UPSC World Geography – Chapter 8: Tertiary and Quaternary Activities – Location of Services (20 MCQs)

← Back

UPSC World Geography – Chapter 8: Tertiary and Quaternary Activities – Location of Services (20 MCQs) – 20 questions, subject: Geography. Every question has the correct answer with a one-line explanation; tap "Show Answer". Free practice for TNPSC, UPSC, SSC, Bank and RRB exams – Shanmugam IAS Academy, Coimbatore.

Get daily current affairs & exam alerts – follow us YouTube WhatsApp Channel Telegram Channel Facebook Page Instagram
Share with friends & study groups
Link to this page from your website / blog (HTML code)
1.  

Research and development, consultancy and data processing are examples of:

Correct Answer: A [quaternary activities]

Explanation:

R&D, consultancy and data processing create and use knowledge and information, which defines quaternary activities.

2.  

The minimum number of customers needed to support a service is called its:

Correct Answer: B [threshold]

Explanation:

Threshold is the minimum number of customers or population needed to keep a service running.

3.  

The central place theory was put forward by:

Correct Answer: D [Walter Christaller]

Explanation:

1933.

4.  

"Gold-collar" professions belong to:

Correct Answer: B [quinary activities]

Explanation:

Quinary activities are top-level decision-making by executives, senior officials and leading scientists – the 'gold-collar' professions.

5.  

Moving a business process to a firm located in another country is called:

Correct Answer: C [offshoring]

Explanation:

Offshoring means moving work or a business process to another country, usually to cut costs.

6.  

India's first International Financial Services Centre is located at:

Correct Answer: D [GIFT City, Gandhinagar]

Explanation:

GIFT City in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, houses India's first International Financial Services Centre, operational since April 2015.

7.  

The most visited country in the world by international tourists is usually:

Correct Answer: A [France]

Explanation:

France receives the most international tourist arrivals – about 102 million in 2025, according to UN Tourism data.

8.  

Knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) includes:

Correct Answer: D [research and analytics]

Explanation:

KPO covers high-skill knowledge work such as research, analytics, and legal and medical services.

9.  

Data centres are most likely to be located where there is:

Correct Answer: A [cheap, reliable power and good cable links]

Explanation:

Data centres need cheap, reliable power for servers and cooling, plus cable links and favourable data laws.

10.  

Consider the following statements:

1. Threshold is the minimum number of customers needed to support a service.
2. Range is the maximum distance people will travel to use a service.
3. High-order services have a smaller range than low-order services.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: B [1 and 2 only]

Explanation:

Statements 1 and 2 define threshold and range correctly; statement 3 is false because high-order services have a larger range.

11.  

Assertion (A): India has become a major destination for outsourcing of IT-enabled services.

Reason (R): India has a large pool of skilled, English-speaking workers at relatively low cost.

Correct Answer: A [Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A]

Explanation:

Both are true and R explains A: skilled, English-speaking, lower-cost workers drew IT-enabled services work to India.

12.  

The WTO agreement that covers trade in services is the:

Correct Answer: D [GATS]

Explanation:

1995.

13.  

The International Financial Services Centres Authority was set up in:

Correct Answer: D [2020]

Explanation:

IFSCA was set up in 2020 under the IFSCA Act, 2019, as the unified regulator for International Financial Services Centres.

14.  

Which of the following is a tertiary activity?

Correct Answer: C [Retail trade]

Explanation:

Retail trade provides a service to customers rather than extracting or making goods, so it is tertiary.

15.  

Manila and Cebu are known as leading centres of:

Correct Answer: B [voice-based business process outsourcing]

Explanation:

The Philippines is a leading voice-based BPO destination, with call centres concentrated in Manila and Cebu.

16.  

Almost all intercontinental internet traffic is carried by:

Correct Answer: A [submarine cables]

Explanation:

Submarine fibre-optic cables carry almost all intercontinental internet traffic; satellites carry only a small share.

17.  

Arrange the following in chronological order:

1. GATS comes into force
2. Software Technology Parks of India set up
3. IFSCA established
4. Christaller's central place theory

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Correct Answer: C [4-2-1-3]

Explanation:

1933, 1991, 1995, 2020.

18.  

Dublin has attracted the European headquarters of many technology firms mainly because of:

Correct Answer: B [low corporate tax, English language and EU access]

Explanation:

Ireland's low corporate tax, English-speaking workforce and EU single-market access drew tech firms' European headquarters to Dublin.

19.  

Which of the following pairs of global financial centres generally ranks at the top?

Correct Answer: C [New York and London]

Explanation:

New York and London have held the top two places in the Global Financial Centres Index, including GFCI 40 (September 2026).

20.  

Medical tourism to India is mainly based on:

Correct Answer: A [skilled doctors and lower costs of treatment]

Explanation:

Patients come to India for skilled doctors and treatment costing far less than in developed countries.

➤ Full notes, maps, tables, a reason for every option and Mains PYQs – U10 · World Geography (UPSC book, ₹249): www.shanmugamiasacademy.in/study-materials/upsc-world-geography

📘 U10 · World Geography and Regional Studies – UPSC Civil Services (Prelims & Mains)
Here you get the answer with a one-line explanation. 21 chapters · 480 MCQs incl. UPSC Prelims PYQs with a reason for every option · 105 Mains questions + Mains PYQs · maps, tables, revision cards
Get the book – ₹249 ₹499 →
Score: 0 Answered: 0 / 0