UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — El Niño won’t impact crop production, says Chouhan

Q1. With reference to the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. During El Niño, the east-to-west trade winds over the equatorial Pacific weaken, allowing warm surface water to shift eastward.
  2. During El Niño, upwelling of cold sub-surface water off the western coast of South America intensifies.
  3. La Niña is associated with a strengthened Walker circulation and generally favours the Indian summer monsoon.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 only

Q2. With reference to the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. In its positive phase, the tropical western Indian Ocean is anomalously warm while waters to the west of Java and Sumatra are anomalously cool.
  2. Positive IOD phases tend to co-occur with El Niño, while negative phases tend to co-occur with La Niña.
  3. The IOD is defined by the sea surface temperature contrast between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q3. With reference to rainfall monitoring and drought in India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A seasonal rainfall deficit reported by the India Meteorological Department is a meteorological measure, whereas declaring an area drought-affected is an administrative decision of the State Government.
  2. A district whose seasonal rainfall is 12% below its normal falls in the India Meteorological Department's 'deficient' category.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 only
  • C. Both 1 and 2
  • D. Neither 1 nor 2

Q4. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. Oilseeds are counted within the aggregate of 'foodgrains' in India's official crop production estimates.
  2. India's foodgrain production estimates are compiled season-wise, not only as a single annual figure.
  • 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

Q5. The Union Agriculture Ministry fixes season-wise national foodgrain production targets at conferences held with the States. In this context, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Targets fixed at such a Union-convened conference are constitutionally binding on the State Governments.
  2. Agriculture is a subject in the State List of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution.
  3. The Union can shape farm outcomes through nationally funded programmes such as crop insurance.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 2 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q6. The benchmark the India Meteorological Department uses to call a monsoon season 'normal', 'deficient' or 'excess' for the country is best described as the:

  • A. highest seasonal rainfall recorded over a century, used as the ceiling for classifying surpluses
  • B. mean of the April and May seasonal forecasts, used as the benchmark for judging forecast skill
  • C. mean seasonal rainfall of the preceding five seasons, revised every year as a rolling benchmark
  • D. mean seasonal rainfall over a fixed multi-decade reference span, taken as the 100% benchmark