Ans: A

Exp:

The northern portion of the country experiences a period of extreme heat and lowering air pressure during the summer. In July, the ITCZ advances northward, assuming a position centred around 25°N, due to the heating up of the subcontinent.

Some of the important local storms that develop in India are:

• Mango Shower: Towards the end of summer, there are pre-monsoon showers, which are a common phenomenon in Kerala and coastal areas of Karnataka. Locally, they are known as mango showers since they help in the early ripening of mangoes. Hence, Pair 1 is correctly matched.
• Blossom Shower: With this shower, coffee flowers blossom in Kerala and nearby areas. Hence, Pair 2 is incorrectly matched.  
• Nor Westers: These are dreaded evening thunderstorms in Bengal and Assam. Their notorious nature can be understood from the local nomenclature of ‘Kalbaisakhi’, a calamity of the month of Baisakh. These showers are useful for tea, jute, and rice cultivation. In Assam, these storms are known as Bardoisila.” Hence, Pair 3 is correctly matched.
• Loo : Hot, dry, and oppressing winds blowing in the Northern plains from Punjab to Bihar, with higher intensity between Delhi and Patna. Hence, Pair 4 is correctly matched.

Ans: C

Exp:

The average annual rainfall in India is about 125 cm, but it has great spatial variations. 

• • The highest rainfall occurs along the west coast, on the Western Ghats, as well as in the sub-Himalayan areas in the northeast and the hills of Meghalaya, while areas of Rajasthan, the Deccan Plateau, etc., receive very low rainfall. Hence, Option (a) is incorrect.
  • The monsoon is the axis around which revolves the entire agricultural cycle of India. It is because more than half of the people of India depend on agriculture for their livelihood, and agriculture itself is based on the southwest monsoon, but irrigation also plays a major role in the agricultural development of India. The agricultural prosperity of India depends very much on timely and adequately distributed rainfall. If it fails, agriculture is adversely affected, particularly in those regions where means of irrigation are not developed. Hence, Option (b) is incorrect.

• Winter rainfall caused by Western Disturbances in north India is highly beneficial for rabi crops. The Western cyclonic disturbances are weather phenomena of the winter months brought in by the westerly flow from the Mediterranean region. Hence, Option (c) is correct.

• Regional variations in monsoon climate help in growing various types of crops.  The variability of rainfall brings droughts or floods every year in some parts of the country. Thus, diversity in crops is observed in a country like India. Hence, Option (d) is incorrect.

Ans: D

Exp:

India has a tropical monsoon climate as a whole, but there are large regional variations in important climatic elements such as rainfall and temperature. Variations in rainfall are much more marked than those in temperature. The Indian landmass gets an abundance of sunshine from the tropical sun and rain from the monsoons. The Indian subcontinent is marked by a sharp contrast in climate, from being very cold in the Himalayas to very hot in Desert areas to a moderate climate in the coastal regions. The reasons for this contrast are:

• Location
• Altitude
• Distance from the sea
• Jet streams 
• Himalayan influence
• Western disturbances, and 
• Tropical cyclones. Hence, all options are correct.

These are the factors that result in the formation of various types of climatic regions in the Indian subcontinent and the formation of the climatic divide in the subcontinent.

Ans: B

Ex: While the south-west monsoon is crucial to India’s agricultural prosperity, not all areas of the subcontinent experience the same level of rainfall during this time. The Tamil Nadu coast is one area that experienced dry weather during this time, and the following factors contribute to this:

• The Tamil Nadu coast is situated parallel to the Bay of Bengal branch of the southwest monsoon. Hence, Statement 1 is correct.
• It lies in the rainshadow area of the Arabian Sea branch of the south-west monsoon. Hence, Statement 2 is correct.
• The Tamil Nadu coast gets most of its rainfall during the winter season, which is the result of retreating monsoon winds. Hence, Statement 3 is incorrect.

Ans: A

Exp:

Statement 1 is correct: India is the seventh largest country in the world by area, with a land area of 3,287,263 square kilometres.

Statement 2 is incorrect: India shares its longest border with Bangladesh, not China. The border between India and Bangladesh is 4,096 kilometres long. The border between India and China is 3,488 kilometers long. India is bordered by Afghanistan and Pakistan to the northwest, China, Nepal and Bhutan to the north, Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east, and Sri Lanka and Maldives to the south.

• India and Pakistan are the world’s most heavily militarized border. India and China are disputed in some areas. India and Nepal is the world’s highest border. India and Bhutan is the world’s longest unfenced border. India and Bangladesh is the world’s fifth-longest land border.

Statement 3 is correct: India has a coastline of over 7,500 kilometres. The coastline of India stretches from the Gulf of Kutch in the west to the Bay of Bengal in the east.

• The coastline of India is the world’s 10th-longest coastline.