UPSC Basics | Daily Topic Quiz: Environment and Geography MCQs on Northeast Monsoon, Wind Direction in Cyclones and More (Week 136) | UPSC Current Affairs News

Question 1

Referring to the northeast monsoon, consider the following statements:

1. It is shorter and less widespread compared to the southwest monsoon.

2. It is known as the retreating monsoon.

3. It is important to South India.

4. This monsoon is especially important for crops like cotton and sugarcane.

How many of the above statements are true?

(A) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) The four

clarification

— When the southwest monsoon begins to wane, the northeast monsoon begins by October. This is also called monsoon decline. It is shorter and less widespread but still important, especially for southern India. Hence statements 1, 2 and 3 are true.

— By October, the land begins to cool more quickly than the ocean. This results in a high pressure area over the Indian subcontinent and a low pressure area over the surrounding oceans. Wind flow reverses direction. And now the winds blow from land to sea. These are called NE.

— Because these winds travel over the Bay of Bengal before reaching the southeastern shore, they absorb moisture. As they travel across Tamil Nadu, southern Andhra Pradesh and parts of Sri Lanka, they provide sufficient moisture for rainfall activity. This rain is crucial for areas like Tamil Nadu, which do not receive much during the southwest monsoon. Weather systems emerging over the southern Bay of Bengal are bringing heavy rainfall to the southern peninsula.

— the The southwest monsoon is especially important for crops such as rice, cotton, and sugarcane. Therefore, statement 4 is incorrect.

Therefore, option (C) is the correct answer.

(source: pib.gov.in)

Question 2

With reference to tigers and leopards, consider the following expressions:

1. Tigers are larger, stronger, and built for strength, while cheetahs are known for their agility, stealth, and tree climbing.

2. Cheetahs often become nocturnal or stick to rocky or high terrain to avoid tigers.

Which of the above statements is true/correct?

(A) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

clarification

— Botswana has officially announced the translation of eight Panthers to India amid the state visit of President Draupadi Murmu.

Comparison between tiger and leopard

— When it comes to size, the Tigers are in a completely different weight class. A full-grown male Bengal tiger can weigh more than 220 kg (485 lb) and stretch more than 3 meters (10 ft) from nose to tail. In comparison, a male tiger usually weighs about 60-70 kg (130-150 lb) and is about 2 meters (6.5 ft) long.

— Tigers are larger, stronger, and built for strength, while cheetahs are known for their agility, stealth, and tree climbing. Therefore statement 1 is correct.

(file)

— Tigers are apex predators. They hunt prey much larger than themselves, such as wild boar, sambar deer, and even baby elephants in rare cases. On the other hand, cheetahs hunt small animals (impalas, monkeys, birds) and often drag their prey into trees to protect them from predators. This means they are more stealthy and incredibly powerful for their size.

— In the wild, tigers and leopards usually avoid each other. They may be sharing the same forest (as is the case in parts of India), but they have discovered ways to coexist.

— Cheetahs often become nocturnal or stick to rocky or high terrain to avoid tigers. They know better than to compete for the same space or prey. Therefore statement 2 is true.

Therefore, option (C) is the correct answer.

Question 3

The phenomenon of “turbidity island effect” is associated with:

(a) Water pollution

(b) Air pollution

(c) Soil salinization

(d) Radioactive contamination

clarification

— Local topography is especially important in determining air quality. Delhi is located in a bowl-shaped location within the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP), bordered by the Himalayas to the north, the Aravalli Hills to the southwest, and the Malwa and Deccan plateaus to the south.

— This geography makes it more difficult for pollutants to spread. The Himalayas impede the northward spread of heavy, dirty winter air, causing it to move eastward across the northern plains to the Bay of Bengal.

— Furthermore, post-monsoon air is characterized by lower humidity levels, temperatures and wind speeds. During this time, contaminants are trapped closer to the ground, lowering the “mixing height” or the height to which contaminants can spread.

— During the winter, temperature inversion conditions occur when a layer of warm air falls above cold air and fog. This haze, when mixed with pollutants, forms smog, which further reduces visibility – a phenomenon known as the turbidity island effect.

– The turbidity island effect describes how urban/industrial areas act as an “island” of higher atmospheric turbidity (dust, smoke, aerosols) compared to neighboring rural areas.

Therefore, option (B) is the correct answer.

Question 4

Referring to the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF), which of the following statements is: no correct?

1. The Trust Fund for Climate Change (TFFF) is officially part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

2- The TFFF is the first global mechanism to recognize the value of forest ecosystem services and provide permanent incentives for their conservation.

3. It is a self-financing vehicle through which net proceeds will be given to up to 74 tropical forest developing countries.

Choose the correct answer using the codes below:

(A) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 3 only

clarification

— The Forest Trust Fund is an investment fund designed to be a permanent, self-financing vehicle through which net proceeds will be awarded to up to 74 developing tropical forest countries to keep existing old-growth forests intact. Therefore, statement 3 is correct.

— The fund will seek to raise $25 billion from wealthy governments and philanthropists, in addition to an additional $100 billion from private investment. The amount will then be invested in a mixed portfolio of investments, including public market bonds and corporate bonds, with the annual proceeds used as a reward to tropical forest nations for preserving their forests. Note that payments to countries will be based on satellite remote sensing data that tracks forest cover annually in a low-cost and transparent way.

— The TFFF Fund is designed to change this situation and pay for the conservation of the world’s major tropical forests, which provide a range of ecosystem services, including carbon storage. Simply put, the Fund will help landowners conserve forests by ensuring that the value they bring as standing forests is more than just cutting them down.

— “The launch of the Fund at COP30 marks a turning point in the history of tropical forest conservation,” said Marina Silva, Brazilian Minister of Environment and Climate Change, during the launch event. “For the first time, we have a global mechanism that recognizes the value of forest ecosystem services and provides permanent incentives for their conservation.” Therefore statement 2 is true.

— TFFF is no Formally part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), it is not subject to the same responsibilities that govern UN climate negotiations, with the burden falling on developed countries. Therefore statement 1 is incorrect.

Therefore, option (B) is the correct answer.

Question 5

Referring to the direction of the wind in hurricanes, consider the following pairs:

1. In the Northern Hemisphere, the direction of wind rotation is clockwise.

2. In the Southern Hemisphere, the direction of wind rotation is counterclockwise.

Which of the above pairs are correctly identified?

(A) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

clarification

— Hurricanes are a type of atmospheric disturbance in which winds swirl around a low-pressure center. The source of energy for the emergence, development, and intensity of tropical cyclones is heat and moisture generated by warm ocean water.

— In the Northern Hemisphere, the direction of wind rotation is counterclockwise, while in the Southern Hemisphere, it rotates clockwise. Based on their location, hurricanes are classified as tropical cyclones (they form over warm tropical oceans) and extratropical cyclones (they form in temperate and high-latitude regions). Hence, pairs 1 and 2 are not properly matched.

— Tropical cyclones are known by different names around the world – hurricanes in the Atlantic, cyclones in China, and willy-willies in Australia. Most of the Indian landmass and the surrounding northern Indian Ocean lie between the equator and the Tropic of Cancer, making it vulnerable to some of the most destructive tropical cyclones.

Therefore, option (D) is the correct answer.

Daily previous test subject wise

Daily quiz on the topic – History, Culture and Social Issues (Week 131)

Daily quiz on the topic – Political system and governance (Week 136)

Daily quiz on the topic – Science and Technology (Week 136)

Daily quiz on the topic – Economics (Week 136)

Daily quiz on the topic – Environment and Geography (Week 135)

Daily quiz on the topic – International Relations (Week 135)

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