Q60. Which crop generally benefits from rainfall caused by western disturbances in India?
[UPSC NDA-II General Ability (3 September 2023)]
(A) Rice
(B) Wheat
(C) Bajra
(D) Cotton
Answer: (B) Wheat
Explanation: Western disturbances bring valuable rain to northern and northwestern India during winter. This moisture helps the growth of wheat, a major rabi crop. Rice and cotton largely depend on warmer growing seasons and other rainfall or irrigation patterns.
Q59. Which location gets the least monsoon-season rainfall among the following?
[SSC MTS (1 September 2023, Shift 3)]
(A) Kerala
(B) Assam
(C) Leh
(D) Meghalaya
Answer: (C) Leh
Explanation: Leh is in the Ladakh cold desert, sheltered from rain-bearing winds by major Himalayan mountain barriers. Its rainfall is consequently much lower than in Kerala, Assam or Meghalaya. The latter locations lie within regions strongly affected by moisture-rich monsoon circulation.
Q58. Which state usually has little difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures?
[SSC MTS (1 September 2023, Shift 2)]
(A) Rajasthan
(B) Bihar
(C) Kerala
(D) Punjab
Answer: (C) Kerala
Explanation: Kerala’s maritime position near the Arabian Sea moderates daily temperatures because water warms and cools slowly. Its high humidity also reduces nighttime cooling. Arid inland regions such as Rajasthan generally exhibit larger day–night temperature differences.
Q57. What is the phenomenon called when rain fails for one or more weeks during the southwest monsoon period?
[SSC CHSL Tier I (14 August 2023, Shift 2)]
(A) Withdrawal of monsoon
(B) Break in monsoon
(C) El Niño
(D) Monsoon depression
Answer: (B) Break in monsoon
Explanation: A break in the monsoon describes a temporary lull in rainfall within the rainy season. Changes in monsoon trough position and convection can suppress precipitation over parts of India. A monsoon depression usually supports rain rather than describing the lull.
Q56. Which statement correctly describes the Indian monsoon and the ITCZ?
[SSC CHSL Tier I (10 August 2023, Shift 1)]
(A) Shifts in ITCZ position influence India’s monsoon
(B) ITCZ lies over Indo-Gangetic plains in February
(C) ITCZ occurs only during winter
(D) ITCZ does not affect Indian monsoon
Answer: (A) Shifts in ITCZ position influence India’s monsoon
Explanation: The Intertropical Convergence Zone migrates with seasonal solar heating and helps locate the monsoon trough. When it shifts northward, low pressure over India favors monsoon circulation. Its movement is therefore an important control on rain-bearing winds.
Q55. In which direction do cross-equatorial southeast trade winds blow over India in southwest monsoon season?
[SSC CHSL Tier I (8 August 2023, Shift 4)]
(A) Southeasterly
(B) Northwesterly
(C) Southwesterly
(D) Northeasterly
Answer: (C) Southwesterly
Explanation: Southeast trade winds cross the Equator and are deflected to the right in the Northern Hemisphere through the Coriolis effect. They therefore become southwesterly over India and carry moisture from adjoining ocean basins inland during summer.
Q54. Which is NOT a major factor influencing the climate of India?
[SSC CHSL Tier I (4 August 2023, Shift 2)]
(A) Himalayan Mountains
(B) Sahara Desert
(C) Indian Ocean
(D) Western Ghats
Answer: (B) Sahara Desert
Explanation: The Himalayas, Indian Ocean and Western Ghats directly influence India’s winds, temperature and precipitation. The distant Sahara Desert is not ordinarily counted among the principal local climatic controls. Topography and ocean proximity are especially significant.
Q53. Which state receives rainfall during the retreating monsoon?
[SSC CHSL Tier I (3 August 2023, Shift 2)]
(A) Madhya Pradesh
(B) Gujarat
(C) Bihar
(D) Tamil Nadu
Answer: (D) Tamil Nadu
Explanation: Tamil Nadu receives a large portion of its annual rain from northeast winds during and after southwest monsoon withdrawal. The winds gather moisture over the Bay of Bengal. The other listed states generally rely more heavily on summer monsoon rains.
Q52. What is the expected Indian monsoon outcome when the pressure difference at Tahiti is negative, according to the Southern Oscillation relationship?
[SSC CGL Tier I (27 July 2023, Shift 3)]
(A) Above-average late monsoon
(B) Drought
(C) Below-average and late monsoon
(D) Above-average and early monsoon
Answer: (C) Below-average and late monsoon
Explanation: The pressure relationship between Tahiti and Darwin reflects the Southern Oscillation. An unfavorable pressure pattern can weaken the Walker circulation supporting India’s summer monsoon, increasing the risk of deficient or delayed rainfall. The published examination key selects option C.
Q51. Which statement correctly describes the daily temperature range of coastal Kerala?
[SSC CGL Tier I (26 July 2023, Shift 4)]
(A) Coastal Kerala has a small day–night temperature difference
(B) Rajasthan has a very small day–night difference
(C) Southern India has extreme winter cold
(D) Central India has heavy rain throughout the year
Answer: (A) Coastal Kerala has a small day–night temperature difference
Explanation: Kerala’s coastal climate is moderated by the adjacent Arabian Sea, which heats and cools more slowly than land. As a result, day and night temperatures tend to differ less than those of inland deserts, where temperature swings are greater.
