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 lake is

  1. land area surrounded by water

  2. forest area surrounded by water

  3. water area surrounded by land

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

A lake is defined as a body of water surrounded by land. This distinguishes it from an island (land surrounded by water). Lakes can be natural or artificial and vary greatly in size and depth.

Multiple choice

The shallow zone near the ocean shore is known as _________.

  1. littoral zone

  2. open water zone

  3. deep water zone

  4. pelagic zone

  5. photic zone
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Lake ecosystems can be divided into zones. One common system divides lakes into three zones. First is the littoral zone. It is the shallow zone near the shore. This is where rooted wetland plants occur.

Multiple choice

The part of the sea/ocean/deep lake comprising the water column that is near to the seabed is known as __________.

  1. benthic zone

  2. pelagic zone

  3. demersal zone

  4. intertidal zones

  5. littoral zone
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The demersal zone is the part of the sea/ocean/deep lake comprising the water column that is near to the seabed and the benthos. The demersal zone is just above the benthic zone and forms a layer of the larger profundal zone.

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

Estuaries and lagoons are types of _______ water resources.

  1. brackish

  2. marine

  3. sea

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

Reason: Estuaries and lagoons are types of brackish water resources. Brackish water resources are those where sea-water and fresh water mix together. These resources serve important fish reservoirs. Marine fisheries include deep seas and coastline while freshwater fishes inhabit rivers and lakes e.g. Catla is a freshwater fish. 

Multiple choice

Which one of the following is not in good number at the sea coasts of Africa?

  1. Rivers

  2. Islands

  3. Lakes

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

Africa's coastline is relatively smooth compared to other continents, with fewer natural harbors and offshore islands. While there are some islands (like Madagascar, Zanzibar, Canary Islands), they are fewer compared to the numerous rivers, lakes near the Great Rift Valley, and coastal mountains like the Atlas and Drakensberg ranges. The phrasing 'not in good number' means 'relatively scarce'.

Multiple choice

What is Great Barrier Reef?

  1. A belt of coral along the east coast of Australia.

  2. A cave between Sydney and Melbourne.

  3. A fish found in the sea near New Zealand.

  4. A mine situated in the Great Victoria Valley.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system, located off the coast of Queensland in northeastern Australia. It stretches over 2,300 km and consists of nearly 3,000 individual reefs and hundreds of islands formed by living coral polyps.

Multiple choice

Why is it easier to swim in sea water than in fresh water?

  1. Sea water is a large water body.

  2. Movement in sea water is less.

  3. Sea water has more of dissolved oxygen.

  4. Sea water is saline.

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

Yes, it is correct as salts dissolved in sea water increase the density and hence, it exerts more upward thrust.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is the correct spelling of 'pureifys'?

Directions: Read the following passage carefully and select the most suitable option according to the corresponding number in the passage.

The Hydrosphere is an imaginary (1) sphere. However, its importance is not imaginary. The hydrosphere contains all the water that is above, below, or upon the surface of the earth. It also includes (2) the water inside plants and animals. The larger part of the earth's hydrosphere is salt water. The water cycle pureifys (3) the atmosphere and surface water by removing (4) pollutants. It (5) supplies usable water to living things on land. It does so by purifying the saltwater of the oceans and by turning (6) it into fresh water. All life thus depends upon an "active hydrosphere." That means an intact or undamaged hydrosphere with a running (7) water cycle. Since all living things use water inside their bodies, an active hydrosphere and life travel hand in hand (8).

  1. purefies

  2. purifyies

  3. purifies

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

The misspelled word 'pureifys' should be corrected to 'purifies' - the third person singular form of the verb 'purify.' For verbs ending in consonant + y, change y to i and add -es. 'Purefies' and 'puriefies' don't follow this rule, and 'purifyies' incorrectly keeps the y.

Multiple choice

Which of the following could replace ‘imaginary’ as used in the passage?

Directions: Read the following passage carefully and select the most suitable option according to the corresponding number in the passage.

The Hydrosphere is an imaginary (1) sphere. However, its importance is not imaginary. The hydrosphere contains all the water that is above, below, or upon the surface of the earth. It also includes (2) the water inside plants and animals. The larger part of the earth's hydrosphere is salt water. The water cycle pureifys (3) the atmosphere and surface water by removing (4) pollutants. It (5) supplies usable water to living things on land. It does so by purifying the saltwater of the oceans and by turning (6) it into fresh water. All life thus depends upon an "active hydrosphere." That means an intact or undamaged hydrosphere with a running (7) water cycle. Since all living things use water inside their bodies, an active hydrosphere and life travel hand in hand (8).

  1. fantastic

  2. hypothetical

  3. real

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

The hydrosphere is a conceptual sphere used in earth science to classify all water on Earth. It's called 'imaginary' because it's not a physical object you can touch, but a scientific classification system. Hypothetical best captures this meaning of something that exists as a concept or model rather than a tangible entity.