India: Location & Extent – NDA Geography PYQs

Question 1 [NDA 2006-I]
Which one among the following is nearest to the Tropic of Cancer?
(a) Patna
(b) Ranchi
(c) Rourkela
(d) Varanasi

Answer: (b) Ranchi
Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, lies directly on the Tropic of Cancer at 23½°N. It is the only state capital in India on the Tropic. Patna and Varanasi are in the Gangetic plain to the north. Rourkela is in Odisha, south of the Tropic.

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Question 2 [NDA 2007-II]
The Tropic of Cancer passes through which one of the following?
(a) Assam
(b) Manipur
(c) Mizoram
(d) Nagaland

Answer: (c) Mizoram
All four options are northeastern states — the trap is that students confuse them. Of the northeastern states, only Mizoram lies on the Tropic of Cancer. Assam, Manipur, and Nagaland are all north of the Tropic.

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Question 3 [NDA 2008-I]
Indian Standard Time refers to the local time of which one of the following places?
(a) Allahabad
(b) Bhopal
(c) Delhi
(d) Lucknow

Answer: (a) Allahabad
The Standard Meridian (82½°E) passes through Mirzapur, which is near Allahabad (Prayagraj). Since Mirzapur is not in the options, Allahabad (Prayagraj) is the correct answer. Bhopal, Delhi, and Lucknow are not on the Standard Meridian.

Question 4 [NDA 2009-II]
The Tropic of Cancer does not pass through:
(a) Odisha
(b) Tripura
(c) Chhattisgarh
(d) Rajasthan

Answer: (a) Odisha
Tripura, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan are all among the 8 states through which the Tropic of Cancer passes. Odisha lies south of the Tropic and is not in the list.

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Question 5 [NDA 2011-I]
Identify the states through which the Tropic of Cancer passes and arrange them from East to West:

1. Gujarat 2. West Bengal 3. Uttar Pradesh 4. Jharkhand 5. Madhya Pradesh 6. Bihar 7. Chhattisgarh

(a) 2-5-7-4-1
(b) 2-4-7-5-1
(c) 3-2-6-7-5
(d) 3-7-4-6-2

Answer: (b) 2-4-7-5-1
First eliminate: Uttar Pradesh (3) and Bihar (6) are NOT on the Tropic of Cancer. From the remaining states, arrange east to west: West Bengal (2) → Jharkhand (4) → Chhattisgarh (7) → Madhya Pradesh (5) → Gujarat (1).

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Question 6 [NDA 2011-II]
The Gulf of Mannar is situated along the coast of:
(a) Tamil Nadu
(b) Kerala
(c) Karnataka
(d) Andhra Pradesh

Answer: (a) Tamil Nadu
The Gulf of Mannar lies between the southern tip of Tamil Nadu and the northwestern coast of Sri Lanka. Kerala and Karnataka are on the west coast — not on the Gulf of Mannar. Andhra Pradesh is further north on the east coast.

Question 7 [NDA 2012-I]
The Indian Standard Time (IST) is based on:
(a) 90°E Meridian
(b) 82.5°E Meridian
(c) 75°E Meridian
(d) 0° Meridian

Answer: (b) 82.5°E Meridian
India’s Standard Meridian is 82°30’E — passing through Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh. This is the longitude used to calculate Indian Standard Time as GMT + 5 hours 30 minutes.

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Question 8 [NDA 2012-II]
Which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. The local time of Itanagar is about two hours ahead of Dwarka.
2. The local time at Chennai and Lucknow is almost the same.
3. The local time of Mumbai is one hour ahead of Kolkata.

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

Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only
Statement 1 is correct — Itanagar (~94°E) and Dwarka (~69°E) differ by about 25°, giving roughly 100 minutes ≈ 2 hours. Statement 2 is correct — Chennai (~80°E) and Lucknow (~81°E) are on nearly the same longitude. Statement 3 is wrong — Mumbai (~73°E) is west of Kolkata (~88°E), so Kolkata is ahead of Mumbai, not the other way around.

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Question 9 [NDA 2013-II]
The Indian Standard Time is ahead of Greenwich Mean Time by:
(a) 3 hrs 30 min
(b) 4 hrs 30 min
(c) 5 hrs 30 min
(d) 6 hrs 30 min

Answer: (c) 5 hrs 30 min
82.5° × 4 minutes per degree = 330 minutes = 5 hours 30 minutes. India is ahead of GMT by 5 hours and 30 minutes.

Question 10 [NDA 2015-I]
The newly formed state of Telangana is surrounded by how many states?
(a) 5
(b) 4
(c) 6
(d) 3

Answer: (a) 5
Telangana borders Maharashtra, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh — five states in total. It has no international boundary.

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Question 11 [NDA 2015-II]
The IST meridian 82.5°E passes through which set of states?
(a) Uttarakhand, UP, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh
(b) UP, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha
(c) Uttarakhand, UP, MP and Chhattisgarh
(d) UP, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh

Answer: (d) UP, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
The five states on the Standard Meridian are UP, MP, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh. Option (d) lists four of the correct five — and is the best match. Uttarakhand and Jharkhand, which appear in other options, are not on the Standard Meridian.

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Question 12 [NDA 2017-II]
Sunrise in eastern Arunachal Pradesh would be about how many hours before sunrise in western Gujarat?
(a) 1 hour
(b) 2 hours
(c) 3 hours
(d) 4 hours

Answer: (b) 2 hours
Arunachal Pradesh is near 97°E and Gujarat near 68°E — a difference of roughly 29°. At 4 minutes per degree: 29 × 4 = 116 minutes ≈ 2 hours.

Question 13 [NDA 2017-II]
Which one of the following states in India has the longest coastline?
(a) Odisha
(b) Tamil Nadu
(c) Karnataka
(d) West Bengal

Answer: (d) West Bengal — Wait. This question asks which among Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and West Bengal has the longest coastline. Among these four options only, Odisha has the longest coastline (~480 km). West Bengal has a shorter coast. The question does not include Gujarat — which overall has the longest. Among these four options the answer is (a) Odisha.

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Question 14 [NDA 2018-II]
Consider the following places of India — Itanagar, Imphal, Agartala, Aizawl. Which is the correct chronological order in terms of sunrise time (earliest first)?
(a) 3-2-1-4
(b) 2-1-4-3
(c) 1-4-3-2
(d) 4-3-2-1

Answer: (c) 1-4-3-2
Sunrise order depends on eastward position — the most easterly city has sunrise first. Itanagar (1) is furthest east, then Aizawl (4), then Agartala (3), then Imphal (2) last. So order is: Itanagar → Aizawl → Agartala → Imphal = 1-4-3-2.

Question 15 [NDA 2019-I]
Which one of the following Union Territories is smallest in terms of geographical area?
(a) Daman and Diu
(b) Chandigarh
(c) Dadra and Nagar Haveli
(d) Lakshadweep

Answer: (d) Lakshadweep
Lakshadweep is the smallest Union Territory of India by area — covering only about 32 sq km. It is a group of small coral islands in the Arabian Sea. Daman and Diu, Chandigarh, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli are all larger in area.

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Question 16 [NDA 2023-I]
Which one among the following is the northernmost geographical location?
(a) Indira Col
(b) Siachen
(c) Dras
(d) Karakoram Pass

Answer: (a) Indira Col
Indira Col in Ladakh is the northernmost geographical point of India at approximately 37°6’N. Siachen Glacier and Karakoram Pass are also in Ladakh but at lower latitudes. Dras is a town in Kargil district.