Which of the following has/have shrunk immensely/dried up in the recent past due to human activities

Q: What is UPSC Prelims?

UPSC Prelims is a competitive examination conducted in India. This question is from the 2018 UPSC Prelims Geography paper.

Q: How can I prepare for UPSC Prelims Geography?

To prepare for UPSC Prelims Geography, practice previous year questions (PYQs), understand concepts thoroughly, and solve mock tests regularly. This 2018 question covers World Rivers, Lakes & Important Water Bodies topic.

Q: What is the difficulty level of this question?

This UPSC Prelims 2018 Geography question has a hard difficulty level and is marked as an important question.

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Question

Which of the following has/have shrunk immensely/dried up in the recent past due to human activities?Aral SeaBlack SeaLake BaikalSelect the correct answer using the code given below:

Accepted Answer

Correct Answer: A — 1 onlyStep-by-step Solution:Aral Sea: The Aral Sea, once the fourth-largest lake in the world located between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, has shrunk by approximately 75% of its original size over the past 50 years. This is one of the worst environmental disasters caused by human activity. In the 1960s, Soviet irrigation projects diverted the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers — the Aral Sea's two main feeder rivers — to irrigate cotton fields in Central Asia. The sea's depth dropped from 68 metres to less than 10 metres in many areas. ✓Black Sea: The Black Sea has not shrunk or dried up due to human activities. It is a large saltwater sea connected to the Mediterranean via the Bosphorus Strait. While it does face environmental issues like eutrophication and pollution, it has not experienced significant shrinkage. ✗Lake Baikal: Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia — the world's deepest lake containing about 20% of the world's unfrozen fresh surface water — has experienced some fluctuations in water level. However, its water level fluctuations are primarily natural and seasonal. It has not shrunk immensely or dried up in the manner of the Aral Sea. ✗Why other options are incorrect:Option B (2 and 3): Neither the Black Sea nor Lake Baikal has shrunk immensely due to human activities.Option C (2 only): Black Sea has not shrunk.Option D (1 and 3): Lake Baikal's shrinkage is not comparable to that of the Aral Sea.Key Concept: The Aral Sea crisis is a classic case study in environmental geography and the consequences of unsustainable water use. It is frequently cited in UPSC questions on water bodies, environmental disasters, and human impact on geography. The remaining smaller water bodies are now called the North Aral Sea (Kazakhstan) and South Aral Sea (largely Uzbekistan), with extreme salinity.

Which of the following has/have shrunk immensely/dried up in the recent past due to human activities?Aral SeaBlack SeaLake BaikalSelect the correct answer using the code given below:

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Which of the following has/have shrunk immensely/dried up in the recent past due to human activities?Aral SeaBlack SeaLake BaikalSelect the correct answer using the code given below:

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