Free World Geography MCQs with Answers
4,434 World Geography MCQs from General Knowledge, each with the correct answer and a written explanation of why it is correct. Free and unlimited, with no account needed.
World Geography covers continents, oceans, major rivers, lakes, mountains, deserts, islands, straits and canals, along with countries, capitals, borders and time zones. It also includes climate regions, natural resources, population distribution and important physical features, distinguishing physical geography from political geography.
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4,434 questions · page 188 of 222
- A. That it is liquid, because S-waves cannot travel through it
- B. That it is the hottest layer
- C. That it is solid
- D. That it is made of iron only
Explanation: The S-wave shadow zone proved the outer core is liquid, since S-waves stop there.
Correct answer: That it is liquid, because S-waves cannot travel through it- A. The Fujita scale
- B. The Richter scale
- C. The Mercalli scale
- D. The Beaufort scale
Explanation: The Richter scale estimates magnitude from the amplitude of seismic waves recorded on seismographs.
Correct answer: The Richter scale- A. The Richter scale
- B. The Mercalli scale
- C. The Moment Magnitude Scale
- D. The Saffir-Simpson scale
Explanation: The Moment Magnitude Scale measures total energy released and works better for large quakes than Richter.
Correct answer: The Moment Magnitude Scale- A. The Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale
- B. The Torino scale
- C. The Moment Magnitude Scale
- D. The Richter scale
Explanation: The Mercalli scale rates how strongly a quake is felt and how much damage it causes at a location.
Correct answer: The Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale- A. About 100 times
- B. About 32 times
- C. About 10 times
- D. About 2 times
Explanation: Each whole-number step on the Richter scale represents roughly 32 times more energy released.
Correct answer: About 32 times- A. Five times
- B. Two times
- C. Ten times
- D. Twenty times
Explanation: The Richter scale is logarithmic: each unit means ten times greater ground motion amplitude.
Correct answer: Ten times- A. Tremors
- B. Foreshocks
- C. Swarms
- D. Aftershocks
Explanation: Aftershocks are smaller quakes that follow the main shock as the crust readjusts.
Correct answer: Aftershocks- A. Foreshocks
- B. Aftershocks
- C. Echo quakes
- D. Microquakes
Explanation: Foreshocks are minor tremors that sometimes precede a bigger earthquake.
Correct answer: Foreshocks- A. A tectonic earthquake
- B. A collapse earthquake
- C. A volcanic earthquake
- D. An explosion earthquake
Explanation: Moving magma beneath a volcano generates volcanic earthquakes, often warning of eruptions.
Correct answer: A volcanic earthquake- A. A blind zone
- B. A dead zone
- C. A quiet zone
- D. A shadow zone
Explanation: P-wave shadow zones, caused by refraction at the core, reveal the Earth's layered interior.
Correct answer: A shadow zone- A. The Valdivia earthquake in Chile
- B. The Alaska earthquake
- C. The Sumatra earthquake
- D. The Tohoku earthquake
Explanation: The 1960 Valdivia earthquake (magnitude 9.5) is the largest ever instrumentally recorded.
Correct answer: The Valdivia earthquake in Chile- A. The Java earthquake
- B. The Sumatra–Andaman earthquake
- C. The Nias earthquake
- D. The Banda Sea earthquake
Explanation: The magnitude 9.1 Sumatra–Andaman quake of December 2004 triggered the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami.
Correct answer: The Sumatra–Andaman earthquake- A. The Christchurch earthquake
- B. The Niigata earthquake
- C. The Kobe earthquake
- D. The Tohoku earthquake in Japan
Explanation: The 2011 Tohoku earthquake (magnitude 9.1) generated a tsunami that damaged the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
Correct answer: The Tohoku earthquake in Japan- A. The Kashmir earthquake (October 2005)
- B. The Ziarat earthquake
- C. The Quetta earthquake
- D. The Awaran earthquake
Explanation: The 7.6-magnitude Kashmir earthquake of October 2005 killed tens of thousands in Pakistan.
Correct answer: The Kashmir earthquake (October 2005)- A. The Latur earthquake
- B. The Bhuj earthquake
- C. The Chamoli earthquake
- D. The Koyna earthquake
Explanation: The 2001 Bhuj earthquake (magnitude 7.7) devastated Gujarat's Kutch region.
Correct answer: The Bhuj earthquake- A. The Dominican earthquake
- B. The Cuba earthquake
- C. The Haiti earthquake
- D. The Chile earthquake
Explanation: The January 2010 Haiti earthquake (magnitude 7.0) killed an estimated 200,000+ people near Port-au-Prince.
Correct answer: The Haiti earthquake- A. The Van earthquakes
- B. The Izmir earthquakes
- C. The Elazığ earthquakes
- D. The Kahramanmaraş earthquakes (February 2023)
Explanation: Twin magnitude 7.8 and 7.5 quakes in February 2023 devastated southern Türkiye and northern Syria.
Correct answer: The Kahramanmaraş earthquakes (February 2023)- A. The Quetta earthquake
- B. The Mach earthquake
- C. The Chaman earthquake
- D. The Sibi earthquake
Explanation: The 1935 Quetta earthquake (magnitude 7.7) levelled the city, killing tens of thousands.
Correct answer: The Quetta earthquake3759. What is a tsunami?
- A. A large tidal wave caused by the Moon
- B. A series of very long sea waves caused by sudden displacement of water, usually from undersea earthquakes
- C. A rogue wave in the open ocean
- D. A storm surge caused by cyclones
Explanation: Tsunamis are long-wavelength waves generated mainly by undersea earthquakes, landslides or eruptions.
Correct answer: A series of very long sea waves caused by sudden displacement of water, usually from undersea earthquakes- A. Hindi
- B. Chinese
- C. Japanese
- D. Malay
Explanation: "Tsunami" is Japanese for "harbour wave".
Correct answer: Japanese