Geography › Atmosphere & Climatology – UPSC Prelims PYQs

With reference to the climate of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which of the following statements is/are correct ?

1. The climate can be defined as a humid, tropical coastal climate.
2. It receives rainfall from both South-west monsoon and North-east monsoon.
3. Maximum precipitation is between December and May.

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Consider the following statements :

Statement I : The amount of dust particles in the atmosphere is more in subtropical and temperate areas than in equatorial and polar regions.

Statement II : Subtropical and temperate areas have less dry winds.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Consider the following statements :

Statement I : In January, in the Northern Hemisphere, the isotherms bend equatorward while crossing the landmasses, and poleward while crossing the oceans.

Statement II : In January, the air over the oceans is warmer than that over the landmasses in the Northern Hemisphere.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Consider the following statements :

Statement-I : The atmosphere is heated more by incoming solar radiation than by terrestrial radiation.

Statement-II : Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are good absorbers of long wave radiation.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements ?

Consider the following statements :

Statement-I : Thickness of the troposphere at the equator is much greater as compared to poles.

Statement-II : At the equator, heat is transported to great heights by strong convectional currents.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements ?

Which of the following is/are correct inference/inferences from isothermal maps in the month of January ?

1. The isotherms deviate to the north over the ocean and to the south over the continent.
2. The presence of cold ocean currents, Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Drift make the North Atlantic Ocean colder and the isotherms bend towards the north.

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With reference to “water vapour”, which of the following statements is/are correct ?

1. It is a gas, the amount of which decreases with altitude.
2. Its percentage is maximum at the poles.

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Consider the following description :

1. Annual and daily range of temperatures is low.
2. Precipitation occurs throughout the year.
3. Precipitation varies between 50 cm – 250 cm.

What is this type of climate ?

With reference to “Coriolis force”, which of the following statements is/are correct ?

1. It increases with increase in wind velocity.
2. It is maximum at the poles and is absent at the equator.

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With reference to the Earth's atmosphere, which one of the following statements is correct?

Consider the following statements : Statement–I : The temperature contrast between continents and oceans is greater during summer than in winter. Statement–II : The specific heat of water is more than that of land surface.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Consider the following statements :

1. High clouds primarily reflect solar radiation and cool the surface of the Earth.
2. Low clouds have a high absorption of infrared radiation emanating from the Earth's surface and thus cause warming effect.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Consider the following statements :

1. In the tropical zone, the western sections of the oceans are warmer than the eastern sections owing to the influence of trade winds.
2. In the temperate zone, westerlies make the eastern sections of oceans warmer than the western sections.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Consider the following statements :

1. Jet streams occur in the Northern Hemisphere only.
2. Only some cyclones develop an eye.
3. The temperature inside the eye of a cyclone is nearly 10°C lesser than that of the surroundings.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Why are dewdrops not formed on a cloudy night?

With reference to 'Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD)' sometimes mentioned in the news while forecasting Indian monsoon, which of the following statements is/are correct ?

1. IOD phenomenon is characterised by a difference in sea surface temperature between tropical Western Indian Ocean and tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean.
2. An IOD phenomenon can influence an El Nino's impact on the monsoon.

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In the South Atlantic and South-Eastern Pacific regions in tropical latitudes, cyclone does not originate. What is the reason?

Consider the following statements :

1. The winds which blow between 30° N and 60° S latitudes throughout the year are known as westerlies.
2. The moist air masses that cause winter rains in North-Western region of India are part of westerlies.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

"Each day is more or less the same, the morning is clear and bright with a sea breeze; as the Sun climbs high in the sky, heat mounts up, dark clouds form, then rain comes with thunder and lightning. But rain is soon over."

Which of the following regions is described in the above passage?

The seasonal reversal of winds is the typical characteristic of

The annual range of temperature in the interior of the continents is high as compared to coastal areas. What is/are the reason/reasons?

1. Thermal difference between land and water
2. Variation in altitude between continents and oceans
3. Presence of strong winds in the interior
4. Heavy rains in the interior as compared to coasts

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“Climate is extreme, rainfall is scanty and the people used to be nomadic herders.” The above statement best describes which of the following regions?

During a thunderstorm, the thunder in the skies is produced by the

1. Meeting of cumulonimbus clouds in the sky
2. Lightning that separates the nimbus clouds
3. Violent upward movement of air and water particles

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Normally, the temperature decreases with the increase in height from the Earth's surface, because

1. the atmosphere can be heated upwards only from the Earth's surface
2. there is more moisture in the upper atmosphere
3. the air is less dense in the upper atmosphere

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Consider the following statements :

1. The duration of the monsoon decreases from southern India to northern India.
2. The amount of annual rainfall in the northern plains of India decreases from east to west.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Which one of the following is the characteristic climate of the Tropical Savannah Region?

A layer in the Earth’s atmosphere called Ionosphere facilitates radio communication. Why?

1. The presence of ozone causes the reflection of radio waves to Earth.
2. Radio waves have a very long wavelength.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

La Nina is suspected to have caused recent floods in Australia. How is La Nina different from El Nino ?

1. La Nina is characterised by unusually cold ocean temperature in equatorial Indian Ocean whereas El Nino is characterised by unusually warm ocean temperature in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.
2. El Nino has adverse effect on south-west monsoon of India, but La Nina has no effect on monsoon climate.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Westerlies in southern hemisphere are stronger and persistent than in northern hemisphere. Why?

1. Southern hemisphere has less landmass as compared to northern hemisphere.
2. Coriolis force is higher in southern hemisphere as compared to northern hemisphere

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

What could be the main reason/reasons for the formation of African and Eurasian desert belt?

1. It is located in the sub-tropical high pressure cells.
2. It is under the influence of warm ocean currents.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct in this context?

The jet aircrafts fly very easily and smoothly in the lower stratosphere. What could be the appropriate explanation?

1. There are no clouds or water vapour in the lower stratosphere.
2. There are no vertical winds in the lower stratosphere.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct in this context?

A geographic region has the following distinct characteristics:

1. Warm and dry climate
2. Mild and wet winter
3. Evergreen oak trees The above features are the distinct characteristics of which one of the following regions?

What causes wind to deflect toward left in the Southern hemisphere?

Consider the following statements :

1. In the world, the tropical deserts occur along the western margins of continents within the trade wind belt.
2. In India, the East Himalayan region gets high rainfall from north-east winds.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Consider the following statements:

1. Either of the two belts over the ocean at about 30°–35° N and S latitudes is known as Horse Latitude.
2. Horse Latitudes are low-pressure belts.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Consider the following statements:

1. The annual range of temperature is greater in the Pacific Ocean than in the Atlantic Ocean.
2. The annual range of temperature is greater in the Northern Hemisphere than in the Southern Hemisphere.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Consider the following statements :

1. Length of a terrestrial mile is lesser than that of a nautical mile.
2. Harmattan is a dusty land-wind of the East African Coast.
3. Greece and Albania form a part of the Iberian Peninsula.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Assertion (A): Wind patterns are clockwise in the northern hemisphere and anti-clockwise in the southern hemisphere.

Reason (R): The directions of wind patterns in the northern and the southern hemisphere are governed by the Coriolis Effect.

Which one of the following is the correct sequence of the given Indian cities in the decreasing order of their normal annual rainfall?

Which one of the following statements is correct?

Assertion (A): Bangalore receives much higher average annual rainfall than Mangalore.

Reason (R): Bangalore has the benefit of receiving rainfall both from south-west and north-east monsoons.

Assertion (A): The thickness of the atmosphere is maximum over the Equator.

Reason (R): High insolation and strong convection currents occur over the Equator.

Assertion (A): The amount of moisture in the atmosphere is related to latitude.

Reason (R): The capacity to hold moisture in the form of water vapour is related to temperature.

Assertion (A): Areas lying within five to eight degrees latitude on either side of the equator receive rainfall throughout the year.

Reason (R): High temperatures and high humidity cause convectional rain to fall mostly in the afternoons near the equator.

Consider the following climatic and geographical phenomena:

1. Condensation
2. High temperature and humidity
3. Orography
4. Vertical wind Thunder-cloud development is due to which of these phenomena?

For short-term climate prediction,

which one of the following events, detected in the last decade, is associated with occasional weak monsoon rains in the Indian sub-continent?

Sun’s halo is produced by the refraction of light in

The average annual temperature of a meteorological station is 26 °C, its average annual rainfall is 63 cm and the annual range of temperature is 9 °C. The station in Q is

Consider the following statements:

1. In equatorial regions, the year is divided into four main seasons
2. In Mediterranean region, summer receives more rain
3. In China type climate, rainfall occurs throughout the year
4. Tropical highlands exhibit vertical zonation of different climates

Which of these statements are correct?

Assertion (A): 60°–65° latitudes in both the hemispheres have a low-pressure belt instead of high pressure.

Reason (R): The low-pressure areas are permanent over oceans rather than on land.