IAS Mains Geography Optional 2017 – Paper 1 Section a (Part - 2)
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Geography optional paper was very predictable based on the recent happenings around the globe -indeed many concepts were similar to those asked in our past test series. In the 2018 Geography optional Test Series, we have reserved 2 mock test for the month of March to cover the contemporary happenings. As expected, climate and environment was indeed the major focus areas for 2017 paper.
3A. “Climate Change is a Reality.” Explain with Suitable Examples
- Carbon pollution - warming the earth - extreme weather conditions
- Temperature is rising - glacier melting
- Proceeding at a rate unprecedented in last 1300 years
- Swallow entire islands and creep closer to populated areas of great coastal cities like New York, Melbourne, Venice, Dakar, Guayaquil, and Chittagong
- Parali Island - vanished (Lakshdweep)
- Mumbai & Mangalore - coastal flooding
- Glacial melting
- Extreme weather events like torrential rain, floods, heat waves, and drought are becoming more frequent and intense
3B. Distinguish between the Characteristics of Chernozem and Sierozem Soils
Chernozem soils
- Black colored
- High humus
- Very fertile
- High phosphoric acid, phosphorous and ammonia
- High agricultural yields
- European Steppes
Sierozem Soils
- Grey soil (at surface & light below)
- Cool temperate semi-arid areas
- Shrub and grasses
- Carbonate layer or hardpan
Include Map
3C. Give a Classification of Plants Based on the Amount of Water Requirement
- Hygrophytes: Water-loving plants in humid areas - water hyacinth, mangroves, rice, and banana (plentiful rain in all seasons)
- Mesophytes: moist and not wet conditions
- Tropophytes: grow in regions with alternate wet and dry seasons
- Nerophytes: drought regions for example, cacti and euphorbias
- Phreatophytes: arid conditions by growing long roots which obtain water from underground reserves.
- Xerophytes - dry loving plants
a. Discuss the concept of Periglacial cycle as propounded by Peltier.
- Peltier (1950) gave “cycle of periglacial erosion” - followed ideas of Troll gave process based classification for morphogenetic classification based on climatic controls
- Proposed how relative importance of different weathering and erosional processes would vary with annual temperature & precipitation within the normal cycle area
- Periglacial - climatic and geomorphic conditions found in the edges of Pleistocene ice sheets and glaciated areas, later explained intense frost action
- Identified in cold, humid, subarctic region with production of 3 coexisting surfaces: (each cycle to be independent with its own regime)
- Surface of downwasting produced by congeliturbation
- Surface of lateral planation produced where the water table and the zone of frequent nivation coincide
- Stream graded, or aggraded surface.
- The benched-slopes result from cryoplanation processes that produce the flattening and decrease in inclination of the profile
b. “Climate, slope gradient and rock structure influence the avulsion of channels” . Explain.
- Explain drainage formation - antecedent and superimposed
- Avulsion - rapid abandonment of a river channel and the formation of a new river channel
- Slope Gradient - centripetal & centrifugal
- Rock structure - trellis drainage
- Climate change - floods and droughts and change of river course
- Changes in course of Sarasvati River
C. Discuss the Perception, Attitude, Value and Emotion (PAVE) Theory of Environmental Management
- BKW (Burton, Kates & White) school - Behavioural geographic approach
- MOSS (Mitchell, O ′ Riordan, Saarinen & Sewell) school of PAVE - Natural resource management
- They emphasized perceptions and attitude in resource decision making, behavioural and institutional analysis & resource management model.
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✍ Examrace Team