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UPSC CDS World Geography — practice questions

Explore 30 free World Geography questions in UPSC CDS Environment. Open each question or exercise to read its content, reference answers and available explanation.

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World Geography questions and exercises with answers

Showing questions 1–30 of 30.

Gross primary productivity minus respiration losses equals:Read the answer and worked solution →Annual net primary productivity of the whole biosphere is about:Read the answer and worked solution →Despite covering 70 per cent of the surface, oceans produce only how much of the biosphere's net primary productivity?Read the answer and worked solution →Earthworms breaking detritus into smaller particles is called:Read the answer and worked solution →Water-soluble inorganic nutrients going down into the soil and precipitating as unavailable salts is:Read the answer and worked solution →Release of inorganic nutrients from humus by microbes is called:Read the answer and worked solution →Decomposition is slower when detritus is rich in:Read the answer and worked solution →Less than what share of incident solar radiation is photosynthetically active radiation?Read the answer and worked solution →Plants capture only what share of PAR?Read the answer and worked solution →Decomposers that degrade dead organic matter are also called:Read the answer and worked solution →In an aquatic ecosystem, the major conduit for energy flow is the:Read the answer and worked solution →Energy transfer between trophic levels follows the:Read the answer and worked solution →Which ecological pyramid is always upright and can never be inverted?Read the answer and worked solution →The pyramid of biomass in the sea is generally:Read the answer and worked solution →The stable end community of succession, in near equilibrium with the environment, is the:Read the answer and worked solution →Succession starting on bare rock or newly cooled lava is:Read the answer and worked solution →Plant succession in wet areas is called:Read the answer and worked solution →Pioneer species in primary succession on rocks are usually:Read the answer and worked solution →Nutrient cycling is also called:Read the answer and worked solution →Carbon makes up what share of the dry weight of organisms?Read the answer and worked solution →What share of global carbon is dissolved in the oceans?Read the answer and worked solution →Robert Constanza's team priced ecosystem services at about how much a year?Read the answer and worked solution →Catch the decomposition stepsRead the answer and worked solution →Pop the succession wordsRead the answer and worked solution →Run the ecosystem numbersRead the answer and worked solution →Slice the ecosystem wordsRead the answer and worked solution →Gaseous or sedimentary cycleRead the answer and worked solution →Sort producers, consumers and decomposersRead the answer and worked solution →Type the numberRead the answer and worked solution →Ecosystem bingoRead the answer and worked solution →

Worked practice questions

Gross primary productivity minus respiration losses equals:

  1. Net primary productivity
  2. Secondary productivity
  3. Standing crop biomass
  4. Gross ecosystem output
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Correct answer: A. Net primary productivity

1. Plants use much of GPP in respiration. 2. GPP minus R gives NPP. 3. NPP is the biomass available to heterotrophs. _Source: syllabus Biology, Chapter 14, Ecosystem._

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Annual net primary productivity of the whole biosphere is about:

  1. 17 billion tons
  2. 170 billion tons
  3. 55 billion tons
  4. 500 billion tons
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Correct answer: B. 170 billion tons

1. It is measured as dry weight of organic matter. 2. The figure is about 170 billion tons. 3. Oceans contribute only 55 billion tons. _Source: syllabus Biology, Chapter 14, Ecosystem._

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Despite covering 70 per cent of the surface, oceans produce only how much of the biosphere's net primary productivity?

  1. 55 billion tons
  2. 170 billion tons
  3. 115 billion tons
  4. 5 billion tons
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Correct answer: A. 55 billion tons

1. Nutrient limits keep ocean productivity low. 2. Oceans yield 55 billion tons. 3. The rest comes from land. _Source: syllabus Biology, Chapter 14, Ecosystem._

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