CAPF AC 2023 Q39: Geography – Physical Geography & Geomorphology
- (a) It is a streamlined hill moulded in glacial drift on the till plains.
- (b) It is a city located in central Europe.
- (c) It is a river.
- (d) It is a narrow road in Tibet.
Answer: (a) It is a streamlined hill moulded in glacial drift on the till plains.
Explanation
Drumlin
How to think: the question gives four statements and only one is a landform.
A drumlin is a glacial landform: an oval hill shaped like an upturned boat or a half egg.
It is moulded from till (glacial drift) under a moving ice sheet.
| Feature | Made by | Shape |
|---|---|---|
| Drumlin | Ice sheet moulding till | Streamlined, oval hill |
| Esker | Streams under the glacier | Long winding ridge of sand and gravel |
| Moraine | Deposit at the glacier's edge or sides | Ridge or heap of till |
| Cirque | Glacier eroding a mountain side | Armchair-shaped hollow |
The steep end of a drumlin points up-glacier; the gentle, tapering end points the way the ice moved.
Answer: (a) It is a streamlined hill moulded in glacial drift on the till plains.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) CORRECT. A drumlin is a streamlined hill of glacial drift on a till plain.
- (b) Incorrect. A drumlin is a landform, not a city of central Europe.
- (c) Incorrect. A drumlin is a hill, not a river.
- (d) Incorrect. A drumlin is a glacial landform, not a road in Tibet.
Key point
Glacial deposition landforms: moraines, drumlins (oval hills of till), eskers (sinuous ridges), outwash plains. Glacial erosion landforms: cirques, arêtes, horns, U-shaped valleys, fjords.
Remember
Drumlin = oval hill of till left by ice.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up a drumlin with an esker; one is a hill, the other a winding ridge.
- Thinking a drumlin is made by erosion; it is a depositional landform.
- Being drawn to place-name options like a city or a road.
Exam tip
Educated guess: three options give a city, a river and a road, and the question asks about a term from physical geography. Only (a) sounds like a landform description, with the technical words 'till' and 'glacial drift'.
Sources
- NCERT Class XI Geography — Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Chapter 7 (Landforms and their Evolution: glaciers and depositional landforms)
- Savindra Singh, Geomorphology — glacial depositional landforms (drumlins)