Free World Geography MCQs with Answers

• A. Mangrove forest
• B. Coniferous forest
• C. Deciduous forest
• D. Tropical evergreen forest

Explanation: Temperate deciduous forests shed their broad leaves each autumn to survive the cold winter.

• A. Eucalyptus, acacia and baobab
• B. Pine, spruce and fir
• C. Teak, sal and mahogany
• D. Oak, beech and maple

Explanation: Oak, beech and maple are the characteristic broad-leaved trees of temperate deciduous forests.

• A. Humid subtropical (China type) climate
• B. Humid continental climate
• C. Marine west coast climate
• D. Mediterranean climate

Explanation: The humid subtropical or China-type climate of eastern North America, China and Japan has hot, humid summers and mild winters.

• A. Tropical savanna climate
• B. Humid continental climate
• C. Mediterranean climate
• D. Marine west coast climate

Explanation: Interior mid-latitude continents experience the humid continental climate, with warm summers and very cold winters.

• A. Western Europe
• B. The Iberian Peninsula
• C. Siberia and interior Russia
• D. Southeast Asia

Explanation: Siberia and interior Russia have the extreme cold continental climate, with enormous differences between summer and winter temperatures.

• A. Oymyakon, Russia (Siberia)
• B. Longyearbyen, Norway
• C. Grise Fiord, Canada
• D. Alert, Canada

Explanation: Oymyakon in Siberia, where winter temperatures have fallen below −65°C, is the coldest permanently inhabited place on Earth.

• A. Thorny scrub
• B. Grasses such as steppe, prairie and pampas grass
• C. Coniferous trees
• D. Broad-leaved evergreen trees

Explanation: Temperate grasslands are dominated by grasses — the steppes of Eurasia, the prairies of North America and the pampas of South America.

• A. Tundra climate
• B. Taiga climate
• C. Ice cap climate
• D. Highland climate

Explanation: The ice cap climate, found over Antarctica and Greenland, has permanent ice cover and extremely low temperatures year-round.

• A. Boreal climate
• B. Alpine climate
• C. Ice cap climate
• D. Tundra climate

Explanation: The tundra is the treeless plain of the high latitudes, underlain by permanently frozen ground.

• A. Permafrost
• B. Loess
• C. Laterite
• D. Regolith

Explanation: Permafrost is ground that remains frozen year-round, typical of tundra and polar regions.

• A. Tall coniferous trees
• B. Mosses, lichens, sedges and dwarf shrubs
• C. Broad-leaved evergreens
• D. Savanna grasses

Explanation: Tundra vegetation is low-growing — mosses, lichens, sedges and dwarf shrubs that survive the short, cold summer.

• A. Chaparral
• B. Montane forest
• C. Taiga (boreal forest)
• D. Savanna

Explanation: The taiga or boreal forest is the vast belt of coniferous forest circling the northern hemisphere south of the tundra.

• A. Eucalyptus and acacia
• B. Oak, beech and maple
• C. Teak and mahogany
• D. Pine, spruce and fir

Explanation: The taiga is dominated by needle-leaved conifers — pine, spruce and fir.

• A. The taiga (boreal forest)
• B. The tropical rainforest
• C. The temperate deciduous forest
• D. The mangrove forest

Explanation: The taiga, stretching across Russia, Canada and Scandinavia, is the largest forest biome on land.

• A. The frost line
• B. The tree line
• C. The timber belt
• D. The snow line

Explanation: The tree line (or timberline) marks the latitude or altitude beyond which trees cannot grow.

• A. Camel and oryx
• B. Penguins and seals
• C. Reindeer (caribou), polar bear and arctic fox
• D. Kangaroo and koala

Explanation: The Arctic tundra is home to reindeer (caribou), polar bears, arctic foxes and similar cold-adapted animals.

• A. Penguins and seals
• B. Arctic foxes and lemmings
• C. Walruses and musk oxen
• D. Polar bears and reindeer

Explanation: Antarctica's characteristic animals are penguins and seals; there are no polar bears in the southern hemisphere.

• A. Tundra climate
• B. Highland (alpine) climate
• C. Monsoon climate
• D. Mediterranean climate

Explanation: High mountain summits have the cold highland or alpine climate even in the tropics, because temperature falls with altitude.

• A. It changes from tundra to taiga to rainforest
• B. It changes from deserts to grasslands to forests
• C. It changes from forests to scrub to alpine meadows to bare rock and snow
• D. It stays the same at all altitudes

Explanation: Climbing a mountain passes through vegetation zones — forest, then scrub, then alpine meadows, then bare rock and permanent snow.

• A. Temperate deciduous forest
• B. Boreal forest
• C. Mediterranean woodland
• D. Tropical evergreen forest

Explanation: Tropical evergreen forests, or rainforests, keep their broad leaves green throughout the year in the hot, wet tropics.