Answer Key — 11th Geography Term End Examination (2025–2026)

Q.1 A) Complete the chain and rewrite in your answer paper. (Answers / matching)
(Assumption: chains are three sets of matching items arranged A → B → C as below.)

1) Widespread volcanic eruption → Volcanic material → Deccan Trap

2) Andaman Nicobar Islands → Fissure eruption → Block mountain
3) Mercalli Scale → Intensity → Very High Seismic Vulnerability
4) Slow movements → Faulting → Solid
5) Volcanic material → Volcanic bombs → I to XII

(Teacher's note: The printed columns were ambiguous; the important thing is to show correct
logical chains. Award marks for sensible, logically-correct chains.)

Q.1 B) Multiple choice answers:

1. a) Plucking
2. b) Headward erosion
3. a) Sea cave
4. b) Barchans
5. d) Disintegration, picking up, transportation, deposition

Q.2 Give geographical reasons (any four; 3 points each — model points)
1. In monsoon climate region, rainfall occurs in a specific season.
- Presence of a seasonal shift in wind direction (monsoon winds) that brings moisture during
one part of the year.
- Temperature contrasts between land and sea cause seasonal low pressure over the land,
attracting moist onshore winds.
- The seasonal nature of the moisture source (e.g., summer monsoon) concentrates
precipitation in a few months.

2. The diurnal range of temperature is more in desert areas.

- Low humidity and scarce vegetation reduce heat retention; clear skies allow rapid day
heating and night cooling.
- Sandy/rocky surfaces have low heat capacity — they heat up quickly by day and lose heat
quickly at night.
- Lack of moisture (evaporation cooling) means greater temperature swings between day and
night.

3. There is no concept of season in equatorial regions.

- Near-constant solar angle throughout the year causes minimal variation in insolation.
- High humidity and frequent convective rainfall keep temperature and day-to-day weather
fairly uniform.
- Vegetation (rainforest) and climate stability lead to lack of distinct temperature-based
seasons.

4. Human is an agent of weathering.

- Activities like mining, quarrying, and construction expose fresh rock surfaces to
weathering.
- Pollution (acid rain) accelerates chemical weathering of rocks and buildings.
- Agriculture (plowing, irrigation) and deforestation change moisture regimes and increase
physical/chemical weathering.

5. Slope is a major factor in mass wasting.

- Steeper slopes increase gravitational component acting downslope, promoting movement.
- Slope gradient affects stability: over-steepened slopes are more prone to landslides and
rockfalls.
- Slope material and shape (concave/convex) control water accumulation and pressure,
influencing mass wasting.

Q.3 Differentiate between (provide 3 points each; model answers)

1. Folding vs Faulting
- Folding: bending of rock layers due to compressional forces; Faulting: fracturing and
displacement of rocks along a plane.
- Folding produces anticlines and synclines; faulting produces fault scarps, horsts, and
grabens.
- Folding usually occurs at greater depths and higher temperatures (ductile deformation);
faulting is brittle and occurs nearer the surface.

2. Slow movements vs Sudden movements (mass wasting)

- Slow movements: creep, solifluction — gradual, long-term downslope movement; sudden
movements: landslides, rockfalls — rapid.
- Slow movements often show gradual tilt of trees/fences; sudden movements cause visible
scars, displaced blocks.
- Causes: slow — prolonged saturation, freeze-thaw cycles; sudden — heavy rain, earthquakes,
undercutting.

3. Rainforests vs Savannah climate regions

- Rainforest: very high annual rainfall (>2000 mm), no distinct dry season; Savannah:
distinct wet and dry seasons with seasonal rainfall.
- Vegetation: dense evergreen forest vs mixed grassland with scattered trees.
- Soils and ecology: rainforest soils leached and nutrient-poor but biomass-rich; savannahs
support grasses and seasonal grazing.

4. Mercalli scale vs Richter scale

- Mercalli: measures observed intensity and effects of an earthquake on people/structures
(qualitative).
- Richter: measures magnitude — energy released at the earthquake source (quantitative,
instrumental).
- Mercalli varies by location (same quake different intensities); Richter gives a single
magnitude value for the event.

Q.4 Map — Mark and name (give index entries / brief locational hints)
(Provide coordinates / index text for teacher to check)
1. Savannah climatic regions in Africa — e.g., the Sudanian Savanna belt roughly between
5°N–15°N across West and Central Africa (index: West Africa – Sahel/Sudan belt).
2. Highland climatic region in India — e.g., Himalaya region (index: Northern India – Jammu &
Kashmir / Himachal / Uttarakhand).
3. Chile and Russia — mark countries: Chile (western coast of South America, long north–south
strip); Russia (northern Eurasia, largest country spanning Eastern Europe and northern Asia).
4. Equatorial Region — mark equatorial belt in Africa (Congo Basin), Amazon (N. South America),
and Malay Archipelago; index: Equatorial belt near 0° latitude.
5. Greenland — large island northeast of Canada (index: North Atlantic / Arctic region).
6. Desert Climatic Region — Sahara (Northern Africa), Arabian Desert (Arabian Peninsula), Thar
Desert (NW India / Pakistan), Australian interior (index examples).

Q.5 Short notes (any two; model points)

1. Conditions necessary for work of wind
- Sparse vegetation and dry loose materials available for transport.
- Strong and persistent winds (sufficient velocity) to pick up and transport particles.
- Arid/semi-arid climate with plenty of loose sand and lack of moisture that binds
particles.

2. Role of water in mass wasting

- Water increases pore pressure, reduces internal friction, and acts as a lubricant,
triggering slides.
- Heavy rainfall or rapid snowmelt saturates slopes, adding weight and reducing cohesion.
- Flowing water (streams, rivers) undercuts slopes, steepening them and initiating mass
movement.

3. Carbonation
- Chemical weathering process where carbon dioxide dissolved in water forms carbonic acid
which reacts with carbonate rocks (e.g., limestone) causing solution and karst features.
- Leads to features like caves, sinkholes, and solution valleys; important in carbonate
terrain.

Q.6 Detailed answers (any one — model answers)

1. Correlation between Himalayas and mass movements
- The Himalayas are young fold mountains with steep slopes, intense uplift and active
tectonics — conditions favouring mass movements.
- High relief, steep gradients, and fractured/faulted rocks increase susceptibility to
landslides, rockfalls and debris flows.
- Intense monsoon rains saturate slopes causing shallow and deep-seated landslides
(examples: 2013 Uttarakhand landslides, frequent slides in Sikkim and Darjeeling).
- Human activities (road cutting, deforestation, terracing) and seismic activity further
trigger mass wasting in Himalayan slopes.
- Preventive measures: slope stabilization, controlled drainage, afforestation, and careful
engineering on hill roads.
2. Types of landforms produced by volcanic eruption (with examples)
- Shield volcanoes: broad gentle slopes built by low-viscosity basaltic lava (e.g., Mauna
Loa, Hawaii).
- Composite/stratovolcanoes: steep conical volcanoes built of alternating lava flows and
pyroclastic deposits (e.g., Mt. Fuji, Mt. Vesuvius).
- Cinder cones: small steep-sided cones formed of tephra and volcanic bombs around vent.
- Caldera: large depression formed by collapse after massive eruption (e.g., Yellowstone
caldera).
- Lava plateaus and flood basalts: extensive flat-lying basalt layers from fissure eruptions
(e.g., Deccan Traps).
- Volcanic landforms from explosive activity: ash sheets, pyroclastic flows, volcanic necks,
and ignimbrite deposits.

(End of Answer Key)