Physical Geography forms the backbone of many competitive exams, particularly in topics such as the Interior of the Earth and the Distribution of oceans and continents. This chapter provides insights into the formation of our planet, the evolution of continents, early atmospheric conditions, and the geological timeline of life.
In this blog post, we’ve compiled 50 Most Important Geography GK Questions on the Interior of the Earth and the Distribution of oceans and continents with detailed answers as a part of physical geography GK. These questions are ideal for aspirants preparing for UPSC, SSC, Railway, CDS, NDA, State PSC, and other government exams. Understanding these facts not only strengthens your static GK but also gives an edge in environment, science, and geography-related sections.
Multiple-Choice Question (Physical Geography GK Questions With Answers)
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🌍 The Interior of the Earth: GK Questions With Answers
Q1. Which layer forms the outermost solid shell of the Earth?
a) Mantle
b) Core
c) Crust
d) Lithosphere
Q2. Which of the following is considered a direct source of information about Earth’s interior?
a) Gravitation
b) Volcanoes
c) Magnetic surveys
d) Seismic waves
Q3. The deepest drill in the Kola region reached approximately:
a) 8 km
b) 12 km
c) 25 km
d) 50 km
Q4. Which type of earthquake wave can travel through solids, liquids, and gases?
a) S-waves
b) Surface waves
c) P-waves
d) None
Q5. The point on the Earth’s surface directly above the focus is called:
a) Hypocentre
b) Origin
c) Epicentre
d) Seismo-point
Q6. What causes an earthquake along a fault?
a) Cooling of magma
b) Melting of crustal rocks
c) Sudden release of energy due to sliding of rocks
d) Rotation of Earth
Q7. Which waves are the most destructive during an earthquake?
a) P-waves
b) S-waves
c) Surface waves
d) Body waves
Q8. The zone where earthquake waves are not recorded is called:
a) Epicentre
b) Rift zone
c) Shadow zone
d) Fault zone
Q9. Which scale measures earthquake magnitude?
a) Mercalli
b) Beaufort
c) Richter
d) Fujita
Q10. Which earthquake type is associated with underground mine collapse?
a) Explosion earthquake
b) Tectonic earthquake
c) Collapse earthquake
d) Reservoir-induced earthquake
Q11. The lithosphere is made up of:
a) Core and mantle
b) Crust and upper mantle
c) Mantle and core
d) Crust and asthenosphere
Q12. The outer core of the Earth is:
a) Solid
b) Liquid
c) Semi-solid
d) Gaseous
Q13. The inner core is mainly composed of:
a) Silicon & Aluminium
b) Oxygen & Magnesium
c) Nickel & Iron
d) Carbon & Hydrogen
Q14. Which type of volcanic eruption formed the Deccan Traps?
a) Shield
b) Composite
c) Caldera
d) Flood Basalt
Q15. Which volcanoes are the largest on Earth?
a) Composite volcanoes
b) Shield volcanoes
c) Caldera volcanoes
d) Cinder cone
Q16. Which intrusive feature is a dome-shaped body with a flat base?
a) Batholith
b) Lacolith
c) Dyke
d) Sill
Q17. When lava cools in cracks forming wall-like structures, it creates:
a) Lacolith
b) Sill
c) Dyke
d) Batholith
Q18. A large intrusive igneous body formed deep inside the crust is called:
a) Dyke
b) Batholith
c) Sill
d) Phacolith
Q19. Surface waves cause:
a) Folding of crust
b) Collapse of structures
c) Earth’s rotation
d) No damage
Q20. Which earthquake effect occurs when soil behaves like liquid?
a) Ground lurching
b) Avalanche
c) Liquefaction
d) Mudslide
Q21. Reservoir-induced earthquakes are linked to:
a) Tectonic movements
b) Large dams
c) Underground mining
d) Volcanoes
Q22. The asthenosphere extends up to roughly:
a) 100 km
b) 200 km
c) 400 km
d) 1000 km
Q23. What happens at Moho’s discontinuity?
a) Crust-core separation
b) Mantle-core separation
c) Crust-mantle boundary
d) Surface-core junction
Q24. Which volcanic form is most explosive?
a) Shield
b) Caldera
c) Cinder cone
d) Flood basalt
Q25. Which instrument records earthquake waves?
a) Barometer
b) Magnetometer
c) Seismograph
d) Gravimeter
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🌍 Distribution of Oceans & Continents: GK Questions With Answers
Q26. Who first proposed that continents might have been connected in 1596?
a) Abraham Ortelius
b) Alfred Wegener
c) Harry Hess
d) Antonio Pellegrini
Q27. Who presented the Continental Drift Theory in 1912?
a) Antonio Pellegrini
b) Alfred Wegener
c) Harry Hess
d) Arthur Holmes
Q28. The supercontinent proposed by Wegener was called:
a) Panthalassa
b) Pangaea
c) Laurasia
d) Gondwanaland
Q29. The mega-ocean surrounding Pangaea was:
a) Laurasia
b) Gondwana
c) Panthalassa
d) Tethys Sea
Q30. The glacial deposit-based rock is:
a) Basalt
b) Sandstone
c) Tillite
d) Granite
Q31. Fossil evidence of Mesosaurus is found in:
a) India & Africa
b) Africa & Australia
c) South Africa & Brazil
d) India & Antarctica
Q32. Wegener suggested continental drift due to:
a) Earthquakes
b) Plate tectonics
c) Pole-fleeing & tidal forces
d) Sea floor spreading
Q33. Convection current theory in mantle was suggested by:
a) Wegener
b) Arthur Holmes
c) Harry Hess
d) Bullard
Q34. Sea floor spreading was proposed by:
a) Alfred Wegener
b) Arthur Holmes
c) Harry Hess
d) Bullard
Q35. Oceanic crust rocks are generally younger than:
a) Continental rocks
b) Fossils
c) Volcanoes
d) Seismic waves
Q36. Which ocean ridge is the slowest spreading?
a) East Pacific Rise
b) Arctic Ridge
c) Mid-Atlantic Ridge
d) Indian Ocean Ridge
Q37. The fastest plate movement is observed at:
a) Arctic Ridge
b) Mid-Atlantic Ridge
c) East Pacific Rise
d) Indian Ridge
Q38. Plate tectonics theory emerged in:
a) 1912
b) 1930s
c) 1967
d) 1980s
Q39. Which plate is mostly oceanic?
a) Eurasian plate
b) Pacific plate
c) African plate
d) Indian plate
Q40. Which plate boundary is marked by the Himalayas?
a) Divergent
b) Transform
c) Ocean-continent convergence
d) Continent-continent convergence
Q41. The rim of the Pacific Ocean is known as:
a) Ring of steel
b) Ring of fire
c) Ring of magma
d) Ring of trenches
Q42. Mid-Atlantic Ridge is an example of:
a) Convergent boundary
b) Transform fault
c) Divergent boundary
d) Subduction zone
Q43. Which plate includes Peninsular India and Australia?
a) Eurasian Plate
b) Indo-Australian Plate
c) Pacific Plate
d) African Plate
Q44. When did India collide with Asia to form the Himalayas?
a) 200 million years ago
b) 100 million years ago
c) 40–50 million years ago
d) 10 million years ago
Q45. The Deccan Traps were formed around:
a) 10 million years ago
b) 25 million years ago
c) 60 million years ago
d) 150 million years ago
Q46. The Indian subcontinent was once separated from Asia by:
a) Panthalassa
b) Tethys Sea
c) Mid-Atlantic Ridge
d) Java Trench
Q47. Which minor plate lies between Central America and the Pacific Plate?
a) Nazca Plate
b) Cocos Plate
c) Arabian Plate
d) Caroline Plate
Q48. Which plate is NOT minor?
a) Nazca
b) Arabian
c) Philippine
d) Antarctica
Q49. The driving force behind plate movement is:
a) Earth’s rotation
b) Solar radiation
c) Mantle convection currents
d) Volcanoes
Q50. Which phenomenon records alternating normal and reverse polarity in oceanic rocks?
a) Earthquakes
b) Fossil records
c) Palaeomagnetism
d) Subduction
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Answer Key
| Q.No | Answer | Q.No | Answer |
| 1 | c. Crust | 26 | a. Abraham Ortelius |
| 2 | b. Volcanoes | 27 | b. Alfred Wegener |
| 3 | b. 12 km | 28 | b. Pangaea |
| 4 | c. P-waves | 29 | c. Panthalassa |
| 5 | c. Epicentre | 30 | c. Tillite |
| 6 | c. Sudden release of energy due to sliding of rocks | 31 | c. South Africa & Brazil |
| 7 | c. Surface waves | 32 | c. Pole-fleeing & tidal forces |
| 8 | c. Shadow zone | 33 | b. Arthur Holmes |
| 9 | c. Richter scale | 34 | c. Harry Hess |
| 10 | c. Collapse earthquake | 35 | a. Continental rocks |
| 11 | b. Crust and upper mantle | 36 | b. Arctic Ridge |
| 12 | b. Liquid | 37 | c. East Pacific Rise |
| 13 | c. Nickel & Iron | 38 | c. 1967 |
| 14 | d. Flood Basalt | 39 | b. Pacific plate |
| 15 | b. Shield volcanoes | 40 | d. Continent-continent convergence |
| 16 | b. Lacolith | 41 | b. Ring of fire |
| 17 | c. Dyke | 42 | c. Divergent boundary |
| 18 | b. Batholith | 43 | b. Indo-Australian Plate |
| 19 | b. Collapse of structures | 44 | c. 40–50 million years ago |
| 20 | c. Liquefaction | 45 | c. 60 million years ago |
| 21 | b. Large dams | 46 | b. Tethys Sea |
| 22 | c. 400 km | 47 | b. Cocos Plate |
| 23 | c. Crust-mantle boundary | 48 | d. Antarctica |
| 24 | b. Caldera | 49 | c. Mantle convection currents |
| 25 | c. Seismograph | 50 | c. Palaeomagnetism |
Tips for Aspirants – Why These GK Questions Matter
If you’re aiming for exams like UPSC, SSC, Railways, or other State Public Service Commissions, mastering Geography GK is a must. Questions from “Interior of the Earth and the Distribution of oceans and continents” are frequently repeated in exams because they establish a scientific foundation for understanding the Earth’s structure, processes, and time-scale evolution.
🟢 These GK questions with answers help in:
- Strengthening your static GK base
- Quick revision of conceptual theories
- Differentiating between similar-sounding options
- Retaining chronological facts like geological periods and major events (Cambrian Explosion, Great Oxygenation, etc.)
Pro Tip: Revise these questions multiple times, focus on keywords (like eon, era, crust, tectonics), and try linking each theory to a scientist’s name—it really helps in elimination strategy!
Conclusion
We hope you found this collection of 50 MCQs on Interior of the Earth and the Distribution of oceans and continents helpful in your exam preparation. Geography isn’t just about memorizing names and dates—it’s about understanding how our planet came to be and how it continues to change.
Don’t forget to bookmark this page and share the PDF with your study group. Keep practicing, and in Part 3, we’ll cover more questions on Earth’s landforms.
👉 Stay tuned for Geography GK Part-3
✍️ For more GK questions with answers, visit our dedicated 👉 GK Section.
