Chapter- 2: Oceanography Questions and Answers

Important Facts on Oceanography:

 According to UNESCO the Ocean constitutes around 90% of the habitable space on the
planet.
 The Great Barrier Reef, a coral reef system made up of more than 2,900 individual reefs,
is the world’s largest living structure.
 The first person to study the Gulf Stream scientifically was Benjamin Franklin.
 The first textbook about oceanography “Physical Geography of the Sea” was written by
Matthew Fontaine Maury in 1855.
 Canada is the country with the longest ocean coastline, with 56,453 miles of coastline
length.
 The highest ocean tide in the world is in the Bay of Fundy on Canada’s east coast.
 The largest fish found in the oceans, and in the world, is the Whale Shark.
 The smallest fish in the oceans and in the world is the dwarf goby which is only 0.3
inches long.
 The deepest area of the Earth’s oceans is known as the Mariana Trench which measures
11km.
 The Mid-Ocean Ridge is the longest mountain range in the world. It is more than 45,000
miles long.
 Sir John Murray, a Scottish scientist is considered the father of the field of oceanography.
 Sir John Murray was the first to coin the term oceanography.
 The Gulf Stream was first identified by the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon.

Some Important MCQs on Oceanography:

1. The ‘Water table’ refers to:
a) The upper limit of the zone of saturation
b) The lower limit of the zone of saturation
c) Seepage of water into fissures lying below the earth’s surface
d) The contact zone of permeable and impermeable rocks
Answer: a) The upper limit of the zone of saturation

2. An Atoll is:
a) A lake in the craters
b) A lagoon along the shores
c) A lake in glaciated mountains
d) A ring-shaped island with a lagoon at the center
Answer: d) A ring-shaped island with a lagoon at the center

3. The challenger rise is located in:

a) Atlantic ocean
b) Indian ocean
c) Arctic ocean
d) Pacific ocean
Answer: d) Pacific ocean

4. Which of the following oceans does not have a north-south submarine ridge?
a) Pacific ocean
b) Indian ocean
c) Atlantic ocean
d) Arctic ocean
Answer: a) Pacific ocean

5. Sundra Trench is in:

a) Gulf of Mexico
b) Pacific ocean
c) Indian ocean
d) Atlantic ocean
Answer: c) Indian ocean

6. Which of the following is a continental shelf sea?

a) Meditterean sea
b) Red sea
c) Arabian sea
d) North sea
Answer: b) Red sea

7. The largest reserves of fresh water on the Earth’s surface is in:

a) Africa
b) Russia
c) South America
d) North America
Answer: d) North America

8. A semi-enclosed coastal body of water that has a free connection with the open sea is called:
a) Ria coast
b) Fjord
c) Estuary
d) Cove
Answer: c) Estuary

9. Which one of the following is the cause of long-term sea-level change?

a) Melting of ice sheets
b) Melting of icebergs
c) Change in marine water density
d) Atmospheric disturbance
Answer: b) Melting of icebergs

10. Which one of the following sequences correctly indicates the increasing order of the distance
from the coast?
a) Continental shelf - Continental slope - Continental rise - Abyssal plain
b) Abyssal plain - Continental shelf - Continental slope - Continental rise
c) Continental shelf - Continental slope - Abyssal plain - Continental rise
d) Continental slope - Continental shelf - Abyssal plain - Continental rise
Answer: a) Continental shelf - Continental slope - Continental rise - Abyssal plain

11. The coastline formed by the submergence of mountain ridges running parallel to the coast is
known as:
a) Haff coast
b) Ria coast
c) Dalmatian coast
d) Fiord coast
Answer: c) Dalmatian coast

12. Which one of the following sequences correctly represents the percentage of given salts in
seawater in decreasing order?
a) Sodium chloride - Magnesium chloride - Magnesium sulphate - Calcium sulphate
b) Sodium chloride - Magnesium sulphate - Magnesium chloride - Calcium sulphate
c) Magnesium sulphate - Magnesium chloride - Calcium sulphate - Sodium chloride
d) Magnesium chloride - Sodium chloride - Magnesium sulphate - Calcium sulphate
Answer: a) Sodium chloride - Magnesium chloride - Magnesium sulphate- Calcium sulphate

13. Which one of the following combinations is responsible for higher salinity in ocean water?
a) Low evaporation, low temperature, and low rainfall
b) Low evaporation, low temperature, and high rainfall
c) High evaporation, high temperature, and low rainfall
d) High evaporation, high temperature, and high rainfall
Answer: c) High evaporation, high temperature, and low rainfall

14. A submarine mountain rising more than 1000 meters above the ocean floor is known as:
a) Submarine ridge
b) Abyssal Hill
c) Seamount
d) Guyots
Answer: c) Seamount

15. Oceanic waves caused by an earthquake are known as:

a) Tsunamis
b) L-waves
c) P-waves
d) S-waves
Answer: a) Tsunamis
16. A nautical mile is equal to:
a) 6076 feet
b) 6060 feet
c) 5280feet
d) 5060 feet
Answer: a) 6076 feet

17. The Sargasso Sea is characterized by:

a) Typical marine vegetation
b) Very warm water
c) Very cold water
d) Highly saline water
Answer: a) Typical marine vegetation

18. The ocean relief is generally:

a) More uniform than that of the continents
b) More diverse than that of the continents
c) Showing minor variations only
d) Not much of a significance
Answer: a) More uniform than that of the continents

19. The deepest oceanic trench Mariana is located in:

a) Pacific ocean
b) Indian ocean
c) Atlantic ocean
d) Arctic ocean
Answer: a) Pacific ocean
20. How much of the earth’s surface is covered with water?
a) About 1/2
b) About 1/4
c) About 2/3
d) About 3/4
Answer: d) About 3/4

21. Which of the following factors support the hypothesis of the permanency of ocean basins and
continents?
a) The cross-section of the ocean basin, comprising the broad abyssal through flanked by rim-
like continental shelves.
b) Occurrence of shallow water sands and muds limited to the continental shelf and slope, while
that of pelagic oozes being limited to the abyssal plain.
c) Absence of normal sedimentary rocks on the oceanic islands.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
Codes:
a) 2 and 3
b) 1 and 3
c) 1 and 2
d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: d) 1, 2 and 3

22. Water bodies that have a low concentration of nutrients are in:
a) Oligotrophic areas
b) Benthos zone
c) Neritic province
d) Littoral zones
Answer: a) Oligotrophic areas

23. Which one of the following is a warm ocean current?

a) Canary
b) Kurile
c) Gulf Stream
d) Labrador
Answer: c) Gulf Stream

24. Which one among the following ocean currents mixes with Labrador current?
a) Florida current
b) California current
c) Canaries current
d) Benguela current
Answer: a) Florida current

25. The most important fishing grounds of the world are found in the regions where:
a) Continental shelf is undulating
b) Warm and cold oceanic currents meet
c) Rivers drain out large amounts of fresh water into the sea
d) Warm and cold atmospheric currents meet
Answer: b) Warm and cold oceanic currents meet

26. Kuroshio is a warm ocean current that runs from:

a) Srilanka to Indonesia
b) Japan to china
c) Indonesia to Philippines
d) Philippines to Japan
Answer: d) Philippines to Japan

27. Which of the following factors are responsible for the change in the regular direction of the
ocean currents in the Indian Ocean?
a) Indian ocean has greater variations in salinity.
b) Indian ocean is a landlocked ocean
c) Indian ocean has monsoon drift
d) Indian ocean is only ‘half an ocean’.
Answer: c) Indian ocean has monsoon drift

28. Which one of the following is not the part of North Atlantic Ocean current system?
a) Brazilian current
b) Canarie current
c) Irminger current
d) Labrador current
Answer: a) Brazilian current

29. Which of the following is current?

a) Benguela
b) Brazil
c) Gulf stream
d) Kuroshio
Answer: a) Benguela

30. The ocean currents transfer heat from:

a) Lower to higher latitudes
b) One coast to another
c) One sea or ocean to another
d) The surface of the sea to greater depths
Answer: a) Lower to higher latitudes

31. Which one of the following pairs of ocean currents meet each other near Newfoundland?
a) Kuroshio and Kurile
b) Gulf stream and Canaries
c) Gulf stream and Labrador
d) Canaries and Labrador
Answer: c) Gulf stream and Labrador

32. Due to which phenomenon the ocean surface currents follow clockwise circulatory paths in
the northern parts of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans?
a) Coroil’s force
b) Convergence and divergence movements
c) Impact of prevailing winds
d) Density differences in seawater
Answer: a) Coroil’s force

33. The oceanic current named ‘Kuroshio’, ‘Kurile’ and ‘Alaskan’ are located in:
a) North Atlantic Ocean
b) South Atlantic Ocean
c) North Indian Ocean
d) North Indian Ocean
Answer: a) North Atlantic Ocean

34. The cold Labrador Current brings nine months of winter to:
a) North Sweden
b) Western Norway
c) Eastern Newfoundland
d) USA
Answer: c) Eastern Newfoundland

35. Which one of the following ocean currents has a warming influence on the neighboring
coast?
a) Benguela
b) Brazil
c) Oyashio
d) Canaries
Answer: b) Brazil

36. Which one of the following currents is produced by the upwelling of water off the coast of
Chile and Peru?
a) Humboldt Current
b) Kuroshio Current
c) Benguela Current
d) Canarie Current
Answer: a) Humboldt Current

37. Tidal range is quite high in:

a) Around islands
b) Narrow estuaries
c) Shallow continental shelves
d) Equatorial regions of the ocean
Answer: b) Narrow estuaries
38. Which largest current is known as the “black current”?
a) Kuroshio Current
b) Gulf Current
c) California Current
d) Antarctic Current
Answer: a) Kuroshio Current

39. The eastward continuation of the Brazil current is called:

a) South Atlantic drift
b) West Atlantic drift
c) North Atlantic drift
d) Counter Equatorial drift
Answer: a) South Atlantic drift

40. Which one of the following is not part of the North Atlantic Ocean?
a) Brazilian current
b) Irminger current
c) Labrador current
d) Canarie current
Answer: a) Brazilian current

Additional Question and Answers on Oceanography:

1. Who is the father of oceanography in India?

Answer: James Rennel is the father of oceanography in India.

2. Who founded oceanography?

Answer: Sir John Murray is widely recognized as the founder of oceanography and was the first
to use the term.

3. Which is the largest ocean in India?

Answer: The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean in India and deepest of the world ocean basins.

4. Which ocean is hottest in the world?

Answer: The Indian Ocean is the warmest ocean in the world.

5. Which is the “S” shaped ocean in the world?

Answer: The Atlantic Ocean is the "S" shaped ocean in the world.

6. Which ocean is named after a country?

Answer: Indian Ocean is the only ocean to be named after after a country, India.

7. Which is the third largest ocean in the world?

Answer: The Indian Ocean is the world's third largest ocean, after the Pacific and the Atlantic
Oceans.

8. Who drew the first map of India?

Answer: Captain James Rennell designed the first map of India in 1783.

9. Who is considered the father of modern Oceanography?

Answer: Ferdinando Marsili, an Italian scientist and explorer, is considered the father of modern

Oceanography.

10. What was the world's first and oldest map?

Answer: The oldest known world map is the Babylonian Map of the World known as the Imago
Mundi.