Question 1:
What causes rainfall on the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu in the beginning of winters?
- S.W. Monsoons
- Temperate cyclons
- N.E. Monsoons
- Local air circulation
Answer:
(c). N.E. Monsoons
Question 2:
What is the proportion of area of India which receives annual rainfall less than 75 cms?
- Half
- One third
- Two third
- Three fourths
Answer:
(d). Three fourths
Question 3:
Which one of the following is not a fact regarding South India?
- Diurnal range of temperature is less here.
- Annual range of temperature is less here.
- Temperatures here are high throughout the year.
- Extreme climatic conditions are found here.
Answer:
(d). Extreme climatic conditions are found here.
Question 4:
Which one of the following phenomenon happens when the sun shines vertically over the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere?
- High pressure develops over Northwestern India due to low temperatures.
- Low pressure develops over Northwestern India due to high temperatures.
- No changes in temperature and pressure occur in north-western India.
- ‘Loo’ blows in the North-western India.
Answer:
(a). High pressure develops over Northwestern India due to low temperatures.
Question 5:
In which of the following states in India do we find ‘As’ type of climate as per Koeppen’s classification?
- In Kerala and coastal Karnataka
- In Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
- On Coromandel coast
- In Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
Answer:
(c). On Coromandel coast
Question 6:
What are the three important factors which influence the mechanism of Indian weather?
Answer:
Broadly speaking, the mechanism of Indian
weather is influenced by the following three factors :
(a) Surface distribution of pressure and winds
which includes Monsoons, location of low pressure
and high pressure.
(b) Upper air circulation which includes global
weather conditions like air masses and Jet stream.
(c) Atmospheric disturbances like western cyclones
and tropical cyclones causing rainfall.
Question 7:
What is the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (I.T.C.Z.)?
Answer:
Intertropical covergence zone is a narrow equatorial low pressure belt found near the surface on the equator. It changes its position with the shifting of the sun. I.T.C.Z shifts northward to 25°N in summer. It forms a zone of contact of winds and results in the attraction of S.W. Monsoons. In winter, I.T.C.Z. shifts southwards.
Question 8:
What is meant by the phrase ‘Monsoon Burst’ and name the place which gets highest rainfall in India?
Answer:
The monsoon winds blow in South-west
direction on the West coast. These are highly charged
with water vapour. It advances rapidly over West
coast. The rains begin rather suddenly in the first
week of June. This sudden onset of rain is often
termed as ‘Monsoon Burst’. The rainfall is heavy
accompanied by thunder and lightning. The rain is so
sudden and heavy that it appears as if a balloon of
water has been burst.
In India, Mawsynram is the rainiest place (1187
cms). It is located on the slopes of Khasi hills.
Question 9:
Define climatic region. Where are the basis of Koeppen’s climatic classification?
Answer:
A climatic region is an area which has almost
uniform atmospheric conditions of temperature,
rainfall, clouds, pressure and wind.
Koeppen has divided India into different climatic
divisions. It is based on monthly values of temperature
and precipitation.
Question 10:
Which type of cyclones provide rainfall in rabi crop growing regions of N.W. India during winter ? Where do they originate?
Answer:
In states of N.W. India, temperature cyclones give rainfall. These cyclones come from Mediterranean Sea and enter India along with jet stream. Hilly areas get snowfall. These are useful for Rabi crops as wheat.
Question 11:
“Notwithstanding its broad climatic unity, the climate of India has many regional variations.” Elaborate this statement giving suitable examples.
Answer:
Due to the vast size of India, many regional
variations in climatic conditions are found. But due to
the influence of monsoons, India as a whole is considered
a meteorological unit. India has a broad unity of
Monsoon type of climate having same rhythm of season.
Many factors like location, altitude, distance from the
sea, general relief produce regional variations in pattern
of winds, temperature and rainfall. These differences
are like sub-types of the basic monsoon type of climate.
The given ahead examples illustrate the climatic
differences :
(a) Temperature. Barmer (Rajasthan) has recorded
day temperatures of 50° C in summer, while hilly regions
like Gulmarg (Kashmir) have a day temperature of 22°C
in June. The winter temperatures at Dras and Kargil
(Ladakh) fall as low as – 40°C, on the other hand Chennai
may record only 20°C in December. The annual range of
temperature is about 12°C at Cochin while it is about
40°C in Punjab. Coastal regions have almost uniform
temperatures throughout the year.
(b) Rainfall. Striking differences are found in rainfall
pattern. Cherrapunji (Mawsynram) with an annual
rainfall of 1280 cms. is the rainiest place in the world,
while Jaisalmer (Rajasthan) rarely gets more than 12
cms. of annual rainfall. The East coastal plain gets rainstorms
while Coromandel coast remains dry. When
Brahmaputra valley is submerged with floods, it is
drought in Bihar.
(c) Monsoons. The dates of onset and withdrawal
of Monsoons differ in various parts. The west coast
monsoons in the first week of June, while the interior
parts like Punjab have monsoons by the first week of
July.
(d) Seasons. The southern parts of the country
have uniformly high temperatures throughout the
year. There is no winter season in the south. On the
other hand seasonal extremes are found in the north.
‘Loo’ produces a heat wave in summer while cold wave
is felt in winter.