Indian climate and soils are asked almost every year in UPSC Prelims, often as statement-based or match-the-following questions. This set covers the mechanism and seasons of the monsoon, local winds and storms, rainfall distribution, and the major soil types of India with the crops they support.
How to practise: read each question and tap the option you think is correct. You will see right away whether you got it, along with a short explanation, and your score is tracked at the bottom of the screen. This set has 15 questions.
Topics covered in this set
- Onset, burst and retreat of the southwest monsoon
- Northeast monsoon and western disturbances
- Local winds and pre-monsoon storms: Loo, mango showers, Kalbaisakhi
- El Niño and the Indian Ocean Dipole
- Rainfall distribution and rain shadow areas
- Major soils of India: alluvial, black, red and laterite
UPSC MCQs with answers and explanations
Q1. Around which date does the southwest monsoon normally reach the Kerala coast?
a) 1 July
b) 15 May
c) 1 June
d) 15 June
Q2. What are mango showers?
a) Pre-monsoon showers in Kerala and coastal Karnataka that help mangoes ripen
b) Retreating monsoon rain in Tamil Nadu
c) Hailstorms in Himachal Pradesh
d) Winter rain in Punjab from western disturbances
Q3. Western disturbances bring winter rainfall mainly to which region, where it benefits rabi crops?
a) Kerala and Karnataka
b) Tamil Nadu and Puducherry
c) North-eastern states
d) North-western India such as Punjab and Haryana
Q4. The Coromandel coast of Tamil Nadu receives most of its annual rainfall during which period?
a) June to September from the southwest monsoon
b) October to December from the northeast or retreating monsoon
c) January and February from western disturbances
d) April and May from mango showers
Q5. Which place records the highest average annual rainfall in India?
a) Agumbe
b) Mawsynram
c) Mahabaleshwar
d) Cherrapunji
Q6. Loo is best described as:
a) A cyclonic storm in the Bay of Bengal
b) A sea breeze along the Konkan coast
c) A cold wind blowing down the Himalayas in winter
d) A hot, dry and dusty wind over the north Indian plains in May and June
Q7. Kalbaisakhi, a feature of the hot weather season, refers to:
a) Evening thunderstorms with strong winds in West Bengal and Assam
b) Dust storms in Rajasthan
c) Snowfall in Kashmir
d) Cyclones that hit the Gujarat coast
Q8. An El Niño event in the Pacific Ocean is generally associated with:
a) Heavier winter snowfall in the Himalayas
b) Above-normal monsoon rainfall in India
c) A weaker Indian monsoon and a higher risk of drought
d) Early arrival of the monsoon in Kerala
Q9. A positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is generally:
a) The main cause of western disturbances
b) Responsible for the Loo
c) Unrelated to Indian weather
d) Favourable for monsoon rainfall over India
Q10. Which of the following areas lies in the rain shadow of the Western Ghats?
a) Interior Deccan plateau east of the Ghats
b) Goa
c) Konkan coast
d) Malabar coast
Q11. Which is the most widespread soil in India?
a) Laterite soil
b) Black soil
c) Alluvial soil
d) Red soil
Q12. Black soil, also called regur, is best known for growing which crop?
a) Tea
b) Cotton
c) Rice
d) Coffee
Q13. Laterite soil develops mainly because of:
a) Intense leaching under high temperature and heavy rainfall
b) Glacial deposits in the Himalayas
c) Deposition by rivers in deltas
d) Wind deposition in deserts
Q14. The red colour of red soil is mainly due to:
a) Calcium carbonate
b) Salt deposits
c) Humus
d) Iron oxide
Q15. In the northern plains, khadar refers to:
a) Saline and alkaline soil
b) Old alluvium lying above the flood level
c) New alluvium deposited on the floodplains almost every year
d) Sandy desert soil
Quick revision notes
- The southwest monsoon reaches Kerala around 1 June and usually covers the whole country by mid-July.
- Tamil Nadu gets most of its rain from the northeast or retreating monsoon between October and December.
- Local storms: mango showers (Kerala, Karnataka), Kalbaisakhi (West Bengal, Assam), Loo (north Indian plains).
- El Niño usually weakens the Indian monsoon; a positive IOD usually supports it.
- Soils: alluvial is the most widespread, black suits cotton, red gets its colour from iron, laterite forms by leaching.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the southwest and northeast monsoon?
The southwest monsoon blows from the sea to the land between June and September and gives most of India its rain. The northeast monsoon blows from land to sea from October to December, and mainly brings rain to Tamil Nadu after picking up moisture over the Bay of Bengal.
How should I prepare Indian soils for UPSC Prelims?
Learn each soil type with three facts: the parent rock or process that forms it, where it is found on the map, and the crops it supports. Most questions test these links.
Why does Mawsynram get so much rain?
Moist Bay of Bengal winds are trapped by the funnel-shaped Khasi hills, so they are forced to rise steeply and drop heavy orographic rain on the southern slopes.
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