International Trade – NDA Geography PYQs

NDA 2024-I

Q. 1. Identify the sea-port in India on the basis of the given characteristics:

1. It is more than a century old port on the west coast of India.

2. It is a natural harbour protected by a breakwater and also by a mole.

3. A deep draft channel of about 14 metres depth permits large vessels to enter the harbour.

(a) Mormugao Port

(b) Deendayal Port

(c) Cochin Port

(d) Jawaharlal Nehru Port

Answer: (a) Mormugao Port

Explanation: Mormugao Port in Goa is more than a century old: it was developed as a major port during the colonial era. It is located on the west coast of India at the mouth of the Zuari River estuary. It is a natural harbour that is additionally protected by a breakwater and a mole (a stone or concrete pier). The deep draft channel (~14 metres) allows large vessels, including ore carriers, to dock. Deendayal Port (Kandla) is a tidal port in Gujarat. Cochin Port is a natural lagoon harbour in Kerala. JNPT is an artificial container port in Maharashtra. Concept Tested: Mormugao Port, Goa: century-old west coast natural harbour with breakwater and 14-metre deep draft channel

NDA 2021-II

Q. 2. Match List I (Place) with List II (Feature) and select the correct answer:

List I (Place)	List II (Feature)
A. Mumbai	1. Queen of the Arabian Sea
B. Visakhapatnam	2. Biggest port of India
C. Chennai	3. Land-locked harbour
D. Kochi	4. Oldest port on the Eastern Coast

Codes:

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

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

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

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

Answer: (a) A-2, B-4, C-3, D-1

Explanation: Mumbai (A) → Biggest port of India (2). Mumbai (including JNPT/Nhava Sheva) handles the largest cargo volume of any Indian port. Visakhapatnam (B) → Oldest port on the Eastern Coast (4). Visakhapatnam (Vizag) is considered the oldest port on India’s eastern coast, with a long history of maritime trade. Chennai (C) → Land-locked harbour (3). Chennai Port is an artificial harbour built with a breakwater: not a natural harbour, and the term “land-locked” here refers to its artificial/enclosed harbour structure. Kochi (D) → Queen of the Arabian Sea (1). Kochi has historically been called the “Queen of the Arabian Sea” due to its strategic location and beautiful natural harbour. Concept Tested: Port nicknames: Mumbai (biggest), Visakhapatnam (oldest east coast), Chennai (enclosed harbour), Kochi (Queen of Arabian Sea)

NDA 2020-I

Q. 3. Deendayal Port is located at:

(a) Kerala

(b) Gujarat

(c) Maharashtra

(d) Goa

Answer: (b) Gujarat

Explanation: Deendayal Port is the renamed name of Kandla Port. It was renamed in honour of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya in 2017. It is located in the Kutch district of Gujarat, at the head of the Gulf of Kutch. It is one of India’s largest ports by cargo throughput. Mormugao Port is in Goa. Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) is in Maharashtra (Navi Mumbai). Kochi Port is in Kerala. Concept Tested: Deendayal Port = Kandla Port (renamed 2017): located in Kutch, Gujarat, at the head of Gulf of Kutch

★ JOVIK Exam Insight India’s major port name changes for NDA: Deendayal Port → formerly Kandla Port (Gujarat). Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port → formerly Kolkata Port. Kamarajar Port → formerly Ennore Port (Tamil Nadu). Major port renaming questions have appeared in NDA 2019-II and 2020-I. Know the new names and their locations.

NDA 2019-II

Q. 4. Paradeep Port is located on the delta of which river?

(a) Rihand

(b) Ganga

(c) Mahanadi

(d) Baitarani

Answer: (c) Mahanadi

Explanation: Paradeep Port is located at the mouth of the Mahanadi River on the northeastern coast of Odisha. The port sits on the delta where the Mahanadi meets the Bay of Bengal. The Rihand and Baitarani are rivers in Chhattisgarh/Odisha but not associated with Paradeep. The Ganga delta is in West Bengal/Bangladesh (Sunderbans area), far from Paradeep. Concept Tested: Paradeep Port: located at the mouth of the Mahanadi River delta, Odisha

NDA 2019-I

Q. 5. Kamarajar Port was commissioned in 2001 to handle thermal coal requirements. It is situated along the coast of which Indian State?

(a) Andhra Pradesh

(b) Odisha

(c) Tamil Nadu

(d) Karnataka

Answer: (c) Tamil Nadu

Explanation: Kamarajar Port (formerly known as Ennore Port) is located near Chennai, in Thiruvallur district, Tamil Nadu. It was commissioned in 2001 and was India’s first corporate port. It was specifically built to handle coal imports for the nearby North Chennai Thermal Power Station and other thermal power plants in the region. Kamarajar Port is the only other major port in India (besides Jawaharlal Nehru Port) to have corporate entity status. Concept Tested: Kamarajar Port (Ennore): Tamil Nadu; India’s first corporate port; handles thermal coal

NDA 2018-I

Q. 6. Match List I (Major Port) with List II (Location) and select the correct answer:

List I (Major Port)	List II (Location)
A. Kolkata	1. Landlocked Area
B. Mormugao	2. In the delta region
C. Visakhapatnam	3. On the riverside
D. Paradip	4. On the entrance of the estuary

Codes:

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

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

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

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

Answer: (b) A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2

Explanation: Kolkata (A) → On the riverside (3). Kolkata Port is on the Hooghly River: a river port. Mormugao (B) → On the entrance of the estuary (4). Mormugao Port in Goa is at the entrance of the Zuari River estuary on the Arabian Sea coast. Visakhapatnam (C) → Landlocked Area (1). Visakhapatnam has a natural landlocked harbour protected by surrounding hills: not on an open coast. Paradip (D) → In the delta region (2). Paradip (Paradeep) Port is in the Mahanadi delta on the Odisha coast. Concept Tested: Port location types: Kolkata (riverside), Mormugao (estuary entrance), Visakhapatnam (landlocked), Paradip (delta)

NDA 2015-II

Q. 7. Which one of the following is not a sea port?

(a) Paradeep

(b) Haldia

(c) Diamond Harbour

(d) Dhamra

Answer: (c) Diamond Harbour

Explanation: Diamond Harbour is located on the Hooghly River in South 24 Parganas district, West Bengal. It is a river port on the Hooghly: not a sea port. Paradeep: sea port on the Bay of Bengal coast, Odisha ✓. Haldia: sea port on the Bay of Bengal (technically at the Hooghly mouth); major bulk cargo port, West Bengal ✓. Dhamra: sea port on the Odisha coast, on the Dhamra River estuary near Bhadrak . Concept Tested: Diamond Harbour: river port on the Hooghly (not a sea port); Paradeep, Haldia, Dhamra are sea ports

Q. 8. Which one of the following sea routes is the shortest from point to point?

(a) Kolkata to Yangon

(b) Kolkata to Chennai

(c) Chennai to Port Blair

(d) Mumbai to Colombo

Answer: (b) Kolkata to Chennai

Explanation: Approximate sea route distances: Kolkata to Yangon (Myanmar): ~1,200 km. Kolkata to Chennai: ~1,100–1,200 km (along the east coast). Chennai to Port Blair (Andaman): ~1,400 km. Mumbai to Colombo (Sri Lanka): ~1,200–1,400 km. The source records Kolkata to Chennai as the shortest. The coastal route south along the Bay of Bengal from Kolkata to Chennai is shorter than the open-sea routes to Yangon, Port Blair, or Colombo. Concept Tested: Shortest sea route among options: Kolkata to Chennai (coastal Bay of Bengal route)

NDA 2012-I

Q. 9. Match List-I (Port) with List-II (Special Feature) and select the correct answer:

List I (Port)	List II (Special Feature)
A. Kandla	1. Deepest landlocked protected port
B. Kochi	2. Located at mouth of lagoon
C. Vishakhapatnam	3. Tidal port
D. Kolkata	4. Inland riverine port

Codes:

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

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

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

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

Answer: (a) A-3, B-2, C-1, D-4

Explanation: Kandla (A) → Tidal port (3). Kandla (now Deendayal Port) is a tidal port: ships can enter only at high tide because of the shallow, tidal nature of the Gulf of Kutch. Kochi (B) → Located at mouth of lagoon (2). Kochi (Cochin) Port is situated at the mouth of the Vembanad Lake/lagoon: a natural backwater harbour. Vishakhapatnam (C) → Deepest landlocked protected port (1). Visakhapatnam has a natural landlocked harbour protected by surrounding hills: it is one of India’s deepest ports. Kolkata (D) → Inland riverine port (4). Kolkata Port is on the Hooghly River, about 145 km from the sea: India’s only major inland river port. Concept Tested: Port special features: Kandla (tidal), Kochi (lagoon), Visakhapatnam (deepest landlocked), Kolkata (riverine)

★ JOVIK Exam Insight Port characteristics are a recurring NDA match-the-following category: Kolkata (Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port) → Riverine port on Hooghly; ~145 km inland. Visakhapatnam → Deepest landlocked harbour (protected by Eastern Ghats). Kochi → Natural harbour at mouth of Vembanad lagoon/backwater. Kandla/Deendayal → Tidal port; Gulf of Kutch; tidal range limits access. Paradeep → On Mahanadi delta; east coast. Mumbai (JNPT/Nhava Sheva) → Largest port; natural harbour protected by islands.

NDA 2011-I

Q. 10. Which one among the following is a correct sequence of the Indian ports from North to South?

(a) Haldia–Kandla–Paradeep–Kochi

(b) Kandla–Haldia–Paradeep–Kochi

(c) Kandla–Haldia–Kochi–Paradeep

(d) Kochi–Kandla–Haldia–Paradeep

Answer: (b) Kandla–Haldia–Paradeep–Kochi

Explanation: Approximate latitudes: Kandla (Gujarat): ~22.5°N. Northernmost of the four. Haldia (West Bengal): ~22°N. Note: Haldia is very slightly south of Kandla by latitude, but it is on the eastern coast. In a north-to-south listing across all coasts, Kandla (west) and Haldia (east) are at similar latitudes. Paradeep (Odisha): ~20°N. Kochi (Kerala): ~10°N. Southernmost. North-to-south: Kandla → Haldia → Paradeep → Kochi. Concept Tested: North-to-south sequence of Indian ports: Kandla (~22.5°N) > Haldia (~22°N) > Paradeep (~20°N) > Kochi (~10°N)

NDA 2010-II

Q. 11. Iron ore from Kudremukh is most likely to be exported through:

[Note: The source options list Indian states: Orissa, Tripura, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan: rather than ports. This appears to be a source transcription error; the question likely asked about the port used for export. Kudremukh iron ore was exported through New Mangalore Port in Karnataka. Among the states given, none is Karnataka. Verify against the official NDA 2010-II paper; the original options may have listed port names rather than state names.]

(a) Orissa

(b) Tripura

(c) Chhattisgarh

(d) Rajasthan

Answer: Source flagged: options appear corrupted. Verify against official NDA 2010-II key.

Explanation: Kudremukh Iron Ore Company (KIOCL) in Chikkamagaluru district, Karnataka, exported its iron ore slurry through a pipeline to Mangalore, from where it was shipped via New Mangalore Port. Kudremukh mine operations were shut down by the Supreme Court in 2005 for environmental reasons. Among the options listed in the source (Orissa, Tripura, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan), none is Karnataka where New Mangalore Port is located. This appears to be a transcription error in the source document. Concept Tested: Kudremukh iron ore exported via New Mangalore Port (Karnataka): source options appear to be incorrectly transcribed

NDA 2008-I

Q. 12. Which among the following is the major item of export from Paradeep Port?

(a) Rice

(b) Tea

(c) Fish

(d) Iron Ore

Answer: (d) Iron Ore

Explanation: Paradeep Port (also spelled Paradip) in Odisha handles the export of iron ore from the mineral-rich hinterland: particularly from the Bailadila mines in Chhattisgarh and the Keonjhar/Sundargarh area of Odisha. It is one of India’s major ports for bulk cargo. Iron ore was historically its largest export commodity. Rice, tea, and fish are agricultural/perishable commodities not primarily associated with Paradeep’s bulk port trade. Concept Tested: Paradeep Port, Odisha: major export commodity is iron ore from Chhattisgarh and Odisha mines

Q. 13. Consider the following statements:

1. Kandla Port is situated at the head of Gulf of Khambhat.

2. Paradeep Port is situated in the Mahanadi Delta.

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: (b) 2 only

Explanation: Statement 1: Incorrect. Kandla Port (now Deendayal Port) is situated at the head of the Gulf of KUTCH in Gujarat: not the Gulf of Khambhat. The Gulf of Khambhat (Cambay) is further south, towards Surat/Bharuch. Statement 2: Correct. Paradeep Port is located at the mouth of the Mahanadi River on the Odisha coast. Concept Tested: Kandla is at Gulf of Kutch (NOT Khambhat); Paradeep is in the Mahanadi delta: classic NDA distinction

★ JOVIK Exam Insight India’s two major western gulfs are frequently confused in NDA: Gulf of Kutch: Kandla/Deendayal Port; Gujarat (north). Gulf of Khambhat (Cambay): No major port here; area around Bharuch/Surat; Gujarat (central-south). Kandla is specifically at the head of the Gulf of Kutch. Remember: Kutch = Kandla = northwest Gujarat.

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