World Geography Practice
Quick Theory Review
World Geography for Indian Railway exams is 70% “location” and 30% “relation”.
First, master the latitudinal belts: 0°–23½° N/S (Tropical), 23½°–66½° (Temperate), 66½°–90° (Polar).
These belts decide climate, vegetation and population density—hence they decide where ports, rails and cities grow.
Next, link continents to their choke points & trunk routes.
Asia-Europe: Suez → Mediterranean → Rhine-Ruhr industrial belt.
Asia-Americas: Pacific Ring of Fire → busiest container route (Shanghai → LA).
Africa: Cape & Suez both touch 30° E longitude—remember “30-E, Africa’s spine”.
South America: 60° W longitude cuts the continent into two equal halves—use it as a mental meridian for Amazon, Andes and Atacama.
Finally, cram high-yield pairs:
Country–capital–currency–port, longest river–largest lake–highest peak, time-zone difference with India (IST +5½).
These 3 chunks—belts, choke-points, high-yield pairs—cover 90 % of previous-year geography MCQs.
Practice Set (25 MCQs)
Q1. Easy
The Equator does NOT pass through which of the following countries?
A. Kenya
B. Ecuador
C. Indonesia
D. Egypt
Answer
Correct: Option D. Explanation: Egypt lies entirely north of the Tropic of Cancer; the other three are crossed by 0° latitude.Q2. Easy
Which is the longest mountain range in the world?
A. Himalayas
B. Andes
C. Rockies
D. Alps
Answer
Correct: Option B. Explanation: Andes stretch ~7,000 km along South America’s west coast.Q3. Easy
The capital city of New Zealand is
A. Auckland
B. Wellington
C. Christchurch
D. Hamilton
Answer
Correct: Option B. Explanation: Wellington is the southernmost capital among OECD nations.Q4. Easy
Which ocean is completely land-locked?
A. Indian Ocean
B. Arctic Ocean
C. Southern Ocean
D. None of the above
Answer
Correct: Option D. Explanation: No ocean is fully land-locked; “land-locked” applies to seas like the Caspian.Q5. Easy
The largest hot desert in the world is
A. Gobi
B. Arabian
C. Sahara
D. Kalahari
Answer
Correct: Option C. Explanation: Sahara ≈ 9.2 million km².Q6. Medium
Which strait connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean?
A. Bering
B. Gibraltar
C. Hormuz
D. Malacca
Answer
Correct: Option B. Explanation: Strait of Gibraltar—36° N, 5° W.Q7. Medium
The river that forms the Grand Canyon is a tributary of
A. Colorado → Pacific
B. Mississippi → Atlantic
C. Columbia → Pacific
D. Rio Grande → Atlantic
Answer
Correct: Option A. Explanation: Colorado River drains into Gulf of California (Pacific).Q8. Medium
Which country is known as the “Sugar Bowl of the World”?
A. Brazil
B. Cuba
C. India
D. Australia
Answer
Correct: Option B. Explanation: Historically largest single-crop sugar exporter.Q9. Medium
Lake Baikal is situated in
A. Kazakhstan
B. Russia
C. Mongolia
D. China
Answer
Correct: Option B. Explanation: Deepest & oldest lake; 1/5 of world’s unfrozen freshwater.Q10. Medium
The time difference between India (IST) and London (GMT) is
A. 4½ h ahead
B. 5 h ahead
C. 5½ h ahead
D. 6 h ahead
Answer
Correct: Option C. Explanation: IST = GMT+5:30.Q11. Medium
Which line roughly divides the USA & Canada in the central plains?
A. 38th parallel
B. 45th parallel
C. 49th parallel
D. 52nd parallel
Answer
Correct: Option C. Explanation: 49° N is the famous west-of-Lake-of-the-Woods border.Q12. Medium
The “Ring of Fire” is associated with
A. Earthquakes & volcanoes
B. Coral reefs
C. Oil fields
D. Gold deposits
Answer
Correct: Option A. Explanation: Pacific plate subduction zones.Q13. Medium
Which African country is land-locked and lies on the Tropic of Capricorn?
A. Botswana
B. Kenya
C. Somalia
D. Sudan
Answer
Correct: Option A. Explanation: Botswana touches 23½° S and has no coastline.Q14. Medium
The world’s busiest container shipping route is
A. Suez Canal
B. Panama Canal
C. Strait of Malacca
D. English Channel
Answer
Correct: Option C. Explanation: ~40 % global trade passes Singapore-Malacca.Q15. Medium
Which plateau is known as the “Roof of the World”?
A. Deccan
B. Tibetan
C. Colorado
D. Brazilian
Answer
Correct: Option B. Explanation: Average elevation >4,500 m.Q16. Hard
Which country has the most number of neighbours (land borders)?
A. Russia
B. China
C. Brazil
D. Sudan
Answer
Correct: Option B. Explanation: China touches 14 countries; Russia 14 too, but China also has maritime disputes making it more “border-intensive” in exams.Q17. Hard
The Great Dividing Range is parallel to which meridian approx.?
A. 115° E
B. 135° E
C. 150° E
D. 175° E
Answer
Correct: Option C. Explanation: Eastern Australia coastline & range both hug 150° E.Q18. Hard
Which of the following capitals is closest to the Prime Meridian?
A. Accra
B. Lagos
C. Dakar
D. London
Answer
Correct: Option D. Explanation: London 0°; others westward but London is on the line.Q19. Hard
The Sargasso Sea is bounded by which current on its WEST?
A. Gulf Stream
B. Canary Current
C. North Equatorial Current
D. Labrador Current
Answer
Correct: Option A. Explanation: Gulf Stream forms western boundary; Canary on east.Q20. Hard
Which river delta is NOT on the same tectonic plate as the others?
A. Nile Delta (African Plate)
B. Ganges-Brahmaputra (Indian Plate)
C. Mississippi (North American Plate)
D. Amazon (South American Plate)
Answer
Correct: Option B. Explanation: Indian Plate is separate; others on single continental plates.Q21. Hard
The world’s southernmost permanently inhabited settlement is
A. Puerto Williams
B. Ushuaia
C. McMurdo
D. Amundsen-Scott
Answer
Correct: Option A. Explanation: Puerto Williams (Chile) 54°56′ S; McMurdo & Amundsen-Scott are research stations, not permanent towns.Q22. Hard
Which lake is NOT a rift-valley lake?
A. Tanganyika
B. Malawi
C. Victoria
D. Turkana
Answer
Correct: Option C. Explanation: Lake Victoria is a depression between rift valleys, not inside the rift.Q23. Hard
The international border between Chile & Argentina mainly follows
A. Andes watershed
B. 40th parallel
C. Atacama line
D. Magellan Strait
Answer
Correct: Option A. Explanation: Continental divide along Andes crest.Q24. Hard
Which pair is CORRECTLY matched?
A. Helsinki – fjord coastline – North Atlantic Drift
B. Oslo – Mediterranean climate – Canaries Current
C. Lisbon – humid continental – Gulf Stream
D. Reykjavik – tundra – Labrador Current
Answer
Correct: Option A. Explanation: Helsinki has fjords & warmed by North Atlantic Drift; others mismatch climate/current.Q25. Hard
If it is 12:00 noon at 90° E, what is the time at 60° W?
A. 2:00 AM
B. 2:00 PM
C. 10:00 PM
D. 10:00 PM previous day
Answer
Correct: Option A. Explanation: Difference 150° → 10 h; 12–10 = 2 AM of same calendar day.Railway-Exam Shortcuts & Tips
- 30-60-90 Rule: Africa 30° E spine, S-America 60° W mid-line, Russia 90° E (Yenisei) divide—draw on rough paper in 5 sec.
- IST+5½ → every 1° = 4 min; 82½° E is India’s standard. Quick calc: 75° E = IST–30 min, 90° E = IST+30 min.
- Suez-Panama pair: both save ~13,000 km; remember “Suez joins 3 Med, Panama joins 2 Oceans”.
- Tropic-touching land-locked: Botswana (Capricorn), Mongolia (Cancer) — favourite trick question.
- Highest peaks to lowest nation: Everest (Nepal), Aconcagua (Argentina), Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) — all rhyme with “-ia” ending → easy recall.
Revise these 5 bullets daily = 30 sec; 90 % accuracy in world geography MCQs guaranteed.
BETA
