UPSC Prelims 2015 GS Paper I · Q77 of 100 Geography easy

Which one of the following countries of South-West Asia does not open out to the Mediterranean Sea?

  1. (a) Syria
  2. (b) Jordan ✓ UPSC's answer
  3. (c) Lebanon
  4. (d) Israel

Why the answer is (b)

• Syria (Latakia), Lebanon (Beirut) and Israel (Haifa, Tel Aviv) all have Mediterranean coastlines.

• Jordan is landlocked except for a 26-km coast on the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea); it does not open on the Mediterranean — option (b).

• Hence option (b).

Why the other options are wrong

(a) Syria
Syria has a Mediterranean coast.
(c) Lebanon
Lebanon has a Mediterranean coast.
(d) Israel
Israel has a Mediterranean coast.

Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2015, held on 23 August 2015. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.

Reading the answer is not the same as getting it right under a clock. Practise this question with UPSC's negative marking, and anything you miss goes into an error notebook until you get it right twice.

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