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ICSE Class 10 Geography Goyal Brothers

Solutions Chapter 4 Climate of India
Question 1.
Name the factors affecting the climate of a place.
Answer:
The climate of a place is mainly affected by the temperature, rainfall, atmospheric
pressure and direction of [Link] climate of the Indian subcontinent, is greatly
influenced by two factors:

1. Tropic of cancer (23 1/2°N) dividing the country into two halves-North
Temperature Zone and South Tropical Zone.
2. Great Himalayan Range separating the Indian subcontinent form the east
of Asia.

Question 2.
Name type of climate in India.
Answer:
Tropical Monsoon Type of climate in India.

Question 3.
What is the chief characteristic feature of the tropical monsoon type climate?
Answer:
The important features of tropical monsoon are:

 Most of the country gets rain from the South-West Monsoon.

 The rain is unevenly distributed.
 It is erratic and unpredictable.
 It is seasonal mostly coming in rainy season.
 Presence of mountain. It is mainly orographic in nature.
 Monsoon rains have great effect on our economy.
Question 4.
What are onshore winds and offshore winds?
Answer:
Onshore winds –
Onshore wind is a gentle wind blowing from sea toward land, that develops over
bodies near land due to difference in air pressure.
Offshore winds-
Winds starts blowing from the high-pressure area over the land to low -pressure
area over the sea in a general North-East direction.

Question 5.
State the importance of Monsoon season in India.
Answer:
Importance of the Monsoon season in India:

 India’s entire agriculture calendar and the total life of the India people
revolve around the monsoons.
 Indian agriculture is gamble of monsoons and the production of
agriculture depends on timely arrival of monsoons.
 Most of the rivers of India get their water from the monsoons.

Question 6.
Name a few local winds that pass through India.
Answer:
First local wind is known as‘100’ (hot wind) along the northern plain of India due
to extremely rising temperatures pushed by the trade winds. Second local wind is
known as ‘Kal-Baisakhi’ (The month of April causing death) in [Link] and
Assam, where due to rapid cyclonic winds with high speed cause maximum loss
and deaths in this area. These are called Nor’westers in geographical term, as the
winds come very fast from northwestern direction towards the eye of the
cyclones.

Question 7.
Which is the more important branch – the Arabian Sea Branch or the Bay of
Bengal Branch? Why?
Answer:
The Arabian Sea Branch is the more important branch than the Bay of Bengal.
Due to following reasons: –
  The Arabian Sea Branch is much larger than the Bay of Bengal.
 The whole of the Arabian Sea branch is used up by the entire country
whereas only part of the Bay of Bengal branch enters India through North-
East India, the rest goes toward Myanmar and Thailand.

Question 8.
Which is the first State to receive the monsoon and the last to see it retreat in
India?
Answer:
Kerala is the first State to receive the monsoon and Kachch, Eastern Rajasthan,
U.R, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Eastern Punjab are the last to see it retreat in
India.

Question 9.
State two important characteristic features of the Indian monsoons.
Answer:
Following are the characteristic features of the Indian monsoons:

 Most of the rainfalls during the months of June-September.

 During the season it also causes heavy downpours. Such heavy downpour
results in soil erosion.
 Our monsoons are unreliable, uncertain, erratic, undependable.
 It is orographic in nature.

Question 10.
Name the different seasons of India, stating the months when they are
experienced.
The different seasons of India are:

 The Hot Dry Season (March to May)

 The rainy season or the season of south-west monsoon. (June to
September)
 The season of the retreating south-west monsoon (October to November)
^
 The cold season or the season of the north-east monsoon (December to
February).
Question 11.
What is the meaning of the word ‘monsoon’?
Answer:
The term ‘Monsoon’ is dervied from an Arabic word Mausinm which means
season. –
Or
Monsoons are periodic seasonal winds. They develop because of differential
heating as well as cooling of the land and sea.

Question 12.
How are monsoon winds different from the land and sea breezes?
Answer:

 A land and sea breeze occurs on a daily basis as the land gets hotter than
the sea during the day and cooler at night.
 A monsoon occurs on an annual basis as the interior of a continents gets
hotter than the ocean in summer and colder in winter.

Question 13.
Why are there great variations in India’s climate?
Answer:
There are great variations in the climate India’s due to

 The vast latitudinal expanse.

 The varied topographical features.
 Size of land.
 Distance from the sea.

Question 14.
Give reasons to justify that Himalayas act as a perfect climatic divide.
Answer:
The Himalayas act as a perfect climate divide, there are following reasons:

 The great Himalayas range obstructs the bitter cold winds from Siberia
from entering the Indian subcontinent.
 The Himalayan range intercepts the rain-bearing south-west monsoon
winds, forcing them to shed their moisture, resulting in heavy rainfall in the
Northest and Indo Gangetic Plain.
Question 15.
Which winds are responsible for the rainfall experienced over the greater part of
India?
Answer:
South-West monsoon winds are responsible for the rainfall experienced over the
greater part of India.

Question 16.
During which part of the year is this rain experienced?
Answer:
Meghalaya

Question 17.
How are the sources of rainfall in the north-west part of India different from the
rainfall experienced on the coastal areas of Eastern India in Winter?
Answer:
The rainfall in the North-West part of India is mainly caused due to Arabian Sea-
branch of South-West summer monsoon while the rainfall experienced on the
coastal areas of Eastern India in caused by the cyclonic winds of North-East
monsoons.

Question 18.
Why does Kanyakumari experience an equable climate? [1998]
Answer:
Kanyakumari is located at 8 degree North. It is also closer to the Equator. It
receives vertical rays of the sun at the Equator hence, there is not much
difference in temperature here. So we can say Kanyakumari experiences
equable/oceanic/ maritime influence.

Question 19.
Why does central Maharashtra receives scanty rainfall.
Answer:
Most of central Maharashtra has only scanty rainfall because it lies in the rain
shadow area of the Western Ghats.

Question 20.
Why is western part of India a desert region?
Answer:
Western part of India or Thar is desert due to following reasons:

 Thar experiences very little summer rain.

 By the time, the Bay of Bengal branch of the South-West Monsoon reaches
Thar after passing through the Ganga Valley, it has little or no moisture.
Only windward side of the Aravalli Hills receive a little rain but no rain in
Thar as it is in rain shadow area.
 As the Aravalli Hills lie parallel to the Arabian Sea branch of the south-west
monsoon, so it does not give much rainfall.
 North-East monsoon does not give much winter rainfalls.
 Thar lacks water sources and humidity is very low in summer.

Question 21.
What are western disturbances?
Answer:
These are shallow cyclonic depressions originating over Mediterranean sea,
disturbing fine weather conditions in north-western parts of India during winter
season.

Question 22.
Name one part of India that has its rainfall in winter and summer as well.
Answer:
One part that experiences rainfall both in winter and summer- Tamil Nadu Coast/
Coromandel Coast.

Question 23.
Explain how retreating monsoon winds are different from the north-east trades.
Answer:
The Retreating Monsoon or South-West Monsoon (October- November): By 1 st
September, with the apparent movement of the sun towards south the low
pressure in central India starts weakening, and is no longer able to attract the
monsoon winds towards land.

During Autumn equinox when the sun shines directly over Equator, the high
pressure begins to build over mainland and subsequently with low pressure over
the sea while the North-East Trade (December to March). The cold weather
season commences at the end of November and continues till march. Clear sky,
pleasant weather, low temperature and humidity, high range of temperature and
slow northern winds are the chief characteristics of this season.

Question 24.
Name a place in India which receives the heaviest rainfall. To which state does
this place belong?
Answer:
The place in India which receives the maximum rainfall is Mawsynram in
Meghalaya

Question 25.
Name the winds that are responsible for causing this rain i in the above question?
Answer:
South-West monsoon winds is responsible for the rainfall experienced over the
greater part of India.

Question 26.
What is meant by ‘rain shadow area’? Give an example and state the mountains
which are responsible for the rain shadow area.
Answer:
The area which experiences scanty rainfall due to the existence of the mountains
parallel to the monsoon winds is called ‘rain shadow area’. The part of the
western Rajasthan is the rain shadow area as it is located at the Aravali ranges
lying parallel to the direction of the moisture containing winds.

Question 27.
Name the winds that bring rain to the Tamil Nadu coast?
Answer:
North-east trade winds bring rain to the Tamil Nadu coast.

Question 28.
Give reasons :
(a) In spite of Aravalis Range Rajasthan receives very less rain.
Answer:

 The Aravalis lie parallel to the direction of the South-West monsoon

Arabian sea streams, so these hills do not intercept these winds.
 Rajasthan lies on the leeward side of the Aravalis.
(b) The Malabar coast has less rainy months but more rain than the Coromandal
coast.
Answer:
The Malabar coast lies on the western coast on the windward side of the Western
Ghats and gets the full impact of the southwest monsoon from June-September
only where as the Coromandel Coast experiences less rainfall as it receives rain
from the retreating monsoon during October-November and the Northeast
Monsoons which do not bring much rainfall but is spread over a long period.

(c) Punjab has three sources of rain.

Answer:
Punjab is the state that receives rainfall from three different sources and the
sources are:

 Northest Retreating Monsoons

 Westerly depressions and
 Southwest Monsoons or cyclonic disturbances originating in the
Mediterranean Sea.

(d) Mawsynram receives more rain than Shilong.

Answer:
Mawsynram lies in the Khasi hills in Meghalaya and gets more rainfall from the
Bay of Bengal branch of the summer monsoon. Here the hills are funnle shaped
so the moisture laiden monsoon have to take a sudden rise which cause heavy
rain (1221 cm). On the other hand Shilong lies in the rain shadow area of the
Khasi hills and gets less rainfall.

Question 29.
Explain how is the winter rain caused. How is the rain beneficial?
Answer:
The causes of winter rain are:

 In Tamil Nadu, the north-east monsoon winds pick up moisture from the
Bay of Bengal and bring rain.
 The cause of the rain in all the northern states are the western disturbances
that originate in the Mediterranean Sea. Benefit of Winter Rain.
This rainfall is cyclonic rain and is beneficial to crops, especially wheat and
barely.
Question 30.
On an outline map of India, mark the low pressure area during summer.
Answer:

Question 31.
On an outline map of India, markw ith arrows the withdrawal of the South-West
Monsoon.
Answer:

Question 32.
On an outline physical map of India:
(a) Mark the direction of western disturbances.
(b) Mark the S.W. Monsoon. (Bay of Bengal branch)
(c) Mark the direction of the North-East Monsoon.
(d) The direction of tropical cyclone over the Bay of Bengal.
(e) The direction of winds during the summer from S.W. to N.E.
Answer:
Question 33.
(Refer for data of Chennai, Pune, New Delhi and Kolkata to answer this question)
Answer the following questions:
(a) Calculate the annual range of temperature.
(b) What is the total rainfall experienced by the station?
(c) When does the station receive maximum rainfall? State a reason for your
answer.
Answer:
(a)

 Annual Rnage of temperature = 20.5 °C – 29.7°C

 Total Annual Rainfall = 0.15 + 0.15 + 0.15 +1.5 +2.7 + 11.4 + 16.7 + 9.0 +
13.4 + 9.0 + 2.7 + 0.3
= 67.150 m
 Pune receive maximum rainfall in July because it lies on the leeward side of
the Western Ghats which is a rainshadow region due to which the Arabian
Sea branch of SW monsoon loses its moisture contant after passing over
the ghats.
(b) Chennai

 Annual Range of temperature = 24.5°C – 32.5°C

 Total Annual Rainfall = 2.8 + 0.7+0.7 +1.5 + 4.5 + 5.1 + 9.5 + 11.3 + 12.4 +
28.1 + 34.5 + 13.6 = 124.6 cm
 Chennai receive its maximum rainfall in November
November-December
December from the
north-east
east monsoon winds which blow over the bay of Bengal and meet
with the moist wind of the retreating monsoons.

(c) New Delhi

 Annual Range of temperature = 13.8°C – 3 3.6°C

 Total Annual Rainfall

= 66.5 cm

 Delhi receives maximum rainfall in August from the South West Monsson
Arabian sea branch These winds blow from the South West and hence
Delhi receive rainfall late in August.

(d) Kolkata

 Annual Range of temperature = 19.4°C – 30.6°C

 Total Annual Rainfall = 0.7 + 2.8 + 3.6 + 4.8 +14.5 + 30.2 + 31.8 + 32.3 +
25.1 + 10.6 + 1.8 + 0.4
= 158.6 cm
 Kolkata receives maximum rainfall in the month of June to August
because It lie in the lower Ganga p
plain/valley.
lain/valley. So when the South West
Monsoon Bay of Bengal branch comes up the power Ganga Valley it sheds
its moisture.

Question 34.
Give reasons for the following:
(i) Mumbai gets more rainfall than Pune.
Answer:
Mumbai receives more rainfall than Pune because it is located on the coast and
Pune is in the interior.

Mumbai lies on the windward side ofWestem Ghats while Pune is located on the
leeward side. Windward refers to the direction from which the rain-bearing south
west monsoon winds approach the land from sea. Lee ward refers to the region
that is shielded from these winds by a natural barrier, in this case, the hills of
Western Ghats. This region is drier and is referred to as rain-shadow due to this
feature.

(ii) The moisture laden winds passing over Rajasthan do not saturate.
Answer:
During the summer the temperature of the place is so high that the monsoon
winds get dry and do not cause rain and do not saturate.

(iii) S.W. monsoon withdraws from India in October/ November.

Answer:
The withdrawl of the South-West monsoon is a much slower process than
reversal of the process. As the South-West Monsoon had travelled towards the
north, now it retreats towards the South. This process starts in October and is
over by the end of November.
Or
By 1st September, with the apparent movement of the Sun towards south, the
low pressure in central India starts weakening, and is no longer able to attract the
monsoon winds towards land. During Autumn equinox when the sun shines
directly Over Equator, the high pressure begins to build over mainland and
subsequently with low pressure over the sea, the South-West Monsoon begins to
withdraw from the mainland of India.

Question 35.
Answer in one word:
(i) Withdrawal of SW monsoon.
(ii) Low pressure depressions during winter in North West India.
(iii) Land and sea breeze on a large scale.
Answer:

 Retreating Monsoons
 Western Disturbance
 Monsoons