Daily Static Quiz Prelims Practice 2027
Tropical cyclones need sea surface temperatures of at least 26–27°C to a depth of around 50 metres, which provides the heat and moisture that fuels the storm's convective engine.
- The Bay of Bengal generates nearly 80% of cyclonic activity in the North Indian Ocean.
- Cyclones in the Northern Hemisphere rotate clockwise, and those in the Southern Hemisphere rotate anticlockwise.
Statement 1 is correct — the Bay of Bengal generates around 80% of North Indian Ocean cyclones, being warmer and less affected by wind shear than the Arabian Sea. Statement 2 is incorrect, since this is reversed: due to the Coriolis effect, cyclones in the Northern Hemisphere rotate anticlockwise, and those in the Southern Hemisphere rotate clockwise.
Option (d) is incorrect — Bay of Bengal cyclones do NOT always move westward; many recurve northward, making landfall in Bangladesh, Myanmar, or West Bengal. Options (a), (b), and (c) are all correct — IMD serves as the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre for naming, names are drawn from a list contributed by member countries, and a Super Cyclonic Storm is classified by wind speeds exceeding 220 km/h.
- Assertion (A): India's eastern coastline is more vulnerable to cyclonic damage than its western coastline.
- Reason (R): The Bay of Bengal produces more cyclones, the eastern shelf is shallow and wide, and the funnel-shaped northern Bay concentrates storm surges.
Assertion A is correct — the eastern coastline, spanning Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and West Bengal, sees far more cyclonic damage than the west. Reason R is correct and directly explains A, since higher storm frequency from the Bay of Bengal, a shallow and wide continental shelf, and the funnel geometry of the northern Bay together intensify storm-surge heights along the east coast.
- Nor'westers (Kalbaisakhi) are pre-monsoon thunderstorms benefiting jute and rice in West Bengal.
- Mango showers are pre-monsoon showers helping mango ripening in Kerala.
- Loo is a thunderstorm bringing heavy rain to the Indo-Gangetic plains in summer.
- Cherry Blossom rains help flowering of coffee plants in Karnataka.
Statement 1 is correct — Nor'westers are violent pre-monsoon storms beneficial for jute, rice, and tea in West Bengal. Statement 2 is correct, as mango showers help ripen mangoes in Kerala and coastal Karnataka. Statement 3 is incorrect, since Loo is a hot, dry wind — NOT a thunderstorm — and brings no rainfall at all. Statement 4 is correct, as Cherry Blossom rains trigger the flowering of coffee plants in Coorg and Hassan.
