Climatology MCQs for UPSC Prelims

109 practice questions on Climatology from the Geography section of the UPSC Prelims syllabus. 109 come with a written explanation and 34 are actual previous year questions. Try the sample set below - the answer stays hidden until you ask for it.

20 Easy 53 Medium 36 Hard 34 from past papers

Sample questions

Q1
Previous year question hard

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?

  1. A Both Statement I and Statement II are correct and Statement II explains Statement I
  2. B Both Statement I and Statement II are correct but Statement II does not explain Statement I
  3. C Statement I is correct but Statement II is not correct
  4. D Statement I is not correct but Statement II is correct
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - Both Statement I and Statement II are correct and Statement II explains Statement I

In January the Northern Hemisphere landmasses cool faster than the oceans, so isotherms bend equatorward over the colder continents and poleward over the warmer oceans, making statement I correct. Statement II is also correct because in winter the oceans retain heat and are warmer than the adjacent land. Since this warmer ocean air is precisely the reason the isotherms bend the way they do, statement II explains statement I.

Q2
Previous year question medium

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 Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

  1. A 1 only
  2. B 1 and 2 only
  3. C 2 and 3 only
  4. D 1, 2, 3 and 4
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - 1 only

Land heats and cools faster than water, so continental interiors away from the moderating influence of the sea experience much hotter summers and colder winters, giving a high annual temperature range; this thermal difference between land and water (statement 1) is the key reason, so option (a) is correct. Statement 2 is wrong because the contrast arises from the differing thermal properties of land and water, not from altitude differences between continents and oceans. Coastal areas, not interiors, generally receive stronger maritime winds and heavier rainfall, so statements 3 and 4 are incorrect, eliminating options (b), (c) and (d).

Q3
Previous year question easy

Why are dewdrops not formed on a cloudy night?

  1. A Clouds absorb the radiation released from the Earth's surface.
  2. B Clouds reflect back the Earth's radiation.
  3. C The Earth's surface would have low temperature on cloudy nights.
  4. D Clouds deflect the blowing wind to ground level.
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - Clouds reflect back the Earth's radiation.

Dew forms when the ground loses heat rapidly through terrestrial radiation on clear nights and cools enough for water vapour to condense on surfaces. On a cloudy night, clouds intercept this outgoing long-wave radiation and radiate it back to the surface, keeping the ground relatively warm, so the dew point is not reached. The first option is wrong because mere absorption by clouds would not explain the warm surface; it is the return of radiation that matters. The third option is wrong since cloudy nights are warmer, not cooler, and wind deflection has nothing to do with dew formation.

Q4
Previous year question hard

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?

  1. A 1 only
  2. B 2 only
  3. C Both 1 and 2
  4. D Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - 1 only

Correct answer (a) 1 only. The Southern Hemisphere has far less landmass between roughly 40 and 60 degrees south, so there is little frictional drag from continents and mountains, allowing the westerlies to blow stronger and more steadily (the Roaring Forties and Furious Fifties), making statement 1 correct. Statement 2 is wrong because the Coriolis force at a given latitude is essentially symmetrical between the hemispheres and is not greater in the south. Options (b), (c) and (d) are therefore incorrect.

Q5
Previous year question medium

Consider the following statements: 1. The Earth's magnetic field has reversed every few hundred thousand years. 2. When the Earth was created more than 4000 million years ago, there was 54% oxygen and no carbon dioxide. 3. When living organisms originated, they modified the early atmosphere of the Earth. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A 1 only
  2. B 2 and 3 only
  3. C 1 and 3 only
  4. D 1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C - 1 and 3 only

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The Earth's magnetic field has undergone many polarity reversals over geological time, recorded in the magnetic minerals of sea-floor rocks, so statement 1 is right. Early life, especially photosynthetic organisms, transformed the atmosphere by releasing oxygen in the Great Oxidation Event, so statement 3 is right. Statement 2 is wrong because the primitive atmosphere was rich in gases like carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia and water vapour with almost no free oxygen, certainly not 54% oxygen. Hence the answer is 1 and 3 only.

Q6
Previous year question easy

On 21st June, the Sun

  1. A does not set below the horizon at the Arctic Circle
  2. B does not set below the horizon at Antarctic Circle
  3. C shines vertically overhead at noon on the Equator
  4. D shines vertically overhead at the Tropic of Capricorn
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - does not set below the horizon at the Arctic Circle

On 21 June, the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere, the Sun is vertically overhead at the Tropic of Cancer, and the region at and above the Arctic Circle experiences continuous daylight, the midnight sun, so the Sun does not set there. The Antarctic Circle experiences the opposite condition of polar night on this date, ruling out option (b). The Sun is overhead at the Equator only around the equinoxes of March and September, not at the solstice, so option (c) is wrong. The Sun is overhead at the Tropic of Capricorn on 22 December, not 21 June, eliminating option (d).

Q7
Previous year question hard

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?

  1. A 1 only
  2. B 2 only
  3. C Both 1 and 2
  4. D Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C - Both 1 and 2

In the tropics the easterly trade winds push warm surface water westward, piling up warm water on the western side of oceans, so the western sections are warmer, confirming statement 1. In the temperate latitudes the prevailing westerlies drive warm currents toward the eastern sides of the ocean basins, keeping the eastern margins relatively warmer, confirming statement 2. Since both processes operate as described, both statements are correct.

Q8
Previous year question hard

Consider the following statements : Statement I : Scientific studies suggest that a shift is taking place in the Earth's rotation and axis. Statement II : Solar flares and associated coronal mass ejections bombarded the Earth's outermost atmosphere with tremendous amount of energy. Statement III : As the Earth's polar ice melts, the water tends to move towards the equator. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. A Both Statement II and Statement III are correct and both of them explain Statement I
  2. B Both Statement II and Statement III are correct but only one of them explains Statement I
  3. C Only one of the Statements II and III is correct and that explains Statement I
  4. D Neither Statement II nor Statement III is correct
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - Both Statement II and Statement III are correct but only one of them explains Statement I

Both statements II and III are factually correct: solar flares with coronal mass ejections do bombard the upper atmosphere, and melting polar ice does redistribute water towards the equator. However, it is the redistribution of mass from the poles towards the equator (statement III) that actually alters the Earth's rotation and axis, while solar flares do not cause such a shift. Hence both II and III are correct but only one of them explains statement I.

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