Previous Year Question
“Each day is more or less the same, the morning is clear and bright with a sea breeze; as the Sun climbs high in the sky, heat mounts up, dark clouds form, then rain comes with thunder and lightning, but rain is soon over.”
Which of the following regions is described in the above passage?
Savannah
Equatorial
Monsoon
Mediterranean
Correct Answer: B
Detailed Solution
The passage describes the characteristic daily weather process of the equatorial region. Temperature and humidity remain high throughout the year, and there is very little variation in the daily weather.
The sky is generally clear in the morning. As the day advances, the nearly vertical rays of the Sun heat the ground intensely, causing the warm and humid air in contact with it to rise.
The rising air expands and cools. Condensation of water vapour initially produces cumulus clouds, which subsequently develop into cumulonimbus clouds.
Intense convectional rainfall occurs during the afternoon, commonly accompanied by thunder and lightning. Convectional rain is generally intense but short-lived, which explains why the rain ends quickly.
Equatorial regions lie close to the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone. The convergence of trade winds assists the vertical ascent of warm, moist air and the formation of clouds and thunderstorms.
Savanna regions have distinct wet and dry seasons, monsoon regions experience a seasonal reversal of winds, and Mediterranean regions have dry summers and wet winters. These characteristics do not correspond to the daily weather cycle described in the passage.