Geological Society of India

INTERNATIONAL EARTH SCIENCE OLYMPIAD Entrance Tet

Date: January 23, 2011; Time: 10.30 am to 12.00 noon


Registration No.: Name of the Invigilator: _______________

Candidates Signature: _____________ Invigilators Signature: ________________


Seal of the Centre:

INSTRUCTIONS
1. You have to be present in the examination hall well before the commencement of the
test.
2. You will not be permitted to enter the examination hall 30 minutes after the
commencement of the test.
3. You will not be permitted to leave the examination hall until after 30 minutes of
commencement of the test.
4. If you have any paper/chit with you, surrender them to the invigilator now.
5. All are multiple-choice questions.
6. Please use a BLACK ball point pen to mark your answers. DO NOT use pencil.
Choose the MOST appropriate answer.
Darken the circle corresponding to the answer of your choice. An
example:

Question Answer
The shape of the Earth is ___________
(A) Spherical (B) Spheroidal
(C) Ovoid (D) Ellipsoidal
A B C D

Marks will not be awarded if more than one answer is chosen.
Your answer must be given only in the answer sheet (overleaf). Answers
given anywhere else will not be evaluated.
7. Please DO NOT tear out or add any sheet from/to the question paper.
8. Please enter your Registration No. and affix your signature on the answer sheet before
starting to answer the questions.

ANSWER SHEET

Q.No. A B C D Q.No. A B C D Q.No. A B C D Q.No. A B C D
1 26 51 76
2 27 52 77
3 28 53 78
4 29 54 79
5 30 55 80
6 31 56 81
7 32 57 82
8 33 58 83
9 34 59 84
10 35 60 85
11 36 61 86
12 37 62 87
13 38 63 88
14 39 64 89
15 40 65 90
16 41 66 91
17 42 67 92
18 43 68 93
19 44 69 94
20 45 70 95
21 46 71 96
22 47 72 97
23 48 73 98
24 49 74 99
25 50 75 100




!"etion Pa#er

1
In which of the following climates will chemical weathering be most rapid?
a) Hot and dry
b) Hot and humid
c) Cold and dry
d) Cold and humid
2
In caverns, water containing calcium carbonate solution drips from the ceiling, and
thereby long, cylindrical, pendent concretions known as are formed!
a) "talactites
b) "talagmites
c) "peleothems
d) Caves
# $ineral that is commonly used in gla%ing porcelain is &&&&&&&&&&!
a) $ica
b) 'eldspar
c) Clay
d) (uart%
) *ith time, sediment particles transported by rivers become &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&!
a) +laty and smaller
b) ,ounded and smaller
c) +laty and larger
d) ,ounded and larger
- In which rock type do .arst topography and caves develop?
a) "ilicate
b) 'elsic
c) Carbonate
d) 'erric
/ 0his mineral is commonly known by the name 1fool2s gold3!
a) +yrite
b) Chalcopyrite
c) 4alena
d) 5ron%ite
6 0he most abundant element in the earth is
a) 78ygen
b) $agnesium
c) Iron
d) "ilicon
9 :n igneous rock which is characteri%ed by very large crystals of minerals is called a
a) 4ranite
b) 5asalt
c) +egmatite
d) 7bsidian
; 0he epicenter of an earth describes the &&&&&&&&&&&&!
a) +lace of origin of the earth<uake inside the earth
b) +oint on the fault on which the earth<uake occurs
c) +oint on the surface of the earth
d) +lace at which the earth<uake is recorded
1= If an earth<uake occurs at a distance of 119 km from a recording station,which wave will
be recorded first?
a) ,aleigh wave
b) 0ertiary wave
c) + wave
d) " wave
11 Nautilus is a
a) 5rachiopod
b) 4astropod
c) >chinoderm
d) Cephalopod
12 0he Indian ocean tsunami that damaged property and claimed several thousand lives was
caused due to an earth<uake off the
a) :ndaman islands
b) Indonesian island of "umatra
c) Indonesian island of ?ava
d) $alaysia
1# 0he rigid upper layer of the earth @known as lithosphere) rides over a mobile but viscous
layer called &&&&&&&&&&!
a) 0he core
a) 0he :sthenosphere
b) 0he $esosphere
c) 0he >8osphere
1) 0his mineral is popularly also known as 1lodestone3!
a) Hematite
b) $agnetite
c) +yrite
d) 5arite
1- : metamorphic rock which shows alternate bands of dark and light colored minerals is
called
a) "late
b) "chist
c) 4neiss
d) $arble
1/ 0wo hundred and fifty million years ago, the land masses of the >arth were clustered into a
single supercontinent known as
a) 0ethys
b) 4ondwanaland
c) +angea
d) >urasia
16 : linear lowland between mountain ranges created by the action of a fault is known as
a) rift valley
b) Horst
c) 0hrust belt
d) "ubduction Aone
19 $ost of the rocks in tropical regions are often covered by an e8tensive layer of a product
of chemical leaching called
a) Baterite
b) 5au8ite
c) :lluvium
d) Clays
1; :ncient fossils characterised by layers of calcium carbonate precipitated over bacterial
filaments in shallow marine environments are called
a) Bime muds
b) "tromatolites
c) Corallites
d) Coprolites
2= *hat is the term that is used for the layer of loose, heterogeneous weathered material
lying on top of rocky hill slopes?
a) "oil
b) *eathering profile
c) ,egolith
d) :lluvium
21 4ranite is essentially composed of
a) (uart% and mica
b) (uart% and feldspar
c) (uart% and pyro8ene
d) +yro8ene and plagioclase
22 *hat are detrital sedimentary rocks with large pebbles of other rocks or minerals called?
a) :renites
b) Conglomerates
c) 4rit
d) "andstone
2# *hen did dinosaurs become e8tinct?
a) end of Cretaceous
b) end of +ermian
c) end of ?urassic
d) end of Holocene
2) *hich biome is often transitional between tropical rainforests and deserts?
a) Ceciduous
b) 0emperate forest
c) chaparral
d) "avanna
2- In which of the following unconsolidated sediments is porosity the highest?

2/ *hich of the following statements regarding dry lands is D70 correct?
a) Cry lands are often characteri%ed by infre<uent but intense rainfall events!
b) Coarse and sandy soil cover results in high rate of infiltration!
c) 5ecause of high evaporation and infiltration rates, runoff is negligible during high
intensity rainfall events!
d) Cue to the absence of vegetation cover, transpiration is very low!
26 Identify the type of fault in the figure on the right!
a) Dormal fault
b) ,everse fault
c) "trike slip fault
d) 0ransform fault
29 In India which is the most earth<uakeprone %one?
a) 0he Indian +eninsula
b) 0he Indo4angetic +lain
c) 0he Himalaya
d) 4uEarat
2; It is horseshoe shapedF it is home to most active volcanoes in the world and is
characteri%ed by fre<uent earth<uakes!
a) $arianna2s trench
b) ?ava @"unda) trench
c) 0he +acific ring of fire
d) +eru G Chile trench
#= 0he property of a mineral to show a bright band of scattered light because of the presence
of small inclusions of a different mineral is known as
a) Buster
b) Iridescence
c) :sterism
d) Chatoyancy
#1 'ossili%ation needs
a) (uick burial within sediments
b) (uick drowning in water
c) (uick transportation
d) "low burial within
#2 *hat are the two important mineral constituents of limestone?
a) calcite and aragonite
b) calcite and gypsum
c) calcite and dolomite
d) aragonite and dolomite
## *hich of the following is D70 a tectonic plate boundary?
a) $idoceanic ,idge
b) "ubduction Aone
c) 0ransform fault
d) Continental margin
#) *hat is a 1downward3 fold in which younger rock layers occur at the inward portion or the
center of the structure called?
a) "ynform
b) "yncline
c) :ntiform
d) :nticline
#- *hich of the following is least e8pected in a desert?
a) +laya
b) ,ounded hills
c) 4orges
d) *ide stream channels
#/ In plate tectonics, plates move and collide with one another! *hen one plate goes down
below another, it is known as a
a) Collision boundary
b) "ubduction boundary
c) "uture %one
d) Contact point
#6 In which case does a seismic wave travel faster?
a) 0ravelling through rocks
b) 0ravelling through water
c) 0ravelling through air
d) 0ravelling through vacuum
#9 : dendritic drainage pattern will tend to develop in regions
a) Hnderlain by regularly spaced Eoints
b) 7f folded rocks
c) along the flanks of isolated volcanoes
d) of flatlying sedimentary rocks
#; >gyptian $ummy is not a fossil because
a) It is a human remnant
b) It is not naturally preserved
c) It has soft parts
d) Done of the above
)= :rrange the following natural calamities in a chronological se<uence!
i! Indian 7cean 0sunami
ii! 4uEarat >arth<uake
iii! .osi 'lood
iv! Icelandic volcanic eruption
a) i, ii, iv, iii
b) ii, iii, i, iv
c) ii, i, iii, iv
d) i, ii, iii, iv

)1 *hich of the following came first in the stratigraphic record?
a) Cinosaurs
b) 5irds
c) 'lowering plants
d) Conifers
)2 *here would you go to see lava lakes?
a) :ndamans
b) ?ava
c) Iceland
d) Hawai2i
)# +hosphorite or rock phosphate deposits are a type of
a) Dondetrital sedimentary formation
b) Cetrital sedimentary formation
c) $etamorphic rocks
d) Igneous rocks
)) Intense structural deformation of the earth2s crust associated with plate tectonics is
referred to as
a) Continental drift
b) 'olding
c) 'aulting
d) 7rogeny
)- :re magnitude and intensity of an earth<uake the same?
a) Ies
b) $ay be
c) Do
)/ 0he most important gas responsible for the greenhouse effect is
a) Carbon dio8ide
b) $ethane
c) *ater vapor
d) Ditrous o8ide
)6 0he annual range of temperature over "iberia @located in the northern part of :sia in
,ussia) is larger than that at $umbai because
a) It is not a developing country
b) 7f 4reenhouse effect
c) It is at a higher latitude
d) It is a larger area
)9 *ithout the greenhouse effect, the surface temperature of the earth would be lower by
a) 19JC!
b) 1-JC!
c) ##JC!
d) 2--J.!
); 0he hydrological cycle describes the transport of
a) Ditrogen
b) Carbon
c) *ater
d) Hydrogen
-= 0he region of the ocean where temperature decreases rapidly with depth is called the
a) 0hermocline
b) +ycnocline
c) Isoline
d) Incline
-1 Cooling seawater results in its sinking because
a) It increases the buoyancy
b) It increases the salinity
c) It decreases the entropy
d) It increases the density
-2 0he geostrophic appro8imation is a balance between
a) Coriolis and hydrostatic forces
b) Coriolis and pressure gradient forces
c) 'rictional and hydrostatic forces
d) 'rictional and pressure gradient forces
-# 0he >l DiKo impacts the Indian summer monsoon through
a) 0eleconnections
b) 0elekinesis
c) Liscous effects
d) Cipole effect
-) 0he glacialinterglacial cycles due to orbital variations are also known as
a) Carnot cycles
b) ,abinowit% cycles
c) $ilankovich cycles
d) "olar cycles
-- $ost tropical cyclones originate &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&!
a) 5etween =J and -J north and south of the e<uator
b) In the centers of subtropical highs
c) 5etween 1=J and 2=J north and south of e<uator
d) 0o the west of westerly winds
-/ 0he concentration of nitrogen in the >arthMs atmosphere at sea level is about
a) )N
b) 21N
c) 69N
d) ;/N
-6 &&&&&& of the earth2s atmosphere shields the earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation!
a) ><uatorial bulge
b) Ionic layer
c) 7%one layer
d) +rotective layer
-9 0he layer of the earth that reflects radio waves back to the earth is called the
a) Ionosphere
b) ,adiation %one
c) :urora borealis
d) 7%one layer
-; 0he phenomenon of polar lights @aurora) commonly occurs in the
a) "tratosphere
b) Ionosphere
c) 0roposphere
d) $esosphere
/= 0he atmospheric pressure at mean sea level is
a) 1!=# kgOcm
2

b) 1=!# kgOcm
2

c) 1)!6 kgOcm
2

d) !=16 kgOcm
2

/1 0he temperature is minimum
a) ?ust after sunset
b) :round midnight
c) :bout 2P== to #P== am
d) ?ust before sunrise
/2 0he portion of the atmosphere which e8tends from the earth2s surface up to 9 miles and
e8periences decrease in temperature at constant rate is
a) "tratosphere
b) 0ropopause
c) 0roposphere
d) $esosphere
/# : northerly wind means a &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&!
a) *ind coming from the north
b) *ind going towards the north
c) *ind in the northern hemisphere
d) *ind in northern India
/) :n empirical measure for describing wind speed based mainly on observed sea conditions
is called the
a) 5eaufort scale
b) ,ichter scale
c) 'uEita scale
d) "torm scale
/- : strong tropical cyclone that developed in the Dorthern Indian 7cean 5asin and caused
the worst natural disaster in 5urma, killing nearly 1==,=== people, was named
a) .atrina
b) Dargis
c) "idr
d) Irrawady
// ,elative to the hori%on, as seen from the earthMs southern hemisphere, the sun daily
a) ,ises in the east and sets in the west!
b) ,ises in the west and sets in the east!
c) $oves mainly in a northward direction!
d) $oves mainly in a southward direction!
/6 *hen Lenus has reached its ma8imum eastern elongation from the sun as viewed from
the earth, it is visible in the sky
a) In opposition to the sun!
b) :s an evening QstarQ!
c) :s a morning QstarQ!
d) In conEunction with the sun!
/9 In order to have a solar eclipse, you need to have
a) : full moon!
b) : new moon!
c) 0he moon on or close to the ecliptic!
d) @5) and @C)
/; 'rom where on the >arth will we see the Dorth "tar at the hori%on?
a) Dorth pole
b) "outh pole
c) on the ><uator
d) Dowhere it is not possible!
6= *e the see the same face of the $oon always, because
a) 0he $oon does not rotate on its a8is
b) 0he phases of the $oon make it appear so!
c) 0he rotation period of the $oon is the same as the period of revolution of $oon
around the >arth
d) $agnetic forces due to material on >arth and $oon keep them locked in the same
orientation
61 *hich planet canMt be seen high in the sky at midnight?
a) Lenus
b) $ars
c) ?upiter
d) "aturn
62 0he river channels observed on $ars are estimated to be about #!; billion years old! How
did astronomers arrive at this age estimate?
a) 5y radioactive age dating of rock samples from the channels!
b) 5y calculating the time it would take for that much water to evaporate on $ars!
c) 5y assuming they are the same age as dry river channels on the >arth!
d) 5y counting the number of craters in the nowdry channels!
6# ,efracting telescopes always contain which of the following?
a) $irrors
b) Benses
c) 'ilm
d) CCC
6) :ccording to .eplerMs Baw, the cube of the mean distance of a planet from the "un is
proportional to the
a) :rea that is swept out
b) Cube of the period
c) "<uare of the period
d) 'ourth power of the mean distance
6- In our solar system which planet has a moon with a mass closest to its own?
a) >arth
b) $ars
c) ?upiter
d) "aturn
6/ 5y what factor would the brightness of a star decrease if an observer moved from 1 to #
light years from the star?
a) # times
b) ; times
c) 26 times
d) 91 times
66 *hich of the following devices would not work on the $oon?
a) 0hermometer
b) "pectrometer
c) "pring balance
d) "iphon
69 *hich of the following planets has no moons?
a) Ceres
b) $ars
c) Lenus
d) Deptune
6; 0he planet Deptune was discovered by studying the deviations in the orbit of &&&&&&&&&
a) ?upiter
b) Hranus
c) "aturn
d) +luto
9= *hich planet seems to be turned on its side with an a8is tilt of ;9 degrees?
a) ?upiter
b) Lenus
c) Deptune
d) Hranus
91 *hat is the essential difference between Rray, radio waves and infrared radiation?
a) wave amplitude
b) temperature
c) wavelength
d) wave velocity
92 0he apparent daily path of the "un in the sky during winter is different from that in
summer, because
a) the sun revolves
b) >arthMs distance from the "un changes
c) the "un rotates
d) >arthMs a8is is tilted
9# 0he following instrument demonstrates the rotation of the >arth around its a8is!
a) pendulum clock
b) 'oucaultMs pendulum
c) spectrometer
d) photomultiplier tube
9) If you were to stand on the $oon, then the position of the >arth in the moon sky
a) will remain the same with time
b) will change with time
c) will not be able to see the >arth from the $oon
d) none of the above
9- 0he distance of the star nearest to the solar system is
a) a few million light years
b) a few light days
c) a few light years
d) a few thousand light years
9/ "emidiurnal tides have
a) one high and one low daily
b) two highs and one low daily
c) one high and two lows daily
d) two highs and two lows daily
87 *ater entrapped in sediments during their formation is known as
a) Connate water
b) $eteoric water
c) ?uvenile water
d) $agmatic water
88 Bysimeter is used to measure
a) >vaporation
b) >vapotranspiration
c) 0ranspiration
d) Humidity
89 Isohyet is a line Eoining points having
a) 0he same atmospheric pressure
b) 0he same amount of rainfall
c) 0he same temperature
d) 0he same depth of water table
90 : waterbearing formation sandwiched between two layers of impermeable geological
formation is called &&&&&&&&&&&!
a) confined a<uifer
b) unconfined a<uifer
c) semiconfined a<uifer
d) a<uifer
91 In drinking water, the upper limit of fluoride content is &&&&&&!
a) =!1 mgOl
b) 1!- mgOl
c) 1- mgOl
d) 2= mgOl
92 0he evaporation through plants and from the surrounding soil together is known as
a) 0ranspiration
b) >vaporation
c) >vapotranspiration
d) 5oth a and b
93 &&&&&&&&& has the highest porosity!
a) Clay
b) 4ravel
c) "ilt
d) "andstone
94 *aterholding capacity is more in &&&&&&& soils!
a) "andy
b) Clayey
c) Boamy
d) ,ed
95 :n unconfined a<uifer is also known as &&&&&&&&& a<uifer!
a) :n artesian
b) : Beaky
c) : *ater table
d) +erched
;/ 0he amount of salt present in 1 .g of sea water isP
a) #!-g
b) #-mg
c) #-g
d) #-=mg
;6 0hermocline is the region where
a) 0emperature increases rapidly with depth
a) 0emperature decreases rapidly with depth
b) 0emperature remains uniform
c) 0emperature is lowest
;9 5ecause of the Coriolis force, a southward ocean current in the southern hemisphere
deflects
a) westward
b) eastward
c) downward
d) not affected
;; "inking motion in the thermohaline circulation takes place
a) along the the 4ulf "tream
b) near the e<uator
c) near polar regions
d) off the coast of +eru
1== :ltimeter is used for measuring
a) sea level
b) sea surface temperature
c) sea surface salinity
d) ocean colour