GIS Questions and Answers – GIS Definitions and Terminology

This set of GIS Multiple Choice Questions & Answers (MCQs) focuses on “GIS Definitions and Terminology”.

1. What is the basic output of GIS or spatial data analysis system?
a) Numbers
b) Software
c) Map
d) Locations
View Answer

Answer: c
Explanation: GIS is much more advanced than Computer Aided Design (CAD) or any other spatial data system. The basic output of GIS or spatial data analysis system is a map. The need to analyse maps to compare and contrast patterns of earth related phenomena, is confirmed by the long standing tradition of doing so with traditional maps.

2. Objects are things in the real world. Entities are things in the digital world. True or false?
a) True
b) False
View Answer

Answer: b
Explanation: ‘Entities’ are things in the real world. ‘Objects’ are things in the digital world. Digital objects and associated attributes and values represent geographical entities. The distinction between entity and objects makes explicit the difference between things and their representations in a formal system.

3. Any geographical phenomenon can be represented either as a field or as a collection of:
a) Points
b) Images
c) Digital Objects
d) Data
View Answer

Answer: c
Explanation: Many geographical phenomena are best described scientifically as fields. Good examples are topographic elevations, air temperatures, and soil moisture content.
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4. How many kinds of cartographic symbols are there?
a) Three
b) Four
c) Two
d) Five
View Answer

Answer: a
Explanation: There are three kinds of cartographic symbols: point, line, and area. Robinson discusses 2-dimensional data on ‘Mapping quantitative point, line, and area data’, and separates volume data under the title ‘Mapping 3-dimensional data’.

5. Attributes are the ____ data associated with time and area entities.
a) representational
b) descriptive
c) spatial
d) non-spatial
View Answer

Answer: d
Explanation: Attributes are the characteristics of the map features, and holding of the descriptive information about the geographic features. They are considered characteristics of entity (Lawrini and Thompson, 1992).

6. The GIS attributes are represented using colours, textures, and linear or graphic symbols. True or false?
a) True
b) False
View Answer

Answer: a
Explanation: The parks are shaded green, the church locations are designated using the special symbol, the bus routes are drawn with a specific line width and style, as broken lines of 12 points width and contour lines are brown in colour, and so on.

7. Flows of information levels, districts, capitals, and mandal names are considered:
a) tertiary attributes
b) primary attributes
c) secondary attributes
d) attributes
View Answer

Answer: c
Explanation: Broadly speaking two types of attributes may be distinguished: primary attributes and secondary attributes. Socioeconomic characteristics and physical properties of objects are some of the examples of primary attributes.
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8. In GIS, what is the term used to describe the geometric characteristic of objects which do not change under transformations and are independent of any coordinate system?
a) Topology
b) Spatial Data
c) Scale
d) Containment
View Answer

Answer: a
Explanation: The topological characteristics of an object are also independent of scale of measurement. Topology, as it relates to spatial data, consists of three elements, namely, adjacency, containment and connectivity. Topology may be defined as constituting those properties of geometrical figures that are invariant under continuous deformation.

9. What is the process of discrimination that converts complex geographical reality into a finite number of database records or objects?
a) Data Modelling
b) Geographical Data Modelling
c) Geographical Styling
d) Data Remodelling
View Answer

Answer: b
Explanation: Many geographical distributions, such as, those of soil variables are inherently complex, revealing more information at higher spatial resolution apparently without limit. Geographical data modelling is the process of discrimination that converts complex geographical reality into a finite number of database records or objects. Objects have geographical expression as points, lines, areas, and also possess descriptive attributes.
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10. Six field models which are in common use in GIS are, irregular point sampling, regular point sampling, contours, polygons, cell grid modelling and:
a) Data Remodelling
b) Triangular network models
c) Geographical Data Modelling
d) Slopes
View Answer

Answer: b
Explanation: Six field models are in common use in GIS: (i) irregular point sampling, (ii) regular point sampling, (iii) contours, (iv) polygons, (v) cell grid modelling, (vi) triangular network models. The object models are commonly used to represent man-made facilities.

Sanfoundry Global Education & Learning Series – GIS.

To practice all areas of GIS, here is complete set of Multiple Choice Questions and Answers.

If you find a mistake in question / option / answer, kindly take a screenshot and email to [email protected]

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Manish Bhojasia - Founder & CTO at Sanfoundry
Manish Bhojasia, a technology veteran with 20+ years @ Cisco & Wipro, is Founder and CTO at Sanfoundry. He lives in Bangalore, and focuses on development of Linux Kernel, SAN Technologies, Advanced C, Data Structures & Alogrithms. Stay connected with him at LinkedIn.

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