Important Questions and Answers for Class 11 Geography Chapter 4 Distribution of Oceans and Continents 2025-26

Q1. Who among the following first proposed that Europe, Africa, and America were once located side by side?

• (a) Alfred Wegener
• (b) Antonio Pellegrini
• (c) Abraham Ortelius
• (d) Edmond Hess

Answer: (c) Abraham Ortelius. He was a Dutch mapmaker who suggested this idea as early as 1596, before Wegener's theory.

Q2. Polar-fleeing force refers to:

• (a) Revolution of the Earth
• (b) Gravitation
• (c) Rotation of the earth
• (d) Tides

Answer: (c) Rotation of the earth. 

The polar-fleeing force is related to the equatorial bulge due to Earth's rotation.

Q3. Which one of the following is NOT a minor plate?

• (a) Nazca
• (b) Arabia
• (c) Philippines
• (d) Antarctica

Answer: (d) Antarctica. 

Antarctica is classified as a major tectonic plate, not a minor plate.

Q4. The type of plate boundary of the Indian plate along the Himalayan mountains is:

• (a) Ocean-continent convergence
• (b) Divergent boundary
• (c) Transform boundary
• (d) Continent-continent convergence

Answer: (d) Continent-continent convergence. 

The Indian and Eurasian plates collide here, creating the Himalayas.

2. Very Short Answer (VSA).

Q5. Name the two main forces suggested by Wegener for the movement of continents.

Answer: Wegener suggested the pole-fleeing force, related to Earth's rotation, and the tidal force, due to the gravitational pull of the sun and moon, as main drivers of continental movement.

Q6. What is meant by 'Pangaea'?

Answer: Pangaea refers to the supercontinent described by Wegener, combining all present continents into a single landmass about 200 million years ago.

Q7. Define 'transform boundary' in the context of plate tectonics.

Answer: A transform boundary is a type of plate boundary where plates slide horizontally past each other without the production or destruction of the crust.

Q8. What is 'tillite' and what does its presence indicate?

Answer: Tillite is sedimentary rock formed from glacial deposits. Its presence and similarity in different continents proves ancient glaciation and continental drift.

3. Short Answer Questions.

Q9. Explain the concept of 'sea floor spreading' as per the chapter.

Answer: Sea floor spreading refers to the process where new oceanic crust is formed at mid-ocean ridges, pushing existing crust outward. Volcanic eruptions at ridges create new material, and old crust is destroyed at trenches. This concept supports continual movement of ocean floors and distribution of continents.

Q10. How do matching rock ages across oceans provide evidence for continental drift?

Answer: Rocks of similar age and characteristics are found on opposite shores of oceans, such as the 2,000 million-year-old rocks in Brazil and Western Africa. This suggests these continents were once joined, supporting the continental drift theory.

Q11. Differentiate between divergent and convergent plate boundaries.

Answer: Divergent boundaries are where plates move apart to form new crust (e.g., mid-ocean ridges), while convergent boundaries occur where plates move towards each other, causing subduction or continental collision (e.g., trenches, Himalayas).

4. Long Answer Questions.

Q12. Discuss three major evidences in support of the continental drift theory.

Answer: Three key evidences for continental drift are: (1) The matching shapes of continental coastlines, such as Africa and South America. (2) The discovery of similar-aged rocks and fossils across separated continents, like Mesosaurus fossils in Brazil and South Africa. (3) Presence of glacial tillite deposits in multiple southern continents, indicating a common glaciation history and former landmass continuity.

1. Matching continental margins (“jigsaw-fit”).
2. Identical fossils and rocks across oceans.
3. Similar glaciation records (tillite) in Southern Hemisphere continents.

Q13. Explain the movement of the Indian plate from the breakup of Pangaea till present day.

Answer: The Indian plate was once part of Gondwanaland, separated by the Tethys Sea from Asia. Around 200 million years ago, it started moving north after Pangaea broke up. About 40-50 million years ago, India collided with Eurasia, forming the Himalayas. The plate’s journey continues to influence the rise of the Himalayas even today.

1. Broke off from Gondwanaland (~200 mya).
2. Moved northwards across the Tethys Sea.
3. Collision with Eurasian plate (~40-50 mya) uplifted Himalayas.

Q14. Analyze the impact of plate tectonic movements on earthquake and volcano distribution.

Answer: Plate tectonics influence where most earthquakes and volcanoes occur. Active zones are generally found along plate boundaries, especially at mid-ocean ridges (shallow earthquakes), and convergent boundaries (deep earthquakes, volcanoes). The Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’ illustrates this well, as do the active zones near the Himalayas and the Alps.

1. Earthquakes/volcanoes concentrated at plate boundaries.
2. Shallow earthquakes at divergent (ridge) boundaries.
3. Deep earthquakes and volcanic arcs at convergent boundaries.

5. Assertion–Reason type questions.

Assertion (A): The Himalayas are still rising every year.
Reason (R): Plate tectonics explains continual movement of the Indian plate against the Eurasian plate.

• (a) A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
• (b) A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
• (c) A is true, but R is false
• (d) A is false, but R is true

Answer: (a) A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A. The ongoing plate collision lifts the Himalayas each year.

Assertion (A): Transform plate boundaries create new oceanic crust.
Reason (R): At transform boundaries, plates slide past each other horizontally.

• (a) A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
• (b) A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
• (c) A is true, but R is false
• (d) A is false, but R is true

Answer: (d) A is false, but R is true. Transform boundaries do not create crust; they involve horizontal sliding only.

3. Fill in the Blanks Questions.

Q15. The process of _________ refers to the creation of new crust at mid-oceanic ridges and its outward spreading.

Answer: Sea floor spreading. 

It is the process by which new oceanic crust forms at mid-ocean ridges due to volcanic eruptions, pushing older crust outward and explaining oceanic expansion.

Q16. The ancient supercontinent described by Wegener was called _________, meaning 'all earth'.

Answer: Pangaea. 

This supercontinent included all Earth's landmasses before splitting to form today's continents as proposed in the continental drift theory.

Q17. The mid-oceanic ridges are zones of _________ volcanic activity, where new oceanic crust is continuously formed.

Answer: Intense. 

Mid-oceanic ridges experience intense volcanic activity, which is responsible for forming new crust and sustaining sea floor spreading.

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