CAPF AC 2021 Q37: Geography – Cartography & Map Skills
- (a) Latitude of the place alone
- (b) Longitude of the place alone
- (c) Both latitude and longitude of the place
- (d) Neither latitude nor longitude of the place
Answer: (c) Both latitude and longitude of the place
Explanation
Absolute location on a map
How to think: one line gives only a line of places, not a point.
A latitude tells how far north or south a place is.
A longitude tells how far east or west it is.
A single point needs both, just like a point on graph paper needs x and y.
| Information | What it fixes |
|---|---|
| Latitude alone | An east-west circle; countless places lie on it |
| Longitude alone | A north-south line; countless places lie on it |
| Latitude and longitude together | One exact point, the absolute location |
Example: New Delhi is at about 28.6° N, 77.2° E.
Absolute and relative location: absolute location uses coordinates.
Relative location describes a place with reference to other places.
Answer: (c) Both latitude and longitude of the place.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Latitude alone gives only a circle running east-west.
- (b) Incorrect. Longitude alone gives only a line running north-south.
- (c) CORRECT. The crossing point of a latitude and a longitude fixes the exact location.
- (d) Incorrect. Without coordinates only a relative location can be given.
Key point
Absolute location = latitude + longitude (the geographic grid). Latitudes are parallels (0° to 90° N/S); longitudes are meridians (0° to 180° E/W).
Remember
A point needs two coordinates: latitude and longitude.
Common mistakes
- Thinking a single latitude is enough to locate a town or city.
- Mixing up absolute location (coordinates) with relative location (near what).
- Forgetting that the grid works like the x and y axes of a graph.
Exam tip
Educated guess: the words alone in (a) and (b) are warnings. One measurement can never fix a point on a surface.
Sources
- NCERT Class VI Geography — Globe: Latitudes and Longitudes
- NCERT Class XI Geography — Practical Work in Geography (Latitude, Longitude and Time)