SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 12 September 2025, Shift 2 · General Awareness · Question 11 of 100

We transcribed this text from the pictures on a candidate's response sheet for this shift; the answer is the key SSC colour-marked on that sheet. Solution last reviewed 13 September 2026.

Where this paper and its answers come from

SSC does not publish CGL question papers or a public answer key. From 2025 the candidate response sheet prints every question and option as a picture, so the text here is transcribed from those pictures for this shift and checked against them independently; where the layout carries meaning, the picture is shown as well. Each answer is the key SSC colour-marked on that sheet. SSC released a tentative key for challenge and later its final one, both only to candidates behind a login, and the sheet does not say which of the two it carries. The solutions are written by UnlockIAS.

Which of the following types of landslides involves backward rotation of the slipping material?

(a)Rockslide
(b)Rock fall
(c)Slump
(d)Debris fall

Answer

Why

Correct — C. NCERT's Class XI Fundamentals of Physical Geography defines slump as the slipping of one or several units of rock debris with a backward rotation with respect to the slope over which the movement takes place.

It sets slump against debris slide, the rapid rolling or sliding of earth debris without that rotation → option (c).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
Rockslide — A rockslide is individual rock masses sliding down bedding, joint or fault surfaces. NCERT's definition carries no backward rotation.
(b)
Rock fall — Rock fall is the free fall of rock blocks over a steep slope, keeping away from the slope. The rock falls clear, so nothing slips or rotates.
(d)
Debris fall — Debris fall is a nearly free fall of earth debris from a vertical or overhanging face. It drops rather than slipping along the slope.

Concept

NCERT treats landslides as relatively rapid, perceptible movements of relatively dry material. They are one form of mass movement, driven by gravity with no agent like running water, glaciers or wind taking part.

It names each kind by how the mass moves:
Slump: debris slips with a backward rotation.
Debris slide: debris slides without that rotation.
Rockslide: rock masses slide down bedding, joint or fault surfaces.

Two of the options are falls, which leave the slope altogether, so they cannot rotate on it. That leaves rockslide against slump, and NCERT gives the rotation to slump alone.

Key facts

Slump is the slipping of rock debris with a backward rotation with respect to the slope (NCERT Class XI).
Debris slide is the rapid rolling or sliding of earth debris without backward rotation.
Rock fall is the free falling of rock blocks over a steep slope, keeping away from the slope.
Rockslide affects materials up to a substantial depth, while rock falls occur from the superficial layers of the rock face.

Study next

Slow mass movements: creep and solifluctionRapid mass movements: earthflow, mudflow and debris avalancheWeathering, mass wasting and erosion as degradational processes

Common traps

Attaching backward rotation to rockslide, which NCERT defines by sliding down bedding, joint or fault surfaces.
Treating falls as slides: a fall leaves the slope, a slide moves along it.

Here a landslide type is picked out by its motion. The same NCERT definitions return at 14 Sep 2025, 12:30, GA Q.8, where 'backward rotation of debris' is a wrong option for rockslide (keyed: affects material to considerable depth).

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Geography — all 179 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.