Mock Test-2 (Paper-1) (Question 1-50)

Podzols are subarctic soils of the cold, humid northern coniferous forest (taiga), found between the mixed forests of the temperate zone and the tundras of the arctic zone. Chernozem is a black-coloured soil containing a high percentage of humus (7% to 15%), and high percentages of phosphoric acids, phosphorus and ammonia.

Chernozem is very fertile and produces a high agricultural yield. Chernozem soils are found in humus rich grasslands such as in Prairies, Pampa and Steppes. Spodsols soils develop under coniferous vegetation. Laterite. soils are found in hot and humid areas.

About Majuli Island

• It is the world’s largest river island located in Assam.
• Theisland is formed by the Brahmaputra River in the south and the Kherkutia Xuti, a branch of the Brahmaputra, joined by the Subansiri River in the north.
• Theisland’s landscape is characterised by lush greenery, water bodies, and paddy fields.
• Rice cultivation is the primary livelihood for the residents of Majuli, with several unique varieties of rice, such as Komal Saul and Bao Dhan, grown in the region.
• Most of the islanders belong to three tribes-Mishing, Deori, and Sonowal Kachari, with the non-tribal Assamese comprising the rest.
• The island has also been the hub of Assamese neo-Vaishnavite culture, initiated around the 16th century by the great Assamese saint-reformer Srimanta Sankerdeva and his disciple Madhavdeva.
• They initiated the tradition of Satras (monastic institutions), and these Satras have preserved Sattriya dance, literature, bhaona (theatre), dance forms, mask making, and boat-making.
• Apart from Satras or Vaishnavite monasteries, Majuli is famous for mask-making and has a tradition of pottery making.

Since the Tropic of Capricorn is the circle of latitude that contains the subsolar point on the December (or southern) solstice, it is the southernmost latitude where the Sun can be directly overhead. Its northern equivalent is the Tropic of Cancer. Hence, global warming during winter becomes more pronounced at the Tropic of Capricorn.

India is located in eastern part of Northern hemisphere.

• India stretches from 68°7'E to 97°25E. east along its length, with Gujarat in the west and Arunachal Pradesh in the east.
• The distance from north to south is 3214 kilometres, and the distance from east to west is 2933 kilometres.
• In one direction, India extends from 68 degrees 7' East to 97 degrees 25’ East, and in the other direction, it stretches from 8 degrees 4’ North to 36 degrees 7' North.
• Because of differences in latitude, the length of both the day and the night varies as one travels from south to north.
• The average length of winter in a region has an impact on the weather there. Because of differences in latitude, the length of both the day and the night varies as one travels from south to north.

The southwest monsoon brings rains towards the end of summer as the high pressure built in the Indian Ocean pushes the wind masses towards the low pressure formed on land.

It's the temperature variation between the sea and the landmass - sea air being cooler and land being warmer - that causes the action. Also, we have to take an important factor called Temperature Gradient into consideration. It is the Temperature Variation Between The landmass and: the surrounding sea.

The southwest monsoon brings rains towards the end of summer as the high pressure built in the Indian Ocean pushes the wind masses towards the low pressure formed on land. The southwestern summer monsoons occur from July through September.

Northern and central Indian subcontinent heats up during the hot summers. This causes a low pressure area over the northern and central Indian subcontinent. To fill this void, the moisture-laden winds from the Indian Ocean rush in to the subcontinent.

These winds, rich in moisture, are drawn towards the Himalayas. The Himalayas act like a high wall, blocking the winds from passing into Central Asia and forcing them to rise. As the clouds rise their temperature drops and precipitation occurs.

• During the mid-winter season in India, a feeble high-pressure region develops over the north-western part of the country . This anticyclonic condition leads to light, dry winds blowing outward from the highpressure center . These winds are influenced by the local relief and typically move through the Ganga valley from the west and northwest.
• Consequently, the weather is characterized by clear skies, low humidity, and low temperatures, making the northern plains cold.
• In contrast, 'Loo’' is a characteristic of the summer season (hot weather), consisting of scorching, gusty winds that occur due to low-pressure troughs in May and June .
• Torrential rains and thunderstorms are also associated with the summer or pre-monsoon period (like Kalbaisakhi) rather than the stable, dry conditions of the winter high-pressure system

Crystallisation is a form of mechanical weathering. It is operative especially in arid climates. Due to dry weather, moisture is drawn to the surface of rocks. Hydration is another process which involves water, but there is no chemical change whatsoever. Hydration causes granular disintegration. Frost action is also termed as synonymous with freeze-thaw action.

In Uttarakhand, the 'Kaliasaur Landslide zone' is situated between Sri Nagar and Rudra Prayag.

Kaliasaur Landslide is a historical slide which lies in Garhwal Himalaya. This slide is approximately 400-500 m above the hill and about 22-23m below road level up to the river Alaknanda. The width of the slide varies between + 40 and 100m.

It is located on deep slope of the left bank of Alaknanda River. This river generally flows through a VvV’ shaped valley (R. Anbalagan, Atul Kohli and D. Chakraborty, 2015). This indicates the youth stage of a perennial river.

The slope varies from 602-70° and dipping 240° towards south west from its location. Generally the slide is covering a distance of 100-150 m wide along the road (NH-58) and total height is about 1 km from the bottom of the river to the top of the slide.

The whole slide is covered by Quartzite rock, highly weathered and the rock has been converted into pulverization. The material involved in the sliding process is mainly quartzite greyish pink in colour. It appears that this is geo-structurally controlled area. Which is further aggravated by toe cutting and because of acute meandering of river. This area has been studied in past but no fruitful mitigation measures came out