NCERT Solutions for Class 9

Social Science (Geography)

Chapter- 4 Climate

1. Choose the correct answer from the four alternatives given below.
i. Which one of the following places receives the highest rainfall in the
world?
(a) Silchar
(b) Mawsynram
(c) Cherrapunji
(d) Guwahati
Ans: (b) Mawsynram

ii. The wind blowing in the northern plains in summers is known as:
(a) Kaal Baisakhi
(b) Loo
(c) Trade Winds
(d) None of the above
Ans: (b) Loo

iii. Which one of the following causes rainfall during winters in north-
western part of India?
(a) Cyclonic depression
(b) Retreating monsoon
(c) Western disturbances
(d) Southwest monsoon
Ans: (a) Cyclonic depression

iv. Monsoon arrives in India approximately in:

(a) Early May
(b) Early July
(c) Early June
(d) Early August
Ans: (c) Early June

v. Which one of the following characterises the cold weather season in

India?
(a) Warm days and warm nights
(b) Warm days and cold nights

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 (c) Cool days and cold nights
(d) Cold days and warm nights
Ans: (c) Cool days and cold nights

2. Answer the following questions briefly.

i. What are the controls affecting the climate of India?
Ans: The controls affecting the climate of India are temperature,
atmospheric pressure, wind, humidity and precipitation.

ii. Why does India have a monsoon type of climate?

Ans: India comes in the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and
together with factors such as El Nino, Coriolis Force and Jet Streams, India
gets a unique type of climate which is called the Monsoon type of climate
in India.

iii. Which part of India does experience the highest diurnal range of
temperature and why?
Ans: The North-western part of India experiences the highest diurnal range
of temperature as it receives the least amount of rainfall and also it is away
from sea. So, the temperatures go to the extreme in this part of India.

iv. Which winds account for rainfall along the Malabar coast?
Ans: The Malabar Coast gets most of the rainfall from the Southwest
monsoon winds. Sometimes, although rare, this coast experiences cyclones
as well which bring rainfall.

v. What are Jet streams and how do they affect the climate of India?
Ans: Jet streams are the westerlies which have a very high speed in the
northern hemisphere. They are more commonly known as the western
disturbances that bring rainfall to the north-western part of India in the
months of December and January.

vi. Define monsoons. What do you understand by “break” in

monsoon?
Ans: Monsoon break takes place due to the reversal of the wind direction.
This includes a wet and dry spell during the rainy season during which very
less rainfall takes place.

vii. Why is the monsoon considered a unifying bond?

Ans: The monsoon in India influences almost all of the Indian

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 Subcontinent and most of the activities take place based on these winds.
The flora and fauna thrive in the subcontinent due to the monsoons and the
crops are grown successfully based on the timings of the monsoons. Many
festivals also take place based on the monsoon across India. So, the
monsoon is called a unifying bond in India.

3. Why does the rainfall decrease from the east to the west in Northern
India?
Ans: The rainfall in the eastern part of India occurs due to the Bay of Bengal
branch of southwest monsoons. As the winds move from Bengal to the
Gangetic plains, their moisture content decreases and by the time they reach
Punjab region, they are almost dry. So, a decrease is seen in the amount of
rainfall from east to west.

4. Give reasons as to why.

i. Seasonal reversal of wind direction takes place over the Indian
subcontinent?
Ans: The seasonal reversal of wind direction over the Indian subcontinent
takes place due to pressure differences. The El Nino also plays a major role
in the seasonal reversal of wind direction over the Indian subcontinent.

ii. The bulk of rainfall in India is concentrated over a few months.

Ans: The monsoon season begins in India from June and by mid-July, it
covers almost all of the Indian Subcontinent. The retreat of monsoons
begins from September and not much rainfall occurs after that. Hence, in
the Indian subcontinent, the rainfall is concentrated over a few months.

iii. The Tamil Nadu coast receives winter rainfall.

Ans: The Tamil Nadu coast, known as the Coromandel Coast receives
winter rainfall as the north-eastern winds, which are retreating monsoon
winds take up moisture as they move over Bay of Bengal during winters
and pour the rains due to obstruction from the Eastern Ghats. Since the
Coromandel Coast falls on the windward side, it gets winter rainfall.

iv. The delta region of the eastern coast is frequently struck by

cyclones.
Ans: The Bay of Bengal is the centre of various pressure changes so many
cyclones develop in this region. Hence, the delta region of the Bay of
Bengal witnessed multiple cyclones.

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 v. Parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat and the leeward side of the Western
Ghats are drought- prone.
Ans: The parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat and the leeward side of the Western
Ghats are drought prone as the Arabian Sea branch does not give enough
rainfall in that region as it falls on the leeward side. The Aravalli mountains
lie parallel to the direction of the winds so they do not force the winds to
cause rains. Also, the Bay of Bengal branch becomes dry till it reaches
Rajasthan.

5. Describe the regional variations in the climatic conditions of India

with the help of suitable examples.
Ans: There is a huge regional variation in the climatic conditions of India.
The Temperature and Precipitation vary not only from place to place but also
from season to season.
● In summers, the temperature goes up to 50°C in certain parts of
Rajasthan but it barely crosses 20°C in Pahalgam in Kashmir region.
● In winters, the night temperature in Dras sector of Kashmir is below
freezing point around -45°C but in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala it hardly
goes below 20°C.
● In the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the difference between day and
night temperature is barely 7° – 8°C.
● The coastal areas experience less contrast in the temperature, whereas
the seasonal contrasts are more in the interior of the country.
● There is a decrease in rainfall generally from east to west in the northern
plains.
● Most parts of India get rainfall from June to August - September,
whereas the Coromandel Coast gets rainfall in the winter season. Odisha
gets rainfall from cyclones too.

6. Discuss the mechanism of monsoons.

Ans: Following are the factors responsible for the mechanism of the
monsoons:
● The Sun causes differential heating and cooling of land and water. This
creates a low pressure on the landmass of India and high pressure over
the ocean surface around India.
● The Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is normally positioned at
about 5°N of the equator. It shifts over the Gangetic plains during the
summer. It is also known as the monsoon trough during the monsoon
season.
● The high-pressure area, towards the east of Madagascar is approximately

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 20°S over the Indian Ocean. This area affects the Indian Monsoon winds
too.
● The Tibetan plateau gets intensely heated during summer. This results in
strong vertical air currents and formation of low pressure areas over the
Tibetan plateau. This zone is about 9 km above the sea level.
● The westerly jet stream moves to the north of the Himalayas, and the
tropical easterly jet stream moves over the Indian Peninsula during
summer.
● The periodic change in pressure conditions between the Pacific Ocean
and the Indian Ocean that is known as the Southern Oscillation or SO
also affects the Indian monsoon.

7. Give an account of weather conditions and characteristics of the cold

season.
Ans: Following are the features of the cold season of India:
● The winter season begins from mid-November and continues till
February in northern India.
● December and January are the coldest months in the northern part of
India which consists of Punjab, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, etc.
● The average temperature ranges between 10°-15°C in the northern
plains, while it ranges around 24°-25°C in Southern India.
● The northeast trade winds prevail over the entire country in this period.
As these winds blow from land to sea, most parts of the country
experience a dry climate.
● The weather is usually marked by clear skies, low temperatures, low
humidity and weak variable winds.
● The inflow of the cyclonic disturbances from the west and the northwest
is a characteristic feature of the cold weather over the northern plains of
India.
● These low-pressure systems originate over the Mediterranean Sea and
Western Asia and move into India. They cause winter rains over the
north western plains and snowfall in the mountains.
● The winter rainfall is in small amounts but is very important for the rabi
crops which are harvested in March - April.
● The peninsular region does not get a well-defined winter because of the
moderating influence of the sea and its location in the Torrid Zone.

8. Give the characteristics and effects of the monsoon rainfall in India.

Ans: The characteristics of the monsoon rainfall in India are:
● The duration of the monsoon varies from 100 to 120 days which is from

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 early June to mid- September.
● Around the time of its arrival, the normal rainfall increases suddenly and
continues regularly for several days. This is also called the ‘burst’ of the
monsoons.
● The monsoons are distinguished from the pre-monsoon showers because
of their increase in rainfall amount and regularity.
● The monsoon arrives at the southern tip of the Indian Peninsular
generally by the first week of June.
● The rainfall is unevenly distributed across the country.

The effects of the monsoon rainfall in India:

● The agriculture in India largely depends on Indian monsoons for water.
Late, low or excessive rains have a highly negative impact upon crops.
● Due to uneven distribution of rainfall across the country, there are few
places that are drought prone such as Marathwada and Vidarbha and few
are flood prone such as Assam.
● The monsoon provides India with a diverse climatic pattern.

9. On an outline map of India, show the following.

i. Areas receiving rainfall over 400 cm.
ii. Areas receiving less than 20 cm of rainfall.
iii. The direction of the south-west monsoon over India.
Ans:

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