Q30. The coastal sands of which Indian state are especially known for thorium resources?
[67th BPSC Preliminary Examination, 30 September 2022]
(A) Punjab
(B) Bihar
(C) Kerala
(D) Haryana
Answer: C. Kerala
Explanation: Monazite-bearing mineral sands along parts of Kerala’s coast contain thorium. Thorium is important to India’s long-term nuclear-energy strategy. Other coastal states also contain monazite, but Kerala is a classic geographical example.
Q29. Petrol and diesel are mainly obtained by refining which resource?
[RRB Group D, 2 September 2022]
(A) Crude petroleum
(B) Coal tar
(C) Biogas
(D) Uranium ore
Answer: A. Crude petroleum
Explanation: Petroleum refineries separate and transform crude-oil fractions into petrol, diesel and other useful products. The output depends on crude quality and refining operations. Coal and uranium belong to different branches of the energy-resource sector.
Q28. Which type of coal is generally considered the highest grade?
[SSC CGL, 1 December 2022]
(A) Peat
(B) Lignite
(C) Bituminous
(D) Anthracite
Answer: D. Anthracite
Explanation: Anthracite has a very high carbon proportion and high coal rank. Lignite is relatively young and moisture-rich, whereas bituminous coal occupies an intermediate-to-high rank. Classification depends on geological transformation and measurable fuel properties.
Q27. Which coal-forming material typically has high moisture and low carbon content?
[SSC CGL, 13 December 2022]
(A) Anthracite
(B) Peat
(C) Coke
(D) Graphite
Answer: B. Peat
Explanation: Peat comprises partly decomposed plant matter and is an early stage before lignite formation. It generally contains substantial moisture and less fixed carbon than higher coal ranks. Drying and burial change its properties over long periods.
Q26. Which is India’s oldest government-owned coal-mining company among these?
[UPSC CDS-II General Knowledge, 4 September 2022]
(A) Neyveli Lignite Corporation
(B) Singareni Collieries Company Limited
(C) Coal India Limited
(D) Mahanadi Coalfields Limited
Answer: B. Singareni Collieries Company Limited
Explanation: Singareni Collieries Company has a long history in the coal-bearing region of present-day Telangana. It predates post-independence corporations such as NLC India and Coal India, making it the answer in this historical comparison.
Q25. Which of these is traditionally classified as a conventional household energy source?
[SSC GD Constable, 18 November 2021]
(A) Biogas
(B) Wind
(C) Solar
(D) Firewood
Answer: D. Firewood
Explanation: Firewood is a traditional fuel used for cooking and heating, especially in rural areas. In the conventional-versus-non-conventional classification common in school geography, wind, solar and modern biogas systems are grouped with newer alternative sources.
Q24. In which city was a major CSIR-developed solar tree installed in 2020?
[SSC CHSL (2020 cycle), 10 August 2021]
(A) Bhopal
(B) Jaipur
(C) Durgapur
(D) Bokaro
Answer: C. Durgapur
Explanation: The Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute installed a widely publicised solar-tree design in Durgapur, West Bengal. Its vertically arranged branches carry photovoltaic panels and demonstrate a compact approach to harvesting solar energy.
Q23. Where is the headquarters of the International Solar Alliance?
[MH SET, 27 December 2020]
(A) Gwal Pahari, Gurugram
(B) Bengaluru
(C) Dubai
(D) Nairobi
Answer: A. Gwal Pahari, Gurugram
Explanation: The International Solar Alliance secretariat is based in Gurugram, Haryana. Initiated by India and France, the organisation promotes solar-energy collaboration and deployment. Its work connects renewable technology with international finance and energy-access goals.
Q22. Match inexhaustible resources, stratosphere, non-renewable resources and CFCs with solar energy, ozone layer, fossil fuels and human activities.
[MPSC State Services Prelims, 2020]
(A) Solar–ozone; Stratosphere–fossils; Nonrenewable–human; CFC–solar
(B) Solar–fossils; Stratosphere–human; Nonrenewable–ozone; CFC–solar
(C) Inexhaustible–solar; Stratosphere–ozone; Nonrenewable–fossils; CFCs–human activity
(D) Inexhaustible–fossils; Stratosphere–solar; Nonrenewable–ozone; CFCs–human activity
Answer: C. Inexhaustible–solar; Stratosphere–ozone; Nonrenewable–fossils; CFCs–human activity
Explanation: Solar radiation is a recurring resource, whereas fossil fuels are exhaustible. The stratosphere contains the ozone layer, and chlorofluorocarbons are manufactured substances linked to ozone depletion. The matching combines energy-resource categories with atmospheric geography.
Q21. The Rammam hydroelectric project lies in which West Bengal district?
[WBCS Prelims, 2019]
(A) Purulia
(B) Bankura
(C) Jalpaiguri
(D) Darjeeling
Answer: D. Darjeeling
Explanation: The Rammam hydroelectric project is located in the Darjeeling hills of West Bengal. The terrain’s river gradients provide conditions for hydropower. It should not be confused with the pumped-storage scheme at Purulia.
