Land forms due to water action, wind action, wave action, glacial action - continental drift, plate tectonics - normal cycle of erosion, Davis and Penck concepts - Question Bank

1. The formation of the Himalayas is a classic example of which type of plate boundary interaction?
A) Divergent
B) Convergent (continental-continental collision)
C) Transform
D) Oceanic-continental convergence
2. What is a 'hanging valley'?
A) A valley formed by wind erosion
B) A valley formed by a river cutting through a meander
C) A tributary valley whose floor is significantly higher than the main glacial valley
D) A valley formed by wave action
3. Which process refers to the movement of weathered material downslope under gravity's influence?
A) Transportation
B) Deposition
C) Mass wasting
D) Solution
4. A large-scale down-dropped block of land bounded by faults is known as a:
A) Horst
B) Graben
C) Rift valley
D) Block mountain
5. What is the primary difference between Davis's and Penck's concepts of erosion cycles?
A) Davis focused on tectonic uplift, Penck on climate
B) Davis emphasized time and sequential stages, Penck on slope development and end-moraines
C) Penck believed in a single cycle, Davis in multiple cycles
D) Davis's cycle is for arid regions, Penck's for humid regions
6. Which landform is created by the freeze-thaw action and subsequent removal of weathered material?
A) Dune
B) Delta
C) Talus slope
D) Meander
7. According to the theory of plate tectonics, the Earth's lithosphere is divided into:
A) Oceanic crust and continental crust
B) Mantle and core
C) Tectonic plates
D) Magma chambers
8. What is a 'sea arch'?
A) A ridge of sand connecting an island to the mainland
B) A natural opening eroded through a headland by wave action
C) A steep cliff formed by wave erosion
D) A submerged rock formation
9. Which concept describes the gradual wearing down of landmasses over geological time?
A) Orogenesis
B) Isostasy
C) Denudation
D) Transgression
10. The process of 'plucking' or 'exudation' is a key mechanism in which type of erosion?
A) River erosion
B) Wind erosion
C) Glacial erosion
D) Wave erosion
11. What is a 'yardang'?
A) A glacial deposit
B) A wave-cut platform
C) An erosional remnant formed by wind
D) A river terrace
12. The 'youth' stage in Davis's cycle of erosion is typically characterized by:
A) Dominance of lateral erosion
B) Development of wide floodplains
C) Deep, narrow valleys with steep slopes
D) A peneplain surface
13. Which of the following is a landform associated with volcanic action, not directly with water, wind, wave, or glacial action?
A) Terrace
B) Moraine
C) Caldera
D) Meander
14. An 'alluvial fan' is a depositional landform created by:
A) Ocean waves
B) Glacial meltwater
C) Wind
D) A river emerging from a narrow valley onto a plain
15. What is the term for the process where wind removes loose particles from the surface?
A) Deflation
B) Abrasion
C) Attrition
D) Hydraulic action
16. Which of the following is a direct consequence of seafloor spreading?
A) Formation of fold mountains
B) Creation of mid-ocean ridges
C) Increased volcanic activity on continents
D) Deepening of oceanic trenches
17. What is a 'cirque' in glacial geomorphology?
A) A sharp, knife-edged mountain ridge
B) A bowl-shaped depression at the head of a glacier
C) A long, winding ridge of glacial till
D) A large, isolated hill of glacial debris
18. The concept of 'slope retreat' is central to which scientist's model of erosion?
A) W.M. Davis
B) Albrecht Penck
C) Harry Hess
D) Alfred Wegener
19. Which of the following is a landform created by deposition from waves and currents along a coast?
A) Arch
B) Spit
C) Sea cave
D) Cliff
20. What is a 'fjord'?
A) A U-shaped valley formed by glacial erosion, flooded by the sea
B) A V-shaped valley formed by river erosion
C) A flat-topped mountain
D) A sand dune formed by wind
21. The 'maturity' stage in Davis's cycle of erosion is characterized by:
A) Broad valleys and extensive floodplains
B) V-shaped valleys and steep slopes
C) A nearly flat landscape with residual hills
D) Rapid downcutting and canyon formation
22. What is an 'abrasion' in the context of erosion?
A) The chemical breakdown of rocks
B) The grinding of rock particles against a surface
C) The dissolution of rocks by water
D) The freezing and thawing of water in rock cracks
23. Which plate boundary is associated with the formation of a subduction zone?
A) Divergent boundary
B) Convergent boundary
C) Transform boundary
D) Passive margin
24. What is the term for the process by which a river erodes downwards into its bed?
A) Lateral erosion
B) Vertical erosion
C) Headward erosion
D) Mass wasting
25. According to Penck's theory of morphological analysis, what is 'End-moraine'?
A) The process of river downcutting
B) The limit of glacial advance
C) The formation of aeolian dunes
D) The erosion of coastal cliffs
26. Which glacial landform is a crescent-shaped hill formed by a terminal moraine deposited at the edge of a glacier?
A) Kettle
B) Drumlin
C) Esker
D) Moraine
27. What is a 'sea stack'?
A) A submerged coral reef
B) A cave eroded by waves
C) An isolated pillar of rock standing in the sea
D) A deposit of sand offshore
28. Which type of erosion is responsible for creating features like loess deposits?
A) Water erosion
B) Glacial erosion
C) Wave erosion
D) Wind erosion
29. What landform is created when the outer bend of a meander is eroded, and the river cuts through the narrow neck of land, leaving a curved lake?
A) Point bar
B) Delta
C) Oxbow lake
D) Alluvial fan
30. What is a 'meander' in the context of river landforms?
A) A steep waterfall
B) A sharp bend in a river
C) A depositional feature at the river's mouth
D) A dry riverbed
31. Which stage of Davis's cycle of erosion is characterized by rapid downcutting by rivers and the development of V-shaped valleys?
A) Youth
B) Maturity
C) Old Age
D) Equilibrium
32. The concept of 'isostasy' relates to:
A) The balance of crustal weight and buoyancy
B) The rate of continental erosion
C) The expansion of the ocean floor
D) The periodicity of volcanic eruptions
33. What geological feature is formed when two continental plates collide, resulting in extensive folding and faulting of the crust?
A) Rift valley
B) Mid-ocean ridge
C) Fold mountain range
D) Volcanic arc
34. The theory of Continental Drift was first proposed by which scientist?
A) Charles Lyell
B) Alfred Wegener
C) James Hutton
D) Arthur Holmes
35. Which glacial landform is a large, smooth, elongated hill formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidated till or ground moraine?
A) Esker
B) Kettle
C) Drumlin
D) Arete
36. A steep, cliff-like face of rock, often formed by wave erosion undercutting a coastline, is known as a:
A) Reef
B) Sea cave
C) Headland
D) Sea cliff
37. What is the term for a coastal landform created by the action of waves, consisting of a ridge of sand or pebbles parallel to the coast?
A) Arch
B) Stack
C) Spit
D) Beach ridge
38. Which landform is created by the deposition of sand by wind, often forming large mounds or ridges?
A) Alluvial fan
B) Dune
C) Terrace
D) Cirque
39. What is a 'peneplain' in the context of the normal cycle of erosion?
A) A deeply incised river valley
B) A mountainous region
C) A nearly flat, featureless plain
D) A volcanic caldera
40. W.M. Davis proposed a cycle of erosion that emphasizes the role of:
A) Tectonic uplift
B) Time and sequential development of landforms
C) Volcanic activity
D) Oceanic currents
41. According to the normal cycle of erosion, which stage is characterized by a relatively flat landscape with widely spaced, gentle hills?
A) Youth
B) Maturity
C) Old Age
D) Peneplain
42. What is the primary force driving the movement of tectonic plates?
A) Tidal forces
B) Solar radiation
C) Convection currents in the mantle
D) Earth's rotation
43. The movement of Earth's lithospheric plates is explained by which theory?
A) Continental Drift
B) Uniformitarianism
C) Plate Tectonics
D) Catastrophism
44. Which theory proposes that the Earth's continents were once joined together in a single landmass called Pangaea?
A) Plate Tectonics
B) Continental Drift
C) Seafloor Spreading
D) Isostasy
45. A long, narrow ridge of gravel and sand deposited by a retreating glacier is called:
A) Moraine
B) Drumlin
C) Esker
D) Kame
46. What type of landform is a U-shaped valley typically associated with?
A) River action
B) Wind action
C) Wave action
D) Glacial action
47. Which process describes the gradual wearing away of land by wind, water, or ice?
A) Deposition
B) Weathering
C) Erosion
D) Subsidence
48. What is the term for a deep, narrow valley with steep sides, typically carved by a river?
A) Plateau
B) Butte
C) Canyon
D) Esker
49. Which landform is primarily created by the deposition of sediment at the mouth of a river?
A) Canyon
B) Delta
C) Meander
D) Oxbow lake