Chapter 15
Humidity
Class 9 - Total Geography Morning Star
Choose the correct option
Question 1
Name the heat that is lost during evaporation and passes into water vapour in a hidden form and is
released in the atmosphere during condensation.
1. Condensed heat 3. Latent heat
2. Humidity 4. Relative Humidity
Answer: Latent heat
Question 2
Which, amongst the following, is NOT one of the factors favouring evaporation?
1. Humidity 3. Winds
2. Supply of heat 4. Precipitation
Answer: Precipitation
Question 3
The ratio between the absolute humidity of a given mass of air and the maximum amount of water
vapour that it can hold at the same temperature:
1. Humidity 3. Relative humidity
2. Dew Point 4. Latent heat
Answer: Relative humidity
Question 4
The temperature at which air gets fully saturated:
1. Humidity 3. Relative humidity
2. Dew Point 4. Latent heat
Answer: Dew Point
Question 5
Assertion (A): Under conditions of high relative humidity, the rate of evaporation of sweat from
the skin decreases and the human being feels warm and uncomfortable.
Reason (R): The human body dissipates heat through perspiration and its evaporation.
1. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
2. Both A and R are true but R does not explain A.
3. A is true but R is false.
4. A is false but R is true.
Answer: Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
Explanation — Human comfort depends on humidity. Highly humid air is more oppressive. The
human body dissipates heat through perspiration and its evaporation. Under conditions of high
relative humidity, the rate of evaporation of sweat from the skin decreases which results in the
human being feeling warm and uncomfortable.
Question 6
The measure of the actual amount of water vapour in the air, regardless of temperature:
1. Absolute Humidity 3. Dew Point
2. Humidity 4. Relative Humidity
Answer: Absolute Humidity
Question 7
The process by which products of condensation, viz. water droplets, ice crystals, sleet etc. fall to
the ground: 3. Precipitation
4. Condensation
1. Evaporation
2. Humidation
Answer: Precipitation
Question 8
Which of the following type of cloud has a cauliflower-like shape?
1. Cirrus 3. Strata
2. Cumulus 4. None of the above
Answer: Cumulus
Question 9
Condensation nuclei are :
1. impurities that support condensation.
2. water particles that help in precipitation.
3. droplets formed as a result of condensation.
4. droplets that fall to the ground.
Answer: impurities that support condensation
Question 10
Which of the following is incorrect
1. Frontal rainfall: cyclones
2. Convectional rainfall: 4 o'clock showers
3. Cyclonic rainfall: mountains
4. Relief rainfall : mountain barriers
Answer: Cyclonic rainfall: mountains
Question 11
In the month of August after many rainy days there was a clear Sunday. We went for a picnic to a
park. We felt so hot and uncomfortable that we changed plans and went to watch a movie instead.
What caused us this discomfort?
1. Latent heat released as a result of condensation raised the temperature.
2. High humidity due to the rains of the previous day.
3. Heat released from the surface of the earth raised the temperature.
4. None of the above.
Answer: High humidity due to the rains of the previous day.
Question 12
Jyoti and her family had gone to the Little Andaman Island for a holiday. It was a clear day when
the sky became dark with clouds and there was heavy rain late in the afternoon. This was the case
every day that they spent there. What type of rainfall is this?
1. Relief 3. Cyclonic
2. Convectional 4. Frontal
Answer: Convectional
Short Answer Questions
Question 1
What determines the amount of water vapour in the air?
Answer
The amount of water vapour in the air is determined by temperature. The hotter the air, the more
the water vapour present in it. When the atmospheric temperature is low, water vapour is less.
Question 2
How is relative humidity determined?
Answer
Relative humidity is expressed as the ratio between the absolute humidity of a given mass of air
and the maximum amount of water vapour that it can hold at the same temperature.
Question 3
Name four chief forms of condensation.
Answer
Four chief forms of condensation are-
1. Clouds 3. Frost
2. Dew 4. Fog and mist
Question 4
Mention the different forms of precipitation.
Answer
The different forms of precipitation are-
1. Rain 3. Hail
2. Snow
Question 5
Give one difference between fog and mist.
Answer
Fog Mist
Droplets of water suspended in the atmosphere It refers to the formation of clouds due to
close to the surface of the earth are termed as fog. change in temperature or change in humidity.
Question 6
What do you understand by 'condensation nuclei'?
Answer
Condensation occurs only around tiny solid particles like dust or carbon dioxide in smoke. These
impurities in air are known as condensation nuclei.
Question 7
State the three types of rainfall.
Answer
The three types of rainfall are-
1. Convectional rainfall 2. Orographic rainfall 3. Cyclonic rainfall
Question 8
Why is orographic rainfall also called relief rainfall?
Answer
Orographic rainfall is caused by the relief of the land as it occurs from the cooling of warm moist
air which ascends above the mountain barrier lying in the direction of the prevailing winds. The
presence of mountains causes humid air to rise. The sudden ascent causes cooling of air, leading
to condensation and precipitation. Hence, it is also called relief rainfall.
Question 9
What is cyclonic rainfall? What are fronts?
Answer
Cyclonic rainfall occurs due to cyclones and depressions irrespective of relief or convection. It is
caused by convergence of two different air masses with different temperatures and other physical
properties. When warm and cold air masses confront each other, the warmer air generally climbs
above the colder air. The boundary zones of these air masses are called the fronts.
The rising air is cooled while undergoing a frontal lift. This causes precipitation. Such
precipitation is called cyclonic rainfall.
Explain the following terms
Question 1: Precipitation
Answer: The process by which the droplets fall to ground in liquid, solid or frozen form is known
as precipitation.
Question 2: Evaporation
Answer: The process by which water vapour enters the atmosphere on heating is known as
evaporation.
Question 3: Condensation
Answer: The process by which water vapour forms water droplets on cooling is known as
condensation.
Question 4: Humidity
Answer: The amount of water vapour present in air is known as humidity.
Structured Questions
Question 1(a)
What is 'humidity'? How is humidity measured?
Answer
The amount of water vapour present in air is known as humidity.
Humidity of the atmosphere is measured with the help of a hygrometer.
Question 1(b)
Distinguish between Absolute Humidity and Relative Humidity.
Answer
Absolute Humidity Relative Humidity
It is the measure of the actual It measures water vapour in air but relative to
amount of water vapour in the maximum vapour that the air can hold at that
air, regardless of temperature. temperature.
It is expressed as the ratio between the absolute
It is expressed as grams of humidity of a given mass of air and the maximum
moisture per cubic meter of air. amount of water vapour that it can hold at the same
temperature.
Warm air possesses more water vapour than cold air,
The higher the amount of water
so with the same amount of absolute humidity, air
vapour, the higher is the
will have a different relative humidity depending on
absolute humidity.
temperature.
In weather calculations, absolute It is the essential characteristic of weather forecasts,
humidity is generally not taken which indicates the likelihood of precipitation, dew
into account. or fog.
Question 1(c)
Give a geographical reason for each of the following:
(i) The total volume of water in the oceans and seas remains constant.
(ii) In Equatorial regions the sky often remains overcast with clouds.
(iii) When relative humidity is 100% the temperature reading on both wet and dry thermometers is
the same.
Answer
(i) The total volume of water in the oceans and seas remains constant because all the water that
evaporates from the earth's water bodies is eventually returned to it directly by the process of
condensation and precipitation, and indirectly by stream and overflow from land surfaces.
(ii) In Equatorial regions the sky often remains overcast with clouds due to excessive heat. The
high temperature leads to the rapid heating of air. Such heated air rises in convectional currents,
leading to development of clouds at about 10 km height.
(iii) This is because when relative humidity is 100%, the air is fully saturated with moisture and it
will not hold any more vapour at that temperature. Since saturated air will not allow evaporation,
the temperature reading on both the dry and wet thermometers will be the same.
Question 1(d)
Draw a well labelled diagram showing orographic rainfall.
Answer
Below labelled diagram shows orographic rainfall:
Question 2(a)
What is condensation? Explain briefly the process of condensation.
Answer
The process by which water vapour forms water droplets on cooling is known as condensation.
During condensation, the latent heat locked in water vapour is released back into the atmosphere.
Condensation can take place only when water vapour is added to saturated air or when the
temperature falls below the temperature at which air becomes saturated.
Question 2(b)
Explain the atmospheric conditions that favour condensation.
Answer
The atmospheric conditions that favour condensation are-
1. There should be a high amount of water vapour present in atmosphere.
2. Minuscule particles of dust, salt and even smoke act as condensation nuclei.
3. The temperature of air must be below dew point temperature so as to encourage
condensation.
Question 2(c)
Give a geographical reason for each of the following:
(i) Condensation is the reverse process of evaporation.
(ii) Coasts receive more rainfall than the interior of the continents.
(iii) The windward sides of mountains receive more rainfall than the leeward sides.
Answer
(i) Condensation is the reverse process of evaporation as evaporation is the process by which
water vapour enters the atmosphere on heating while condensation is the process by which water
vapour is converted back to water droplets on cooling.
(ii) Coasts receive more rainfall than the interior of the continents because the humidity in the
clouds is high when they are at the coast. When they reach the interior of the continents, they have
already shed water in the form of rain, and so, they do not have much humidity left to cause
rainfall.
(iii) The windward sides of mountains receive more rainfall than the leeward sides because the
sudden ascent of warm moist air on the windward sides causes cooling of air, leading to
condensation and precipitation.
On the contrary, on descending the leeward slope, a decrease in altitude increases both the
pressure and the temperature, leading the air to get compressed and warm. Consequently, the
relative humidity drops and there is evaporation and little or no precipitation in the rain shadow
area.
Question 2(d)
Draw a well labelled diagram showing convectional rainfall.
Answer
Below labelled diagram shows convectional rainfall:
Question 3(a)
How is dew formed? What is the difference between fog and mist?
Answer
When water vapour condenses on the surface, it forms tiny droplets of water called dew.
The difference between fog and mist is as follows-
Fog Mist
Droplets of water suspended in the atmosphere
It refers to the formation of clouds due to
close to the surface of the earth are termed as
change in temperature or change in humidity.
fog.
The density of fog is quite high. The density of mist is quite low.
The visibility in fog is lower when compared The visibility in mist is higher when compared
to mist. to fog.
The duration of fog is comparatively longer The duration of mists is comparatively shorter
than mist. than fog.
Question 3(b)
Describe briefly the orographic and convectional rainfall.
Answer
Orographic rainfall — It occurs from the cooling of warm moist air which ascends above the
mountain barrier lying in the direction of the prevailing winds. The presence of mountains causes
humid air to rise. The sudden ascent causes cooling of air, leading to condensation and
precipitation.
Convectional rainfall — This type of rainfall is common in equatorial regions. The high
temperature leads to the rapid heating of air. Such heated air rises in convectional currents,
leading to development of clouds at about 10 km height. Ascending currents of hot and humid air
causes condensation of the clouds, resulting in heavy rainfall.
Question 3(c)
Give a geographical reason for each of the following:
(i) A rain shadow area is generally dry.
(ii) Frontal rain is common in mid-latitudes.
(iii) Convectional rainfall is called 4 o'clock rainfall.
Answer
(i) The sudden ascent of warm moist air on the windward sides causes cooling of air, leading to
condensation and precipitation.
On the contrary, on descending the leeward slope, a decrease in altitude increases both the
pressure and the temperature, leading the air to get compressed and warm. Consequently, the
relative humidity drops and there is evaporation and little or no precipitation in the rain shadow
area. Hence, a rain shadow area is generally dry.
(ii) Frontal rain is common in mid-latitudes due to the meeting of the sub-tropical and polar air
masses. It is caused by convergence of two different air masses with different temperatures and
other physical properties. When warm and cold air masses confront each other, the warmer air
generally climbs above the colder air. The rising air is cooled while undergoing a frontal lift. This
causes precipitation. Such precipitation is called cyclonic rainfall.
(iii) Convectional rainfall is called 4 o'clock rainfall as this type of rainfall occurs in the afternoon
at about 4 o'clock. This is because the heat from the sun builds up throughout the day, causing the
air to rise and form clouds that eventually bring rain in late afternoon around 4 o'clock.
Question 3(d)
Define precipitation. Explain briefly the three forms of precipitation.
Answer
The process by which products of condensation, water droplets, ice crystals, sleet, etc., fall to
ground is known as precipitation.
The three forms of precipitation are-
1. Rain — It is the most common form of precipitation. Raindrops of smaller size and less
intensity are known as drizzle.
2. Snow — Water droplets which rise higher and freeze on account of drop in temperature is
called snow. Snowfall usually occurs in winters in cold climates or on high mountains.
3. Hail — Sometimes, vertical air currents may push water droplets or ice particles higher.
They form into solid ice and fall as hail. Hailstones cause great damage to crops.