UPSC Prelims 2024 Q10: Geography – World Geography
Consider the following information:
Region - Name of the mountain range - Type of mountain
1. Central Asia - Vosges - Fold mountain
2. Europe - Alps - Block mountain
3. North America - Appalachians - Fold mountain
4. South America - Andes - Fold mountain
In how many of the above rows is the given information correctly matched?
- (a) Only one
- (b) Only two
- (c) Only three
- (d) All four
Answer: (b) Only two
Explanation
Mountain ranges — region and type
| Row | Given | Correct? | Fact |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Central Asia – Vosges – Fold | No | Vosges are in Europe (France) and are a block mountain |
| 2 | Europe – Alps – Block | No | The Alps are young fold mountains (Alpine orogeny) |
| 3 | North America – Appalachians – Fold | Yes | Old fold mountains (Palaeozoic), worn down by erosion |
| 4 | South America – Andes – Fold | Yes | Young fold mountains at an ocean–continent plate boundary |
Types of mountains:
| Type | How it forms | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Fold | Compression bends rock layers | Himalayas, Alps, Andes, Rockies, Appalachians, Aravallis |
| Block | Faulting lifts or drops blocks of land | Vosges, Black Forest, Sierra Nevada (USA) |
| Volcanic | Lava builds up | Kilimanjaro, Fujiyama |
Answer: (b) Only two.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Rows 3 and 4 are both correct, so more than one row matches.
- (b) CORRECT. Only Appalachians and Andes rows are right; the Vosges are a European block mountain and the Alps are fold mountains.
- (c) Incorrect. Rows 1 and 2 both have errors, so three cannot be correct.
- (d) Incorrect. The Vosges are not in Central Asia, and the Alps are not block mountains.
Key point
Vosges and Black Forest = block mountains of Europe; Alps, Andes, Appalachians = fold mountains.
Remember
Vosges are block mountains in Europe; the Alps are fold mountains.
Common mistakes
- Thinking the Alps are block mountains; they are classic young fold mountains.
- Not knowing where the Vosges are — west of the Rhine rift valley in France, facing the Black Forest.
- Assuming old, rounded Appalachians are block mountains; they are old fold mountains.
Exam tip
Rhine rift valley = block mountain textbook example: Vosges on one side, Black Forest on the other.
Sources
- NCERT Class VII — Our Environment, Ch 6 (Major Landforms)
- NCERT Class XI — Fundamentals of Physical Geography (Mountain building)