Minimalist IAS
Geography

Prelims · Geography · 16 questions

Oceans

Every UPSC Prelims question on this topic, 2016–2026, newest first. Tap an option to check yourself; the answer and explanation open below it.

Oceans questions per year: 2016: 0, 2017: 0, 2018: 1, 2019: 0, 2020: 1, 2021: 3, 2022: 1, 2023: 0, 2024: 1, 2025: 0, 2026: 1 Asked in 6 of 11 years · most in 2021 (3)

Practising Geography? Take it as timed sets of 25 →

UPSC syllabus: “Indian and World Geography-Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.” Sub-topics in the detailed syllabus →

जनवरी माह में समतापी रेखा-मानचित्रों (आइसोथर्मल मैप) से प्राप्त कौन-सा/कौन-से निष्कर्ष सही है/हैं ?

  1. 1.समताप रेखाएँ महासागर के ऊपर उत्तर की ओर और महाद्वीप के ऊपर दक्षिण की ओर विचलित हो जाती हैं ।
  2. 2.शीत महासागरीय धाराओं, गल्फ स्ट्रीम और उत्तरी अटलांटिक अपवाह (ड्रिफ्ट) की उपस्थिति उत्तरी अटलांटिक महासागर को शीतल बनाती हैं और समताप रेखाएँ उत्तर की ओर मुड़ जाती हैं ।

नीचे दिए गए कूट का प्रयोग कर उत्तर चुनिए :

Read this question in English

Which of the following is/are correct inference/inferences from isothermal maps in the month of January?

1. The isotherms deviate to the north over the ocean and to the south over the continent.

2. The presence of cold ocean currents, Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Drift make the North Atlantic Ocean colder and the isotherms bend towards the north.

Select the answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only · (b) 2 only · (c) Both 1 and 2 · (d) Neither 1 nor 2

उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English

Answer: (a) केवल 1

In the northern winter the oceans stay warmer than the land, so January isotherms bulge north over the oceans and dip south over the continents. Statement 2 fails because the Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Drift are warm currents that make the North Atlantic warmer, not colder.

  • ✓ 1. In January the isotherms swing northward over the oceans and southward over the land masses, most clearly over the North Atlantic and Europe.
  • ✗ 2. The Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Drift are warm currents. They make the North Atlantic warmer, which is why the isotherms bend north there.

Remember · January isotherms: bend poleward over oceans, equatorward over continents. Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Drift are warm currents.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Ch 8 (practise this chapter)

Sources

  • NCERT Class 11 · Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Chapter 8 “In January the isotherms deviate to the north over the ocean and to the south over the continent. This can be seen on the North Atlantic Ocean. The presence of warm ocean currents, Gulf Stream and North Atlantic drift, make the Northern Atlantic Ocean warmer and the isotherms bend towards the north.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2024, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार कीजिए :

  1. 1.लाल सागर में किसी भी रूप में बहुत कम वर्षण होता है ।
  2. 2.लाल सागर में नदियों से जल का प्रवेश नहीं होता है ।

उपर्युक्त कथनों में से कौन-सा/कौन-से सही है/हैं ?

Read this question in English

Consider the following statements:

1. The Red Sea receives very little precipitation in any form.

2. No water enters the Red Sea from rivers.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only · (b) 2 only · (c) Both 1 and 2 · (d) Neither 1 nor 2

उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English

Answer: (c) 1 और 2 दोनों

Both statements are correct. The Red Sea lies in an arid region: no river drains into it and rainfall is scant. With very high evaporation and little fresh water coming in, it is one of the saltiest seas.

  • ✓ 1. The Red Sea region is arid with little precipitation. The UN Regular Process assessment calls it an arid area with high evaporation, and NOAA explains its high salinity by very high evaporation and little fresh-water inflow.
  • ✓ 2. No river brings water into the Red Sea; the UN assessment marks it as a sea with 'no rivers'. With so little fresh water, evaporation keeps the sea very salty; NCERT gives its salinity as high as 41 parts per thousand.

Remember · Red Sea: arid, no rivers, scant rain, very high evaporation and very high salinity (about 41 parts per thousand).

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Ch 12 (practise this chapter)

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2024, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

The Syllabus X-Ray of this topic

2 of its 6 sub-topics are High

0 Core · 2 High · 2 Steady · 2 Rare

  • HighOcean temperature, currents & salinity · 3 questions
  • HighLaw of the sea & deep-sea exploration · 3 questions

The X-Ray ranks all 928 sub-topics of the UPSC syllabus by what UPSC has asked since 2016. The 60 Prelims Core sub-topics are behind 51% of Prelims questions.

See the whole X-Ray →

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