UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Wicked surprise

Q1. With reference to the northeast monsoon over India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. IMD assesses its seasonal rainfall for South Peninsular India as a group of several meteorological subdivisions, not for Tamil Nadu alone.
  2. During its season, the large-scale surface airflow over the subcontinent is directed from the ocean towards the Asian interior.
  3. Although it contributes a modest share of India's annual rainfall, it supplies a large part of the annual rain on the Tamil Nadu coast.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 and 3 only

Q2. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. A northeast monsoon season whose total rainfall lies within IMD's 'normal' range can still contain a single-day deluge of the kind Chennai experienced on 1 December 2015.
  2. IMD judges northeast monsoon rainfall against the same Long Period Average that it uses for the all-India southwest monsoon.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q3. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. El Niño years have often been associated with below-normal southwest monsoon rainfall over India.
  2. In the positive phase of the Indian Ocean Dipole, sea-surface temperatures in the western Indian Ocean are warmer than those in the eastern Indian Ocean.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q4. With reference to the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A positive IOD phase tends to bring drier-than-normal conditions to Indonesia and Australia.
  2. A positive IOD developing during an El Niño year can partly offset El Niño's suppressing effect on the Indian southwest monsoon.
  3. An IOD event is identified from sea-surface temperature anomalies in the Indian Ocean alone, not from those of the equatorial Pacific.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 1 and 2 only

Q5. Consider the following information: IMD's 2026 outlook expects northeast monsoon rainfall over South Peninsular India to be 'normal', i.e. 88–112% of a Long Period Average (LPA) of about 334 mm. The 2026 southwest monsoon ended with 759.4 mm against an all-India LPA of 868.6 mm, and IMD treats southwest monsoon rainfall below 90% of LPA as deficient. Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above information?

  1. The 2026 southwest monsoon qualifies as a deficient season for the country as a whole.
  2. A northeast monsoon total of about 300 mm over South Peninsular India would still count as normal.
  3. Because the southwest monsoon shortfall exceeded 10%, the 2026 northeast monsoon is also likely to be deficient.
  4. Since 868.6 mm exceeds 334 mm, South Peninsular India receives more rain in June–September than in October–December.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • D. 2 and 4 only

Q6. A strong El Niño persists in the equatorial Pacific from the summer through the end of the year. Which one of the following outcomes for India is most consistent with how El Niño has typically influenced the two monsoon seasons?

  • A. Weaker southwest monsoon rain, and a lower risk of extreme October–December rain in the south-east peninsula
  • B. Weaker southwest monsoon rain, and a higher risk of extreme October–December rain in the south-east peninsula
  • C. Stronger southwest monsoon rain, and a higher risk of extreme October–December rain in the south-east peninsula
  • D. Stronger southwest monsoon rain, and a lower risk of extreme October–December rain in the south-east peninsula

Q7. Consider the following assertion: Even after a deficient southwest monsoon in an El Niño year, the south-east peninsula should prepare for extreme rainfall during October–December. Which of the following statements support/supports the above assertion?

  1. A deficient southwest monsoon reduces kharif sowing and adds to food inflation.
  2. Over south peninsular India, extreme rainfall events are much more common in the northeast monsoon season than in the southwest monsoon season.
  3. Chennai's extreme rainfall episodes of 2015 and of Cyclone Michaung in 2023 both occurred in El Niño years.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q8. Which one of the following best explains why the Coromandel coast of Tamil Nadu receives its main rainfall in October–December rather than in June–September?

  • A. After the southwest monsoon withdraws, north-easterly winds gather moisture over the Bay of Bengal and shed it on this coast
  • B. In October, the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal branches of the southwest monsoon converge and shed moisture on this coast
  • C. After September, south-westerly winds from the Arabian Sea strengthen and shed their moisture on this coast after crossing the Ghats
  • D. In early winter, western disturbances from the Mediterranean region travel south-east and shed their moisture on this coast