Explore topic-wise InterviewSolutions in .

A. (iv) 

B. (v) 

C. (ii) 

D. (i) 

E. (iii)

Project Tiger was launched in April 1973 with the aim to conserve tiger population in specifically constituted “Tiger Reserves” in India. This project is benefited tremendously, with an increase of over 60% – the 1979 consensus put the population at 3,015.

Weather: 

1. State of the atmosphere of a place at a given point of time. 

2. Weather changes occur daily. 

3. Temperature, wind pressure, humidity duration of sunlight and rainfall decides the weather.

Climate:

1. Accumulation of daily and seasonal weather events of a given location over a period of time. 

2. It is an average of weather condition over a period of 30-35 years. 

3. Climate of a place is determined by Latitude, altitude, distance from the seas, relief features etc.

1. Winter or cold weather season (Jan-Feb) 

2. Pre Monsoon or Summer (March-May) 

3. Southwest Monsoon or rainy season (June September) 

4. Northeast Monsoon season (October December)

1. The Pressure and Surface winds. 

2. Upper air Circulation 

3. Western cyclonic disturbances and tropical conditions

The Local storms in the north eastern part of India during the weather seasons are called Loo.

(d) South West monsoon

Three types – Convectional rainfall, Orographic rainfal and Cyclonic rainfall.

The mountain which stands parallel to the direction of the south-west monsoon wind Aravalli.

The word ‘Monsoon’ is derived form the Arabic word ‘Mausam’ which means season. Hence, the word ‘Monsoon’ implies the seasonal reversal in the wind pattern over the year. It reveals the rhythm of season and changes in direction of winds. There is also ca change in the distribution pattern of rainfall and temperature with the change of seasons. The monsoon winds move six months from sea to land and another six months from land to sea,

1. Southwest monsoon season is also known as the rainy season in India. 

2. The onset of Southwest monsoon season takes place over the southern tip of the country’ by the first week of June, advances along the Konkon coast in early June and covers the whole country by 15th July. 

3. Jet stream and ELNino are the two factors that determine the occurrence of Southwest monsoon. 

4. Due to the high temperature over north India creates a low-pressure trough which draws the moisture-laden winds from the Indian Ocean towards the Indian landmass. 

5. The sudden approach of monsoon wind over south India with ‘ lightning and the thunder indicates the onset of south-west monsoon. This is also known as “break or burst of monsoon”.

6. The monsoon winds strike against the southern tip of the Indian landmass and get divided into two branches.

• (a) Arabian sea branch (of Southwest monsoon)
• (b) The Bay of Bengal branch (of Southwest monsoon)

(a) Arabian sea branch of South west monsoon:

• The Arabian sea branch of south west monsoon gives heavy rainfall to the west coast of India as it is located in the wind wards side of the Western Ghats.
• The other part which advances towards north strikes against the Himalayan mountains results in heavy rainfall in north.

As Aravalli mountains lie parallel to the wind direction. Rajasthan and the western parts do not get much rainfall.

(b) Bay of Bengal branch of south west monsoon:

• The Wind from Bay of Bengal moves towards north east India and Myanmar.
• This wind is trapped by Garo, Khasi and Jaintia hills and gives the heaviest rainfall to Meghalaya (at Mawsynram).
• This wind gets deflected towards west.
• When the wind moves from east to west rainfall decreases as it looses its moisture.
• Tamil Nadu receives only a meager rainfall as the state is located on the leeward side.

About 75% of India’s rainfall is from the south west monsoon.

When monsoon, all of a sudden, gives rainfall, it is called monsoon burst.

(a) Both (A) and (R) are true: R explains A

The south-west monsoons are divided into two branches. They are: 

1. The Arabian Sea branch and 

2. Bay of Bengal branch.

(c) Mawsynram.

Arabian sea branch and Bay of Bengal branch.

Southern part of India.

(a) Kal Baisakhi.

Kal Baisakhi.

Windward side:

1. The slope of the mountain that lie on the path of rain bearing winds. 

2. The windward side gets more rainfall. 

3. Western slopes of Western Ghats – West coastal plains.

Leeward side: 

1. The slope of the mountain that do not face the rain bearing winds. 

2. The Leeward side gets less or no rainfall.

3. Eastern slopes of Western Ghats – Deccan Plateau.

Fast flowing and narrow air currents are called jet streams. The streams flow at high altitudes (about 12,000 feet) in the troposphere. The westerly jet streams are responsible for western cyclonic disturbances in the north and north-western parts of India. The subtropical westerly jet stream moves north of the Himalayas with the apparent movement of the sun. The tropical jet stream (an easterly jet stream) blows over the Indian Peninsula; approximately over 14° north during the summer months.

In the upper layers of the atmosphere, there are strong westerly winds concentrated in a relatively narrow and shallow stream known as “Jet streams” They cause heavy rainfall in North-west India.

These are fast blowing winds of a steady velocity moving in a narrow zone of the upper layer of the atmosphere. 

Their speed varies from about 110 km/h in summer to about 184 km/h in winter. Jet streams are located approximately over 27°-30° north latitude, therefore, they are known as subtropical westerly jet streams. A number of separate jet streams have been identified. The most constant are the mid-latitude and the sub tropical jet stream. The western cyclonic disturbances experienced in the north and north-western parts of the country are brought in by this westerly flow.

1. It is located far from the sea and its some part of region is a desert.

2. During winter this region develops high pressure and cool and dry winds are generated. Due to that direction of wind is also changed. Wherever these winds reach, temperature decreases there.

3. During winter temperature does not fall below freezing point except for the high mountainous regions, because the Central Himalayas obstruct the extremely cold winds coming from Central Asia, protects northern Indian from severe cold.

4. After the snowfall in Himalayas, the cold and heavy winds rush towards the North Indian plains. So, temperature decreases. Frost is found in some areas.

5. Moreover, temperature remains very low in Himalayas, e.g. in January temperature of Shimla and Darjeeling is around 5°C.

(i) Jet stream. A jet stream is a fast flowing wind blowing in narrow zone in the upper atmosphere. The Himalayas divide the jet stream into two parts. A westerly jet stream is placed south of the Himalayas in the winter season. An easterly jet stream is developed at about 25°N in summer. It is believed to be responsible for the sudden outbreak of Monsoons in the Northern India. This is responsible for widespread storms, thunders and rainfall over India in just 8 to 10 days.

(ii) Isotherm. Isotherm are the line drawn on a map or chart joining points with the same temperature. Isotherms are commonly used in meteorology to show the distribution of temperature at the earth’s surface or on a chart indicating constant level or constant pressure.

(iii)  Dry and wet bulb thermometer. It is an instrument used to measure the relative humidity of the atmosphere. It consists of a thermometer with a bulb that is wet or moist and one that is kept dry. The relative humidity is calculated from the difference in readings of the thermometers when water evaporated from the wet bulb, decreasing its temperature. Humidity in the air is always given in percentage.

Inter Tropical Convergence zone

North India gets rainfall due to western disturbances and it is useful for rabi crop.

Three features of western cyclonic disturbances are:

1. The western cyclonic disturbances are weather phenomena of the winter months brought in by the westerly flow from the Mediterranean region.

2. They usually influence the weather of the north and north-western regions of India. 

3. Tropical cyclones occur during the monsoon as well as in October - November and are part of the easterly flow. These disturbances affect the coastal regions of the country.

Western Disturbance is the term used in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nepal to describe an extratropical storm originating in the Mediterranean that brings sudden winter rain and snow to the north-western parts of the Indian subcontinent. This is a non-monsoonal precipitation pattern driven by the Westerly. The moisture in these storms usually originates over the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

1. In both hemispheres around 30° latitudes, very powerful winds in a pipe-shaped belt blow with high speed in the atmosphere at an altitude of 8 to 15 km. These winds are known as ‘Jet Streams’.

2. The average velocity of Jet Streams is about 150 km per hour and in the central part of this wind belt, their velocity is about 400 km.

3. During winter these winds blow over the southern slope of Himalayas and in summer these are stationed over Peninsular Plateau.

4. High altitude winds help to bring rain.

1. Jet stream formed over West Asia blows towards east and affects West Asian countries, North-East India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

2. The dust storm accompanying these disturbances leave its effect up to Bangladesh.

3. This often creates disturbances in the pleasant winter weather of North India.

4. Very high mountains receive snowfall and to the Ravi crop. This may cause unseasonal rain, locally known as ‘Mavthu’ in Gujarat which may damage crops.

1. A large low-pressure area develops over where the trade winds converge. It is called Inter-Tropical Conversion Zone (ITCZ).

2.The Trade winds rise upwards in the form of air currents.

3. In July, this conversion zone is stationed over 20° to 25° North latitude. In India, it is stable over Ganga plains.

4. Due to the low pressure developed over this region, winds over the oceans in southern hemisphere blow towards this area. It causes rain in a few parts of North India.

5. During colder season, the conversion belt shifts further south, so the winds change their direction to north-east.

1. This is a Spanish word which literally means a ‘small child’.

2. The name was given by Peruvian fishermen after the child Jesus because its impact is generally felt around Christmas.

3. El-Nino is a warm current originates to the west of Peru along the Pacific coast in South America due to atmospheric and oceanic conditions. This current flows eastwards and its impact is felt up to India.

4. The El-Nino phenomena takes place occasionally.

5. Whenever El-Nino takes place, changes occur in the duration of monsoon and amount of rainfall in India.

(i) India’s Climate is of monsoon type. But there is diversity in climatic conditions of India due to the latitudinal location and altitude of the place.

(ii) As the Tropic of Cancer passes through middle of India, it divides the country into tropical region and sub tropical region.

(iii) The tropical region receives nearly vertical rays of the Sun and the temperature increases as we move towards the south.

(iv) In the sub tropical region of the north, summers are very hot and winters are very cool and dry.

(v) The Himalayas lie in the northern part of India. They protects us from the cold winds that blow from the north, obstructs the South West Monsoon Winds which results in orographic rainfall in its southern slopes.

(vi) In major parts of India precipitation is in the form of rainfall, but in the Himalayas it is in the form of snowfall.

The variations have given rise to a variety in the lives of people- their food, clothing, housing, etc. Its impact is seen the main economic activity i.e. the agriculture, sowing and harvsting a variety of crops in India. Even the uncertainties of rain and uneven distribution are very much typical of the monsoons. The Indian landscape, its animal and plant life, its entire agricultural calendar and the life of the people, including their festivities, revolve around this phenomenon. 

Correct option is (c) Winter.

Indian Meteorological Department of Government of India at Delhi has divided the climate of India into four seasons:

1. Cold weather season: Winter: December to February.
2. Hot weather season: Summer: March to May.
3. Advancing Monsoon: Rainy season: June to September.
4. Retreating Monsoon Season: October to November.

A South-west monsoon winds is responsible for the rainfall experienced over the greater part of India.

The season-wise distribution of rain fall is 

• The south-west monsoon seasons – 75% 
• The summer season – 10% 
• The winter season – 2% 
• The retreating monsoon seasons – 13%

They are “Mango Showers” in Kerala, “cherry Blossoms” in Karnataka and “Kalabiashaki” in West Bengal and Assam.

The average annual rainfall is 118 cm.

The black soil is suitable for cotton crop.

The laterite soils re found in the heavy rainfall regions.

Alluvial soil .

These forests are found in the regions of heavy rainfall (above 250 cm) and high temperature (above 27° C) Tall umbrella shaped trees with dense assemblage is a prominent feature of this forest. The evergreen forests always look green because, various species of trees are found here and they shed leaves in different seasons.

This soil derived from the weathered basalt rock. This soil holds water form long period and become hard whenever it is dry. 

Decomposed organic material found in the soil is called Humus.

Soil is the minute or finer rock particles found on the surface of the Earth. It is formed naturally, due to the weathering of rocks, under the influence of climate. 

The main types of soil in India are:

1. Alluvial soil: This soil is formed by depositional work of rivers and they are mainly found in the flood plains and deltas. Alluvial soil covers largest geographical are in the country. They are mainly distributed in the river plains of the Ganga, Brahmaputra and the Indus. Uttar Pradesh has the largest area under alluvial soil. It is also found in the deltas of east flowing rivers. Alluvial soils are classified into two types.

• Bhangar: Older alluvium, coarse and pebble like in nature, found at the lower depths of the plain. 
• Khadar: New alluvium, finer in nature, found in the low lying flood plains and rich in fertility

2. Black soil: The black soils covered more area in peninsular plateau. This soil is also called ‘Cotton soil’ or “Regur soil”. It is derived from the weathered basalt rocks. This soil holds water from long period and become hard whenever it is dry. It is light-black to dark-black in colour. Maharashtra and Gujarat Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamilnadu. Black soils are good for Cotton, Sugarcane, Tobacco, Pulses, Millets, Citrus fruits, etc.

3. Red soil: This soil is formed by the weathered granite rocks. It is red in colour and rich in ferrous content. Red soil covers the second largest area in the country. Largest parts of peninsular region are covered with red soil. TamilNadu has the largest distribution of this soil in the country. Rice, Ragi, Jowar, Groundnut, Tobacco, Millets are the major crops cultivated in this soil.

4. Laterite soil: The hot and humid tropical regions of India are rich in laterite soil. This soil is derived from the fragmentation and disintegration of rocks in the mountain ranges. It is mainly found in the Western Ghats, parts of Eastern Ghats and Northeastern hills of India. Plantation crops like Tea, coffee, Rubber, Cashew nut are cultivated in this soil.

5. Desert soil: This soil is also called arid soil. They are mainly found in the desert and semi-desert regions of Western and North western parts of India. This soil has the least water holding capacity and humus content. Generally it is not suitable for cultivation of crops. This soil is mainly found in Rajasthan, parts of Gujarat and Haryana. With water facility crops like Bajra, Pulses and Guar ar cultivated in this soil.

6. Mountain Soil: The Himalayan mountain valleys and hill slopes are covered with Mountain or Forest soil. It is found in the mountain slopes of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Utarkhand regions, Crops like Tea, Almond, saffron are cultivated in this soil.