Power Resources — Set 1
Geography · ऊर्जा संसाधन · Questions 1–10 of 50
Which type of coal is considered the highest quality due to its high carbon content?
Correct Answer: B. Anthracite
• **Anthracite** = the highest-grade coal with over 80% carbon content, hard and black, burns with very little smoke. • **80%+ carbon** — the minimum carbon threshold that defines anthracite; in India it is found only in small quantities in Jammu & Kashmir. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Bituminous: 60–80% carbon, most widely used industrial coal; Lignite: brown coal, only 25–35% carbon, lowest grade among the four; Peat: proto-coal, barely 60% carbon, not commercially mined.
Which of the following is a non-renewable source of energy?
Correct Answer: C. Natural gas
• **Natural gas** = a fossil fuel formed over millions of years from buried organic matter, non-renewable and cannot be replenished on human timescales. • **Fossil fuel** — natural gas is primarily methane found alongside petroleum deposits; it is cleaner-burning than coal but still non-renewable. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Tidal energy: driven by gravitational pull of Moon, infinite and renewable; Solar energy: sunlight is inexhaustible and renewable; Wind energy: wind is driven by solar heating, renewable and inexhaustible.
What is the primary mineral used for generating nuclear power in India?
Correct Answer: C. Uranium
• **Uranium** = the primary mineral for nuclear fission in power plants; large Indian deposits are found in Jharkhand (Jaduguda) and Rajasthan. • **Thorium** — India holds the world's largest thorium reserves in the monazite sands of Kerala's coast, key to India's three-stage nuclear programme. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Iron Ore: used for steel production, not nuclear energy; Copper: used in electrical wiring, not as nuclear fuel; Bauxite: aluminium ore, no role in nuclear power generation.
Which state is the largest producer of wind energy in India?
Correct Answer: B. Tamil Nadu
• **Tamil Nadu** = India's largest wind energy producer, aided by its long coastline and consistent high-speed winds. • **Muppandal Wind Farm** — located in Kanyakumari district, one of the world's largest wind farms; India ranks 4th globally in installed wind capacity. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Rajasthan: leads in solar power, not wind; Gujarat: second in wind after Tamil Nadu, has good coastal wind corridors; Maharashtra: significant wind capacity but not the top producer.
The process of extracting energy from the heat stored inside the Earth is known as?
Correct Answer: D. Geothermal energy
• **Geothermal energy** = energy extracted from the Earth's internal heat, used to generate electricity or direct heating. • **Puga Valley (Ladakh) and Manikaran (Himachal Pradesh)** — India's most promising geothermal sites identified by the Geological Survey of India. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Hydroelectric power: uses kinetic energy of falling water, not Earth's heat; Thermal power: burns fossil fuels like coal; Biomass energy: derived from organic matter like crop waste, not geothermal.
Which Indian state is the leading producer of Solar Energy as of recent data?
Correct Answer: A. Rajasthan
• **Rajasthan** = India's leading state in installed solar power capacity, with vast arid land and India's highest solar irradiation. • **Bhadla Solar Park** — located in Rajasthan, one of the largest solar parks in the world by installed capacity. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Karnataka: major solar producer but ranked below Rajasthan overall; Gujarat: pioneered India's solar policy in 2009, strong capacity but not the top; Madhya Pradesh: growing solar sector, not the highest installed capacity.
What is 'Lignite' commonly known as in the power sector?
Correct Answer: D. Brown coal
• **Lignite (Brown Coal)** = a low-grade, soft coal with high moisture content, the lowest rank of coal used commercially. • **Neyveli, Tamil Nadu** — home to India's largest lignite deposits, mined by Neyveli Lignite Corporation for thermal power generation. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: White coal: nickname for hydroelectricity, not any type of coal; Black gold: nickname for petroleum; Liquid gold: sometimes used for petroleum or water, not coal.
Bhakra Nangal Project is built across which river?
Correct Answer: C. Sutlej
• **Sutlej River** = the river on which the Bhakra Nangal dam is built, spanning Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. • **Bhakra Nangal Dam** — one of the world's highest straight gravity dams at 226 m; supplies irrigation and hydroelectric power to Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Ganga: India's longest river, Farakka Barrage is on it, not Bhakra; Indus: flows through J&K and Pakistan, different project; Yamuna: tributary of Ganga, different dams like Tajewala on it.
Which city is known as the 'Petroleum Capital' of India due to its large refinery and offshore drilling?
Correct Answer: B. Mumbai
• **Mumbai (Bombay High)** = India's petroleum capital due to Mumbai High, the country's largest offshore oilfield, discovered in 1974. • **1974** — year Mumbai High was discovered with help of a Japanese drilling platform; it accounts for a major share of India's domestic crude production. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Jamnagar: home to Reliance's refinery but not an oilfield; Ankleshwar: onshore oilfield in Gujarat, not the largest; Digboi: India's oldest oilfield in Assam, but much smaller than Mumbai High.
What is energy produced from organic matter such as agricultural waste and cow dung called?
Correct Answer: C. Biogas
• **Biogas** = energy produced by anaerobic decomposition of organic material like agricultural waste and cow dung, yielding primarily methane. • **Residue as organic manure** — the slurry left after gas extraction is a high-quality biofertilizer, making biogas plants doubly beneficial. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Natural gas: fossil fuel from underground deposits, not produced from fresh organic waste; Nuclear energy: from uranium fission, unrelated to organic matter; Tidal energy: generated from ocean tides, not organic decomposition.