Ocean Currents – NDA Geography PYQs

Question 1 [NDA 2006-I]
The Agulhas current flows through which ocean?
(a) Pacific Ocean
(b) Atlantic Ocean
(c) Indian Ocean
(d) Arctic Ocean

Answer: (c) Indian Ocean
The Agulhas Current is a warm current that flows southwestward along the eastern coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. It is one of the strongest ocean currents in the world. It is NOT in the Pacific Ocean.

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Question 2 [NDA 2006-II]
Consider the following statements:

1. Labrador current is a cold current in the North Atlantic.
2. Falkland current is a warm current along Chile coast.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (a) 1 only
Statement 1 is correct — Labrador Current is a cold current in the North Atlantic flowing south along eastern Canada. Statement 2 is wrong in two ways — the Falkland (Malvinas) Current is a COLD current, and it flows along the eastern coast of ARGENTINA (not Chile). Chile’s western coast has the cold Humboldt/Peru Current.

Question 3 [NDA 2007-I]
Which one of the following is NOT correctly matched?
(a) North Atlantic: Canaries Current
(b) Eastern Pacific: Kuroshio Current
(c) South Atlantic: Falkland Current
(d) Indian Ocean: Agulhas Current

Answer: (b) Eastern Pacific: Kuroshio Current
Kuroshio is in the WESTERN Pacific — not the eastern Pacific. It flows northeast along the eastern coast of Japan. The eastern Pacific is where the cold California Current and Peru Current flow. The other three pairs are correctly matched.

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Question 4 [NDA 2008-I]
El Niño current appears along the coast of:
(a) California
(b) Peru
(c) Somalia
(d) Brazil

Answer: (b) Peru
El Niño is the anomalous warming of surface waters in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, most notably off the coast of Peru and Ecuador. When El Niño occurs, warm water replaces the normally cold upwelling water off Peru, disrupting fishing and bringing heavy rainfall to the normally dry coast.

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Question 5 [NDA 2009-I]
Match List I (Fishing Ground/Reef) with List II (Location):
A. Dogger Bank — 1. Newfoundland Coast
B. Grand Bank — 2. Australia Coast
C. Great Barrier Reef — 3. North Sea
D. Tonga Trench — 4. East of Fiji Island

(a) A-3, B-1, C-2, D-4
(b) A-2, B-1, C-3, D-4
(c) A-3, B-4, C-2, D-1
(d) A-4, B-3, C-1, D-2

Answer: (a) A-3, B-1, C-2, D-4
Dogger Bank is in the North Sea (3). Grand Bank is off the Newfoundland Coast of Canada (1). Great Barrier Reef is on the Australia Coast (2). Tonga Trench is east of the Fiji Islands in the Pacific (4).

Question 6 [NDA 2010-II]
Consider the following statements about El Niño:
I. El Niño occurs at irregular intervals.
II. El Niño carries warmer water.

Which is/are correct?
(a) I and II
(b) Only I
(c) Only II
(d) Neither I nor II

Answer: (a) I and II
Both statements about El Niño are correct. El Niño does not follow a fixed schedule — it occurs every few years but at irregular intervals (roughly every 2–7 years). El Niño is defined by the anomalous warming of the eastern Pacific — the presence of unusually warm water where cold water normally exists.

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Question 7 [NDA 2011-I]
Statement I: UK, Norway, Netherlands, and Denmark have warmer climate than places at similar latitudes elsewhere in winter.
Statement II: These countries are located on the coast.

(a) Both true and II explains I
(b) Both true but II does not explain I
(c) I true but II false
(d) I false but II true

Answer: (b) Both true but II does not explain I
Statement I is correct — these countries are much warmer in winter than places at similar latitudes in North America or Asia. Statement II is correct — they are on the coast. But being coastal alone does not explain the warmth. The correct explanation is the North Atlantic Drift — the warm ocean current that flows from the Gulf of Mexico to the coasts of NW Europe. Simply being coastal is not sufficient explanation.

Question 8 [NDA 2011-II]
Which one of the following is the current produced by upwelling of cold water off the coast of Chile and Peru?
(a) Canary Current
(b) Humboldt Current
(c) Agulhas Current
(d) Gulf Stream

Answer: (b) Humboldt Current
The Humboldt Current (also called Peru Current) is driven partly by coastal upwelling — cold water rising from depth to replace warm surface water displaced by trade winds. It flows northward along the western coast of South America creating one of the world’s richest fishing grounds and also contributing to the aridity of the Atacama Desert.

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Question 9 [NDA 2013-II]
El Niño results in which of the following?

1. Reduction in the number of planktons as the sea surface becomes warm.
2. Irregularities in the evaporation of sea water.
3. Distortion of equatorial atmospheric circulation.

(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3
All three are correct results of El Niño. Warm water replaces the cold upwelling off Peru — reducing nutrients and plankton (1). The change in sea surface temperatures alters evaporation patterns across the Pacific (2). El Niño fundamentally disrupts the normal Walker Circulation — the equatorial atmospheric circulation (3).

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Question 10 [NDA 2014-II]
Which one of the following is a warm ocean current?
(a) Labrador Current
(b) Kuroshio Current
(c) Peru Current
(d) Benguela Current

Answer: (b) Kuroshio Current
Kuroshio (meaning “Black Current” in Japanese) is the warm ocean current of the western North Pacific — the Pacific equivalent of the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic. Labrador = cold (North Atlantic). Peru = cold (South Pacific). Benguela = cold (South Atlantic).

Question 11 [NDA 2019-I]
Which one of the following is NOT a cold ocean current?
(a) Canary Current
(b) California Current
(c) Kuroshio Current
(d) Oyashio Current

Answer: (c) Kuroshio Current
Kuroshio is a WARM current — the warm western boundary current of the North Pacific. Canary = cold (eastern North Atlantic). California = cold (eastern North Pacific). Oyashio = cold (flows south from Arctic along eastern Russia/Japan). Only Kuroshio is warm.

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Question 12 [NDA 2019-II]
Which one of the following is a cold ocean current?
(a) South Atlantic Drift
(b) Mozambique Current
(c) East Australian Current
(d) Caribbean Current

Answer: (a) South Atlantic Drift
South Atlantic Drift is a cold current flowing eastward in the South Atlantic. Mozambique = warm (Indian Ocean). East Australian = warm (flows south along eastern Australia). Caribbean = warm (Caribbean Sea).

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Question 13 [NDA 2020-I]
Which one of the following is NOT a current of the Pacific Ocean?
(a) Oyashio
(b) Alaska
(c) Agulhas
(d) California

Answer: (c) Agulhas Current
Agulhas is in the Indian Ocean — flowing along the southeastern coast of Africa. Oyashio, Alaska, and California currents are all in the Pacific Ocean.

Question 14 [NDA 2023-I]
Which one of the following is NOT a cold current?
(a) Western Australian Current
(b) Eastern Australian Current
(c) Benguela Current
(d) Peru Current

Answer: (b) Eastern Australian Current
The Eastern (East) Australian Current is a WARM current — it flows southward along the eastern coast of Australia. Western Australian = cold (western coast). Benguela = cold (southwestern Africa). Peru = cold (western South America).

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Question 15 [NDA 2024-II]
Consider the following statements about the Benguela Current:

1. It influences the climate of the west coast of North Africa.
2. It is a cold current.
3. Its direction is from South to North.
4. It flows in the Atlantic Ocean.

Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1, 2 and 3
(b) 2, 3 and 4
(c) 1 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Answer: (b) 2, 3 and 4
Statement 1 is wrong — the Benguela Current influences the west coast of SOUTH Africa (Namibia and South Africa), not North Africa. Statement 2 is correct — Benguela is a cold current. Statement 3 is correct — it flows from south to north along the southwestern African coast. Statement 4 is correct — it flows in the Atlantic Ocean.

Question 16 [NDA 2025-I]
Which of the following are cold ocean currents?

1. Alaska Current
2. North Atlantic Drift
3. West Wind Drift

(a) 1 and 2
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) 3 only

Answer: (d) 3 only
Alaska Current = WARM (flows northwest along Alaskan coast). North Atlantic Drift = WARM (extends from Gulf Stream to NW Europe). West Wind Drift = COLD (flows eastward around Antarctica). Only West Wind Drift is cold among these three.

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Question 17 [NDA 2025-II]
Which of the following are warm ocean currents?

1. Alaska Current
2. Agulhas Current
3. Falkland Current
4. West Australian Current

(a) 1 and 3
(b) 1 and 2
(c) 3 and 4
(d) 2 and 4

Answer: (b) 1 and 2
Alaska Current = WARM. Agulhas Current = WARM (Indian Ocean, eastern Africa). Falkland Current = COLD (eastern Argentina). West Australian Current = COLD (western Australia).

Question 18 [NDA 2025-II]
Which of the following factors influence ocean currents?

1. Coriolis force
2. Gravity
3. Heating by solar energy
4. Wind

(a) 1 and 4 only
(b) 1, 2 and 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Answer: (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
All four factors influence ocean currents. Coriolis force deflects currents and creates gyres. Gravity drives density-driven deep ocean circulation. Solar heating creates temperature differences that drive surface circulation. Wind drags surface water and is the primary driver of surface currents.