in the northern hemisphere receive more heat than the oceans in the southern hemisphere.

  1. a and b

  2. a, b and c

  3. a, b, c and d

  4. c and d

  5. d only
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

This is the correct answer.

Multiple choice

Thermocline is

  1. about 500 m thick with temperature ranging between 20o and 25oC

  2. boundary region from where there is a rapid decrease of temperature of the oceans

  3. very cold and extends up to the deep ocean floor

  4. due to the unequal distribution of land and water in the northern and southern hemispheres

  5. the term used to define the total content of dissolved salt in sea water
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

This is the correct answer.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is incorrect?

  1. The salinity of water in the surface layer of oceans depends mainly on evaporation and precipitation.

  2. Surface salinity is greatly influenced in polar regions by the processes of freezing and thawing of ice.

  3. Any change in the temperature or density of water influences the salinity of water in that area.

  4. Salinity of 24.7 o/oo has been considered as the upper limit to demarcate ‘brackish water’.

  5. Dead sea is the most saline water body.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

This is incorrect.

Multiple choice

Directions: This question presents a sentence, all or part of which is underlined. Beneath the sentence you will find five ways of phrasing the underlined part. The first of these repeats the original; the other four are different. If you think the original is best, choose the first answer; otherwise choose one of the others.

The oceans contain many forms of life that has not yet been discovered.

  1. The oceans contain many forms of life that has not yet been discovered.

  2. The ocean contains many forms of life that has not yet been discovered.

  3. The oceans contain many forms of life, which has not yet been discovered.

  4. The oceans contain many forms of life, which have not yet been discovered.

  5. The oceans contain many forms of life that have not yet been discovered.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

'Many forms of life' is plural. The singular verb 'has' does not agree with the subject. 'Has' needs to be changed to 'have' to have the subject-verb agreement. This option corrects the error.

Multiple choice

A land mass surrounded by water on all the sides is called a/an

  1. plateau

  2. state

  3. island

  4. gulf
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

An island is defined as a landmass completely surrounded by water on all sides. A plateau is an elevated flatland, a state is a political division, and a gulf is a water body partially surrounded by land. This is a basic geographical definition.