Deck 8: South Asia

Question 1

Which of the following has NOT been proposed as a more effective alternative to the Sardar Sarovar Dam in India?

A) rainwater harvesting
B) groundwater recharge
C) watershed management
D) nuclear energy

Answer 1

D

Question 2

India's national government is based in:

A) Kolkata.
B) New Delhi.
C) Delhi.
D) Mumbai.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Because South Asia has clear physical boundaries that set it apart from the rest of the Asian continent, the term _______________ is often used to refer to the entire Indian peninsula.

A) atoll
B) midlatitude
C) estuary
D) subcontinent

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which mountain range shields the Indian subcontinent from cold airflows from the north?

A) Ghats
B) Urals
C) Himalayas
D) Andes

Question 5

The large island off the southern coast of India is:

A) Burma.
B) Sri Lanka.
C) Sierra Leone.
D) Rangoon.

Question 6

Because of its high degree of tectonic activity, South Asia is prone to:

A) droughts.
B) hurricanes and tornadoes.
C) earthquakes and tsunamis.
D) sinkholes and quicksand.

Question 7

Which technique did the two protesters of the Sardar Sarovar Dam project (Mehda Patkar and Narendra Modi) use to gain attention for their protests?

A) hunger strike
B) suicide
C) self-mutilation (cutting)
D) chaining themselves to trees

Question 8

What landforms shield South Asia from the cold airflows to the north of the region?

A) Himalayas
B) Western Ghats
C) Eastern Ghats
D) the Ganga River

Question 9

Which of the following provides, in a single word, a basic description of the South Asian landform?

A) peninsula
B) archipelago
C) rift
D) isthmus

Question 10

Which country is NOT considered a part of the South Asia region?

A) India
B) Afghanistan
C) Bangladesh
D) Burma

Question 11

It is fair to say that the Sardar Sarovar Dam project has created more problems than it has solved.

Question 12

The plateau that rose up behind the Himalayas as a result of strong tectonic forces is:

A) Bhutan.
B) Nepal.
C) Afghanistan.
D) Tibet.

Question 13

Why has India renamed several of its large cities, with Calcutta becoming Kolkata and Bombay becoming Mumbai?

A) to make the city names more easily pronounceable
B) to replace the names given to those cities during British colonial rule
C) to gain membership into the European Union
D) to unite warring factions in North and South India

Question 14

The Sardar Sarovar Dam is intended to dam which Indian river?

A) Ganga
B) Yangtze
C) Narmada
D) Indus

Question 15

Which of the following has NOT been an effect of the Sardar Sarovar Dam project?

A) increased iron ore deposits along the riverside
B) disturbance of the Narmada River's natural cycles
C) widespread death of aquatic life
D) high unemployment among fishers

Question 16

Which ocean surrounds the Indian subcontinent?

A) Atlantic
B) Arctic
B) Pacific
D) Indian

Question 17

The Himalayas were created when which two tectonic plates collided?

A) Pacific and Atlantic
B) Eurasian and Indian-Australian
C) African and Eurasian
D) Indian-Australian and Mongolian

Question 18

The abundance of rainfall during summer in South Asia is amplified by:

A) the ITCZ.
B) volcanic ash from Iceland.
C) arctic wind patterns.
D) the evaporation of salt into the air.

Question 19

Which is the world's highest mountain range?

A) Rockies
B) Urals
C) Himalayas
D) Andes

Question 20

For people in developing regions, an improved standard of living usually requires more water and energy.

Question 21

South and southwest of the Himalayas are the Indus and Ganga river basins, also called what?

A) Indian-Australian Plain
B) Indo-Gangetic Plain
C) Eurasian Plain
D) Brahmaputra Plain

Question 22

The monsoon that brings plentiful rain to South Asia occurs during which season?

A) summer
B) winter
C) spring
D) autumn

Question 23

Meltwater from what mountain range feeds the headwaters of South Asia's three principal rivers?

Question 24

The especially wet monsoon in South Asia occurs during what part of the year?

Question 25

The shift of winds in South Asia from the dry Asian north to the moist Indian Ocean results in what phenomena?

Question 26

Meltwater from what mountains supplies the headwaters of the three principal river systems of South Asia?

A) Western Ghats
B) Hindu Kush
C) Himalayas
D) Pamir

Question 27

What major mountain range has been created by the collision of the Indian Plate with the Eurasian Plate?

Question 28

What process created the Himalayan Mountains?

A) accumulation of magma surfacing along the boundaries of the Indian Plate
B) the collision of the African Plate with the Indian Plate
C) the collision of the Indian-Australian Plate with the Eurasian Plate
D) accumulation of magma surfacing through breaches in the Eurasian Plate

Question 29

What mountains run along the eastern and western flanks of the Deccan Plateau?

Question 30

________________ are the wind patterns that bring copious rainfall in the summer, and bring cold, dry air from the continental interior toward the ocean in the winter.

Question 31

The Indian city that holds the world record for annual rainfall is:

A) Darjeeling.
B) Punjab.
C) New Delhi.
D) Mumbai.

Question 32

Together the basins of the Indus and Ganga Rivers are called the ___________________.

Question 33

Precipitation from the summer monsoon is particularly intense in which of the following areas of South Asia?

A) the eastern foothills of the Himalaya
B) south central India
C) the eastern states of Rajasthan and Gujarat in India
D) the Kabul Valley in Afghanistan

Question 34

The body of water to which the Ganga flows is the:

A) Ganga River.
B) Arabian Sea.
C) Gulf of Oman.
D) Bay of Bengal.

Question 35

The name Deccan is given to which of the following features on South Asia's physical landscape?

A) principal river in Pakistan
B) mountains fringing India's west coast
C) delta created by Bangladesh's main river
D) plateau between the Eastern and Western Ghats mountain ranges

Question 36

Meltwater from Himalayan glaciers feeds the headwaters of all the following rivers EXCEPT the:

A) Ganga.
B) Indus.
C) Narmada.
D) Brahmaputra.

Question 37

The first area reached by the summer monsoons of South Asia are:

A) the Western Ghats.
B) West Bengal and Bangladesh.
C) Darjeeling.
D) northern Pakistan.

Question 38

The early winter monsoons of South Asia release rains over parts of:

A) Pakistan.
B) Afghanistan.
C) Nepal and Bhutan.
D) Sri Lanka and southeastern India.

Question 39

The rainy season in South Asia is amplified by air moving south from the Northern Hemisphere converging with air moving north from the Southern Hemisphere. What is this phenomenon called?

Question 40

Which is NOT true of the process by which Indian rivers carry sediment from the Himalayas?

A) The rivers' velocity slows when they reach the lowlands, and much of the sediment settles out as silt.
B) The monsoons redeposit the silt onto the Himalayas by way of northerly wind patterns.
C) The movement of silt rearranges floodplain landscapes and complicates human agricultural and settlement efforts.
D) The seasonal replenishment of silt nourishes agricultural production in Bangladesh.

Question 41

The Deccan Plateau is north of the Indo-Gangetic Plain.

Question 42

The river valleys and coastal plans of India are densely populated.

Question 43

The South Asian island nation that is extremely vulnerable to climate change because much of it lies one meter or less above sea level is:

A) the Maldives.
B) the Philippines.
C) the Moluccas.
D) Sri Lanka.

Question 44

India's diversion of the Ganga River's flow to Kolkata has had a significant impact on farmers and fishermen in:

A) Bangladesh.
B) Pakistan.
C) Sri Lanka.
D) Nepal.

Question 45

Name one of the three main rivers in South Asia.

Question 46

Which of the following has NOT been an intended or unintended effect of India's diversion of the Ganga River's flow to Kolkata?

A) Channels have been flushed out where silt is accumulating and hampering river traffic.
B) The people of Bangladesh have benefited at the expense of the citizens of Kolkata.
C) Salt water from the Bay of Bengal penetrates inland, ruining agricultural fields.
D) The fishing industry in Bangladesh has been damaged.

Question 47

Major air and water pollution problems in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh include all of the following, EXCEPT:

A) industrial waste.
B) lack of sewage processing facilities.
C) storage of nuclear waste from nuclear power plants.
D) end of life pilgrimages.

Question 48

Which of the following is NOT a likely, currently observed, or possible effect of climate change on the Himalayan glaciers and rivers of India?

A) flooding
B) a long-term water shortage
C) Indian rivers running dry during winter monsoon season
D) the movement of more human population into the higher altitudes of the Himalayas

Question 49

One benefit of the summer monsoons in South Asia is the fact that the region never experiences droughts.

Question 50

All of the following can be results of deforestation in hilly areas EXCEPT:

A) increased soil fertility.
B) landslides.
C) increased flooding.
D) clogged waterways.

Question 51

What is the main purpose of the "Chipko movement" in India?

A) oppose oppression of women
B) serve as a "watchdog" of the government
C) increase ecological awareness
D) reduce India's reliance on exports

Question 52

In some parts of India, there is no rain for half the year.

Question 53

Tectonic forces, which once played an important role in forming the mountain ranges of the Indian subcontinent, have ceased.

Question 54

Tibet is a part of India.

Question 55

All of the following are efforts to respond to the threats of climate change in South Asia EXCEPT:

A) development of solar and wind energy.
B) underground water management systems.
C) reduction of carbon dioxide emissions via electric (rather than gasoline-powered) cars.
D) technologies to disperse or reverse monsoon wind patterns before they reach the region.

Question 56

The Indus and Ganga river basins are found south of the Himalayas.

Question 57

The Indian pilgrimage town which millions of Hindus visit to die and be cremated in is:

A) Mumbai.
B) Varanasi.
C) New Delhi.
D) Chennai.

Question 58

During the winter months, South Asia is relatively dry because cool air from the Eurasian landmass blocks the advancement of warm moist air from the ocean.

Question 59

The country with the most people vulnerable to the effects of a rise in sea level is:

A) Pakistan.
B) Nepal.
C) Bangladesh.
D) Sri Lanka.

Question 60

The shifting of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) contributes to the intensity of the rainfall during South Asia's summer monsoon.

Question 61

The countries of South Asia have a vibrant culture of environmental activism.

Question 62

An explosion in a pesticide factory in which Indian city caused 3000 deaths in 1984?

Question 63

India and Bangladesh are at odds over the economic and environmental effects of what practice?

A) Bangladesh's failure to dredge the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta
B) Bangladesh's construction of dams on the Indus River
C) India's dismantling of two large dams on the Brahmaputra River
D) India's diversion of the Ganga River

Question 64

The Chipko movement has penetrated all parts of South Asia.

Question 65

The "Chipko movement" in India is part of a broader reaction against what pattern found in South Asia?

A) The increasing presence of high-tech firms from the West (United States) drive domestic high-tech firms out of business.
B) Rural resources are used by urban industries without considering the needs of local (rural) people.
C) The government refuses to adopt policies that would allow the mechanization of agriculture.
D) City governments urge rural people to move to their cities but fail to provide them with sufficient housing.

Question 66

South Asia has a history of environmental activism similar to China's.

Question 67

A water conflict exists between India and Bangladesh, two countries that share the Ganga River.

Question 68

The Indian government's campaign to clean up poorly regulated factories came about as a result of the Union Carbide explosion in:

A) Lahore.
B) Mumbai.
C) Bhopal.
D) Chennai.

Question 69

Deforestation has been occurring in South Asia for almost 10,000 years.

Question 70

What is the goal of those involved in the social forestry movement?

Question 71

The Chipko movement arose to resist what environmentally costly practice?

Question 72

India has regularly diverted a large proportion of the Ganga River flow in order to serve the needs of what large city?

A) Mumbai
B) Bangalore
C) Kolkata
D) New Delhi

Question 73

The desire to preserve forestland is often at odds with the needs of a growing population.

Question 74

India's yearly diversion of the Ganga River deprives the people of what South Asian country a normal flow of the river, causing agricultural losses and ecological disruption?

Question 75

What Hindu religious tradition is negatively impacting water quality in the Ganga River?

Question 76

Deforestation in South Asia began approximately 50 years ago.

Question 77

Which is true of the Ganga River?

A) Its water is relatively pure.
B) It is against the Hindu religion for dead bodies to be dumped in it.
C) It is India's most sacred river.
D) It has been polluted by the Union Carbide explosion in Bhopal.

Question 78

The pace of deforestation in South Asia has increased dramatically over the past 200 years.

Question 79

The relatively high cost of modern efficient equipment for drip irrigation has hampered widespread implementation of the technology in South Asia.

Question 80

What is the foundational argument of the so-called "social forestry movement" in South Asia?

A) Management of forest resources should be given to local communities.
B) Government foresters should rely on scientific, not "homegrown," techniques.
C) Human use of forests should be limited to the harvest of dead or diseased trees.
D) South Asian forests should produce goods for South Asians, not export markets.