Oceanography Multiple Choice Questions and Answers

Question 1 : What percentage of world’s freshwater is stored as glacial ice?

a) 50%
b) 10%
c) 70%
d) 30%

Answer : c

Question 2 : On the planet Earth, most of the fresh water exists as ice caps and glaciers. Out of the remaining fresh water, the largest proportion

a) is found in atmosphere as moisture and clouds
b) is found in freshwater lakes and rivers
c) exists as groundwater
d) exists as soil moisture

Answer : c

Question 3 : Which one of the following statements regarding water cycle is correct?

a) Transpiration by plants does not contribute to cloud formation
b) Only evaporation of surface water of rivers and oceans is responsible for cloud formation
c) Rainfall does not contribute in maintenance of underground water table
d) Underground water may also be connected to surface water

Answer : a

Question 4 : The loss of water vapour by plants after it has been drawn from the soil is called 

a) Evaporation
b) Transpiration
c) Evapotranspiration
d) Transoevaporation

Answer : c

Question 5 : Which one of the following is the correct sequence of the four stages of water movement in a hydrological cycle?

a) Evaporation-Condensation-Precipitation-Infiltration
b) Evaporation-Precipitation-Condensation-Infiltration
c) Infiltration-Evaporation-Condensation-Precipitation
d) Condensation-Precipitation-Evaporation-Infiltration

Answer : a

Question 6 : Assertion (A) : Water in an open pond remains cool even on a hot summery day
Reason (B) : Water on heating evaporates and heat energy gets converted into latent heat.

a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
c) A is true, but R is false
d) A is false, but R is true

Answer : a

Question 7 : The ocean relief is generally

a) more diverse than that of the continent’s
b) more uniform than that of the continents
c) showing minor variation only
d) not much of a significance

Answer : a

Question 8 : Continental shelves are formed by

a) deposition of marine detritus
b) extension of continental platforms
c) faults in continental margins
d) All of the above

Answer : d

Question 9 : Continental self is

a) a part of oceanic crust made of granite
b) a part of continental crust made of basalt
c) a part of oceanic crust made of basalt
d) a part of continental crust made of granite

Answer : d

Question 10 : As compared to continental shelf, the continental slope is

a) more steep
b) less steep
c) more flat
d) more faulted

Answer : a

Question 11 : Deep sea plains are characterised by which of the following deposits?

a) Calcareous
b) Terrigeneous
c) Pelagic
d) Gravels

Answer : c

Question 12 : Submarine canyons are formed due to which of the following?

a) Rifting
b) Turbidity currents
c) Subsidence and upliftment
d) Ecstasy

Answer : b

Question 13 : Consider the following statements with reference to the continental shelf

I. It is submerged in water
II. Its average depth is 100 fathoms
III. Its higher percentage is found in the Pacific Ocean
IV. It is wider, where high mountains are close and parallel to the coast.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) I, II and III
b) I and II
c) Only I
d) All of these

Answer : b

Question 14 : Ocean basins has been divided into number of types. Abyssal plain is one of them. Choose the correct statement.

I. It lies immediately after continental slope
II. They are among flattest, smoothest surface on Earth
III. It covers more than 50% of Earth’s surface

a) I and II
b) I and III
c) II and III
d) All of these

Answer : c

Question 15 : Arrange the following ocean bottom features in terms of percentage area occupied by them in descending order.

I. Oceaning Ridges
II. Ocean Basin Floor
III. Continental Platforms
IV. Submarine Hills

a) II, I, III, IV
b) IV, I, III, II
c) III, I, II, IV
d) III, II, I, IV

Answer : a

Question 16 : Assertion (A) Continental shelves are very useful to man.
Reason (R) Marine food comes entirely from continental shelves

a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
c) A is true, but R is false
d) A is false, but R is true

Answer : a

Question 17 : The Pacific ocean covers

a) one-fifth of the earth’s area
b) one-third of the earth’s area
c) one-tenth of the earth’s area
d) one-fourth of the earth’s area

Answer : b

Question 18 : The East Pacific rise is also known as 

a) Peru Basin
b) Albatross Plateau
c) Tonga Trench
d) Polynesia

Answer : b

Question 19 : The Galapagos ridge is found in

a) Indian Ocean
b) Atlantic Ocean
c) Pacific Ocean
d) Carribean Sea

Answer : c

Question 20 : Jaffreys Basin, having an average depth of 5000 m is located on

a) South East of Australia
b) North-West of Australia
c) South-West of Australia
d) North-East of Australia

Answer : a

Question 21 : The Mid Atlantic ridge has a length of about 

a) 6000 km
b) 14000 km
c) 4000 km
d) 9000 km

Answer : b

Question 22 : The Wyville Thomson ridge is located between

a) Iceland and Denmark
b) Iceland and Scotland
c) Greenland and Iceland
d) Iceland and Kurile

Answer : b

Question 23 : The mid-atlantic ridge is a zone of 

a) convergent plate
b) divergent plate
c) conservative plate
d) None of the above

Answer : b

Question 24 : The average depth of Spanish Basin is

a) 2000 m
b) 6000 m
c) 5000 m
d) 10,000 m

Answer : c

Question 25 : Which of the following basin lies to the South of Brazilian Basin

a) North American Basin
b) Guina Basin
c) Argentina Basin
d) Angola Basin

Answer : c

Question 26 : Which of the following ridges is located in Indian ocean?

a) Socotra ridge
b) Seychelles ridge
c) Madagascar ridge
d) All of the above

Answer : d

Question 27 : Amsterdam St Paul plateau is located between

a) 40oN-50oN
b) 30oS-50oS
c) 10oN-20oS
d) 15oN-30oS

Answer : b

Question 28 : The Carlsberg ridge emerged from which of the following latitudes?

a) 5oS
b) 10oN
c) 12oS
d) 16oS

Answer : a

Question 29 : Out of the following which combination is incorrect?

a) Telegraph Plateau-Indian Ocean
b) Cocoa Ridge-Pacific Ocean
c) Walvis Ridge-Atlantic Ocean
d) Agulhas Basin-Indian Ocean

Answer : a

Question 30 : The deepest zones on oceanic basins is 

a) Abyssal plains
b) Trenches
c) Guyots
d) Canyons

Answer : b

Question 31 : In which one of the following oceans the Diamantine Trench situated?

a) Pacific Ocean
b) Atlantic Ocean
c) Indian Ocean
d) Arctic Ocean

Answer : c

Question 32 : Mariana Trench is located in the ocean floor of

a) Southern Atlantic Ocean
b) Western Pacific Ocean
c) Eastern Pacific Ocean
d) Northern Atlantic Ocean

Answer : b

Question 33 : What is the similarity between Milwaukee Deep, Java Trench and Challenger Deep?

a) They all are trenches in the Pacific Ocean
b) They are the deepest points of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, respectively
c) They all are trenches in the Indian Ocean
d) They all are deeps of the Atlantic Ocean

Answer : b

Question 34 : Assertion (A) : Even in the deepest trenches more than 6 miles below the surface, the water never freezes.
Reason (R) : Only the upper layer of the ocean water freezes and acts as an insulator for lower layers.

a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
c) A is true, but R is false
d) A is false, but R is true

Answer : b

Question 35 : Coming Soon

a)
b)
c)
d)

Answer : 

Question 36 : The epipelagic zone extends from the surface till the depth of 

a) 1000 m
b) 200 m
c) 500 m
d) 900 m

Answer : b

Question 37 : The oceanic zone that is closest to the sea bed is

a) Pelagic zone
b) Benthic zone
c) Demersal zone
d) Epipelagic zone

Answer : c

Question 38 : Which of the following zone lies just above the Benthic zone?

a) Pelagic zone
b) Aphotic zone
c) Demersal zone
d) None of these

Answer : c

Question 39 : Arrange the following ocean zones from top to bottom

a) Epipelagic, mesopelagic, bathypelagic, abyssopelagic
b) Mesopelagic, epipelagic, bathypelagic, abyssopelagic
c) Epipelagic, bathypelagic, mesopelagic, abyssopelagic
d) None of the above

Answer : a

Question 40 : Which of the following is true about Benthic zone?

I. Only micro-organisms live in Benthic zone
II. Benthic zone extends downwards along the surface of continental shelf
III. Organisms living in Benthic zone are called Benthos

a) Both I and II
b) Both II and III
c) Both I and III
d) All of these

Answer : b

Question 41 : Pelagic zone is one of the most important division of ocean with respect to commercial exploitation

Choose the correct statement

I. Any water in sea or lake is neither close to bottom nor near the shore can be said to be in pelagic zone
II. Pelagic life decreases with increasing depth
III. Demersal zone lies between benthic and pelagic zone

a) Only I
b) II and III
c) I and III
d) All of these

Answer : d

Question 42 : Coming soon

a)
b)
c)
d)

Answer : 

Question 43 : The average salinity of oceans in the world is 

a) 35%
b) 42%
c) 64%
d) 105%

Answer : a

Question 44 : Salinity is higher in which of the following seas or oceans as compared to others?

a) Seas near tropics
b) Seas near poles
c) Seas in mid-latitudes
d) Seas near Antarctica

Answer : a

Question 45 : Which of the following factors would result in increasing oceanic salinity?

a) Anticyclonic stable conditions
b) Higher evaporation
c) Lower precipitation
d) All of the above

Answer : d

Question 46 : Water with more salinity freezes at

a) Higher temperature than normal water
b) lower temperature than normal water
c) same temperature as normal temperature
d) None of the above

Answer : b

Question 47 : The increase in salinity of water

a) increases the rate of evaporation
b) decreases the rate of evaporation
c) has no effect on the rate of evaporation
d) increases the rate of evaporation initially but decreases later

Answer : a

Question 48 : Which one of the following is known as a zone of sharp salinity change in the vertical section of ocean?

a) Thermocline
b) Halocline
c) Photic Kone
d) Pycnocline

Answer : b

Question 49 : Which of the following statements is true regarding oceanic salinity?

a) It decreases from equator to poles
b) It decreases from poles to equator
c) It decreases from equator till subtropical latitudes and increases later
d) It increases from equator till subtropical latitudes and decreases later.

Answer : d

Question 50 : Which one among the following sequences of water bodies, from lower to higher salinity concentration, is correct?

a) Gulf of California, Baltic Sea, Red Sea, Arctic Sea
b) Baltic Sea, Arctic Sea, Gulf of California, Red Sea
c) Red Sea, Gulf of California, Arctic Sea, Baltic Sea
d) Arctic Sea, Gulf of California, Baltic Sea, Red Sea

Answer : b

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