Sun. Sep 28th, 2025

Indian Monsoon

  1. The spatial distribution of monsoon rainfall is highly variable. Which two locations, situated in the state of Meghalaya, are internationally recognized for often alternating as the wettest places on Earth due to their exceptionally high monsoon rainfall?

    Options:
    1. Shillong and Tura
    2. Mawsynram and Cherrapunji
    3. Guwahati and Dibrugarh
    4. Agartala and Aizawl

    Option: B

  2. The Indian Monsoon is one of the oldest phenomena studied, with early recognition in India’s ancient texts. Which ancient Indian text mentions the monsoon, although it did not delve into the underlying physical mechanism?

    Options:
    1. Mahabharata
    2. Ramayana
    3. The Rig Veda
    4. Arthashastra

    Option: C

  3. Global climate change is not uniformly affecting Indian monsoon rainfall (ISMR). While parts of Central India and the Northeast have seen a decline, the Western Ghats continue to experience heavy or very heavy precipitation due to their barrier effect. Which specific geographical features act as the first highlands the southwest monsoon winds encounter?

    Options:
    1. The Eastern Ghats
    2. The Aravalli Range
    3. The Western Ghats
    4. The Himalayas

    Option: C

  4. The concept of ‘Equatorial Indian Ocean oscillation’ (EQUINOO) was later discovered as the atmospheric component of the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). What is the primary significance of factoring in the EQUINOO effects?

    Options:
    1. To explain the weakening land-sea thermal gradient.
    2. To account for certain failed monsoon drought forecasts, like the acute drought of 2002.
    3. To predict the movement of Western Disturbances.
    4. To quantify the increase in extreme rainfall intensity.

    Option: B

  5. The monsoon season is critical for replenishing India’s water resources, supporting irrigation, drinking water supplies, and a major energy source. Which energy generation method is directly influenced by the replenishment of rivers, lakes, and reservoirs during the monsoon season?

    Options:
    1. Thermal power generation
    2. Nuclear power generation
    3. Hydroelectric power generation
    4. Solar energy generation

    Option: C

  6. In meteorological terms, a ‘Depression’ is a classification used for cyclonic disturbances over the North Indian Ocean, based on wind speed. What is the maximum sustained wind speed range (in knots) that defines a system as a Depression?

    Options:
    1. 17 knots (<31 kmph)

    Option: B

  7. Forecasting skills for extreme rainfall events (?204.5 mm) are essential for disaster management. For the 2024 monsoon, which global NWP model showed the highest Critical Success Index (CSI) score in predicting extremely heavy rainfall on Day-1?

    Options:
    1. NCEP GFS
    2. UKMO
    3. NCUM
    4. JMA

    Option: C

  8. The Indian Monsoon is characterized by its high variability, often described as “vagaries,” referring to the erratic nature of the rains. Historically, sudden fluctuations in rainfall over short time periods (about a week) were attributed to the presence of which atmospheric element over the Arabian Sea and Western Asia?

    Options:
    1. Volcano Ash
    2. Desert Dust
    3. Greenhouse Gases
    4. Anthropogenic Aerosols

    Option: B

  9. During the 2024 Southwest Monsoon, the onset over the South Andaman Sea and Nicobar Islands occurred on May 19th. Which state’s southern coast was the first part of the Indian mainland to experience the advance of the monsoon?

    Options:
    1. Tamil Nadu
    2. Karnataka
    3. Kerala
    4. Maharashtra

    Option: C

  10. Climate change is altering the spatial distribution of Indian Monsoon Rainfall (ISMR), causing shifts in regional rainfall patterns. What is the current iconic feature of the Present-Day Indian Monsoon in terms of spatial distribution?

    Options:
    1. Wet north and semi-arid south
    2. Wet east and semiarid west
    3. Semiarid east and wet west
    4. Uniformly wet across the subcontinent

    Option: B

  11. The modern theory explains the monsoon as a result of the annual shifts in the position of global belts of pressure and winds, linked to the ITCZ migration. What are the winds known as when the southeast trade winds cross the Equator and are deflected east, initiating the Southwest Monsoon?

    Options:
    1. Southeast Trades
    2. Southwest Trades
    3. Northeast Monsoons
    4. Westerlies

    Option: B

  12. Predicting the Indian Monsoon is notoriously difficult. One traditional, yet often criticized theory, explained the monsoon as a result of differential heating between continents and oceans, likened to a large-scale land and sea breeze. Which historical figure explained the monsoon using this simple thermal notion in the seventeenth century?

    Options:
    1. Sir Gilbert Halley
    2. Al Masudi
    3. Sir Edmund Halley
    4. T. N. Krishnamurti

    Option: C

  13. During the 2024 Southwest Monsoon season, Kerala experienced extremely heavy rainfall events, particularly around late July. The highest amount of rainfall in a single day (in 24 hours) was recorded at 338.0 mm in which specific location in Kerala?

    Options:
    1. Kochi
    2. Thiruvananthapuram
    3. Vadakkancherry
    4. Kozhikode

    Option: C

  14. The total number of days in the 2024 monsoon season (June to September) that witnessed the formation of Low Pressure Systems (LPSs) over the Indian region was recorded at 62.6 days. How does this compare to the climatological normal number of LPS days?

    Options:
    1. Much below the normal of 57 days
    2. Slightly more than the normal of about 57 days
    3. Exactly equal to the normal of 57 days
    4. Significantly above the normal of 70 days

    Option: B

  15. India’s water reserves are crucial for drinking, agriculture, and power. Monsoon rains replenish these reserves, vital for the overall well-being of residents. Which term is used by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to define the specific average rainfall a region receives over a long period, typically 30 years?

    Options:
    1. Actual Rainfall (AR)
    2. Long Period Average (LPA)
    3. Normal Rainfall (NR)
    4. Rainfall Departure (RD)

    Option: B

  16. Drought conditions are monitored using indices like the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). During the 2024 monsoon (JJAS), many districts in Northwest India, particularly in Rajasthan, experienced conditions different from their normal arid climate. What general conditions did these districts in Rajasthan experience?

    Options:
    1. Moderately Dry conditions
    2. Severely Arid conditions
    3. Wet conditions
    4. No Data available

    Option: C

  17. Climate change analysis shows that circulation is weakening over a specific region of India at a faster rate than over Central India (CI). This weakening is evidenced by a decreasing trend of mean rainfall matched with a decreasing trend of Vertically Integrated Moisture Flux Convergence (VIMFC). Over which homogeneous region is this weakening circulation observed?

    Options:
    1. South Peninsula (SP)
    2. Northwest India (NWI)
    3. Northeast India (NEI)
    4. East Central India (ECI)

    Option: C

  18. The monsoon affects not only crop yield but also local culture across India. Which factor, shaped by the monsoon, influences local food habits, clothing styles, and the types of houses built across the country?

    Options:
    1. GDP Contribution
    2. Agricultural Policy
    3. Local Climate
    4. Global Teleconnections

    Option: C

  19. Monsoon is critical for the sowing of Kharif crops, whose fate largely depends on the timing and adequacy of the Southwest Monsoon. The process where farmers proactively adjust decisions (when to plant, whether to switch crops, or wait) is aided by advanced forecasts. How many farmers received AI-powered monsoon onset forecasts in India in a recent initiative?

    Options:
    1. 3.8 million
    2. 10 million
    3. 38 million
    4. 100 million

    Option: C

  20. The frequency of extreme rain events (99.9 percentile) is sharply increasing in India. For every 1 Kelvin (K) increase in global temperature, by what factor is the frequency of these 99.9 percentile extreme rain events increasing?

    Options:
    1. 1x / K
    2. 3x / K
    3. 21% / K
    4. 75% / K

    Option: B