UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Monsoon rush

Q1. From which year onwards has the India Meteorological Department been issuing operational forecasts for the date of southwest monsoon onset over Kerala?

  • A. 1988
  • B. 2005
  • C. 2007
  • D. 2012

Q2. Which one of the following does IMD conventionally track as the primary marker for the beginning of the four-month June–September southwest monsoon season?

  • A. Monsoon onset over the Andaman Sea
  • B. Monsoon onset over Kerala
  • C. Monsoon onset over Mumbai
  • D. Monsoon onset over Lakshadweep

Q3. Who issued the first regular long-range forecast of the Indian monsoon in 1886, based on the extent of Himalayan snow cover?

  • A. Gilbert Walker
  • B. Vasant Gowariker
  • C. Henry Francis Blanford
  • D. P. Koteswaram

Q4. The dynamical Monsoon Mission Coupled Forecasting System (MMCFS) used in modern seasonal monsoon prediction was developed at which one of the following institutions?

  • A. Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune
  • B. Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS)
  • C. National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF)
  • D. National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC)

Q5. The satellite-derived Outgoing Longwave Radiation data used to monitor the deep convection accompanying the advancing monsoon is supplied by the INSAT series operated by which organisation?

  • A. India Meteorological Department
  • B. Indian Space Research Organisation
  • C. Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology
  • D. Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services

Q6. In the context of the southwest monsoon mechanism, the term 'Mascarene High' refers to:

  • A. A semi-permanent high-pressure area over the southern Indian Ocean that is the source region of the cross-equatorial monsoon flow
  • B. A high-level heat source over the Tibetan Plateau that strengthens the easterly jet
  • C. A low-pressure monsoon trough that develops over northwest India in summer
  • D. A belt of high pressure over the Bay of Bengal that steers the eastern monsoon branch

Q7. As per IMD's classification, all-India seasonal rainfall in the range of 90–96% of the Long Period Average is categorised as:

  • A. Deficient
  • B. Below normal
  • C. Normal
  • D. Above normal

Q8. The Updated Long Range Forecast projecting below-normal seasonal rainfall for 2026 is officially issued by which one of the following agencies?

  • A. Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology
  • B. India Meteorological Department
  • C. Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services
  • D. National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting

Q9. As per IMD's onset criteria, the monsoon over Kerala is declared only after which one of the following wind conditions is satisfied?

  • A. The depth of westerlies is maintained up to 600 hPa in the specified box over the southeast Arabian Sea
  • B. The depth of easterlies is maintained up to 600 hPa over the specified box
  • C. The depth of westerlies is confined to below 850 hPa only
  • D. The depth of westerlies extends up to 200 hPa over the specified box

Q10. What is the normal (Long Period Average) date of the first onset milestone of the season — the monsoon onset over Kerala?

  • A. 15 May
  • B. 20 May
  • C. 1 June
  • D. 8 June

Q11. On reaching the Indian mainland, the Arabian Sea branch of the southwest monsoon splits into how many distinct streams?

  • A. Two
  • B. Three
  • C. Four
  • D. Five

Q12. A 'positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD)', which can partly counteract El Niño's rainfall-suppressing effect on the Indian monsoon, is defined as a phase in which:

  • A. The western tropical Indian Ocean becomes warmer than the eastern tropical Indian Ocean
  • B. The eastern tropical Indian Ocean becomes warmer than the western tropical Indian Ocean
  • C. The entire tropical Indian Ocean warms uniformly relative to the Pacific
  • D. The Arabian Sea cools sharply relative to the Bay of Bengal