Deserts & Grasslands — Set 5

Correct Answer: A. Arabian Desert

• **Arabian Desert** = the largest desert in Asia, covering nearly the entire Arabian Peninsula, spanning approximately 2.3 million sq km. • **2.3 million sq km** — the Arabian Desert covers 2.3 million sq km across Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain; the Gobi Desert (1.3 million sq km) is the second largest in Asia. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Thar Desert: only about 200,000 sq km between India and Pakistan, much smaller than the Arabian; Gobi Desert: 1.3 million sq km in China-Mongolia, the second largest in Asia; Karakum Desert: about 350,000 sq km in Turkmenistan, not the largest.

Correct Answer: B. China

• **Taklamakan Desert** = located in the Xinjiang region of China, bounded by the Kunlun Mountains (south) and the Pamir and Tian Shan mountains (west and north). • **'Desert of Death'** — Taklamakan means 'you go in, you don't come out' in local folklore; it is one of the largest sandy deserts in Asia (~337,000 sq km) and was traversed by the ancient Silk Road. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: India: has the Thar Desert (northwest), not the Taklamakan; Mongolia: shares the Gobi Desert with China, not the Taklamakan; Iran: has the Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut deserts, not the Taklamakan.

Correct Answer: B. Australia

• **Simpson Desert** = located in central Australia, spanning the Northern Territory, South Australia, and Queensland, famous for the world's longest parallel sand dunes. • **Longest parallel dunes** — the Simpson Desert contains the world's longest parallel sand dunes; 'Big Red' is the largest, standing about 40 m tall; covers about 145,000 sq km. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Turkmenistan: has the Karakum Desert, not the Simpson; USA: has the Great Basin, Mojave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan Deserts, not the Simpson; Namibia: has the Namib Desert along its coast.

Correct Answer: C. Savanna

• **Serengeti** = vast tropical savanna ecosystem in East Africa (Tanzania), world-famous for the massive annual wildebeest migration involving over 1.5 million animals. • **Annual Migration** — the Great Wildebeest Migration in the Serengeti involves over 1.5 million wildebeest, 200,000 zebras, and 300,000 Thomson's gazelles — the world's largest overland animal migration. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Prairie: temperate grassland of North America (USA-Canada), very different climate from East Africa; Temperate grassland: found in mid-latitude regions with cold winters; Serengeti has tropical climate; Steppe: semi-arid temperate grasslands of Eurasia, with no trees, unlike Serengeti's scattered woodland.

Correct Answer: B. USA

• **Great Basin Desert** = the largest desert in the United States, a cold desert in Nevada and Utah, characterized by basin and range topography. • **~492,000 sq km** — the Great Basin Desert covers about 492,000 sq km; it is a cold desert receiving about 20-30 cm of precipitation (mostly snow); bounded by the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Mexico: has the Chihuahuan Desert (partially) and Sonoran Desert (partially) but not the Great Basin; Canada: has cold tundra in the north, not the Great Basin Desert; Australia: has the Great Sandy and Great Victoria Deserts, not the Great Basin.

Correct Answer: A. Atacama Desert

• **Atacama Desert** = plateau in South America in northern Chile, west of the Andes Mountains, the driest non-polar desert on Earth and a major source of nitrates and copper. • **World's driest** — the Atacama receives an average of ~1 mm of rain per year; some weather stations have never recorded rainfall; it is used by NASA for Mars simulation studies due to its extreme dryness. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Gibson Desert: in Western Australia, not Chile; Patagonian Desert: in southern Argentina (east of the Andes), not northern Chile; Chihuahuan Desert: in southwestern USA and northern Mexico, not Chile.

Correct Answer: D. A fertile area with a water source

• **Oasis** = fertile area in a desert where water is found near the surface, allowing for vegetation growth and permanent settlements, critical for desert travel and trade. • **Underground springs** — oases are fed by underground aquifers or springs; they have been historically vital as rest stops on caravan trade routes across deserts like the Sahara and Arabian Desert. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Dry river bed: called a 'wadi' (Arabic) or arroyo; fills with water only after rare rains; Salt crust plain: called a 'playa' or 'sabkha'; forms when temporary lakes evaporate; Shifting sand dune: called 'Erg' or 'barchan dune'; a wind-shaped sand formation.

Correct Answer: B. USA and Mexico

• **Chihuahuan Desert** = one of the largest and most biologically diverse deserts in North America, shared by southwestern USA and northern Mexico. • **Rain-shadow desert** — the Chihuahuan Desert is created by the rain shadow of two mountain ranges (Sierra Madre Occidental and Oriental); it covers about 362,000 sq km. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: USA and Canada: share forests, tundra, and Prairies but no desert; Argentina and Chile: share the Andes and Patagonian/Atacama Deserts, not the Chihuahuan; China and Mongolia: share the Gobi Desert.

Correct Answer: C. Temperate grassland

• **Veld** = temperate grasslands on the high plateaus of Southern Africa, used extensively for cattle and sheep ranching. • **South Africa's Highveld** — the Veld is specifically the temperate grassland biome of the South African plateau; the Highveld (above 1,200 m) includes the area around Johannesburg, South Africa's economic hub. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Alpine grassland: found on high mountain slopes above the treeline, called 'alpine meadows' not Veld; Tropical grassland: Africa's tropical grasslands are called Savanna, not Veld; Polar grassland: found in Arctic/Antarctic regions, called Tundra, not Veld.

Correct Answer: C. Turkmenistan

• **Karakum Desert** = occupies about 70% of Turkmenistan's area, meaning 'Black Sand' in Turkic, famous for the Darvaza gas crater (the 'Door to Hell'). • **Darvaza 'Door to Hell'** — the Darvaza gas crater has been burning since 1971 when Soviet geologists lit it to burn off methane; it is about 69 m wide and 30 m deep; a major tourist attraction. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Iran: has the Dasht-e Kavir (Great Salt Desert) and Dasht-e Lut; Kazakhstan: has the Kyzylkum (shared with Uzbekistan) and parts of the Aral Sea desert; Uzbekistan: shares the Kyzylkum Desert with Kazakhstan, not the Karakum.