QUESTION 1 OF 5
[UPSC Prelims 2024] Regarding the heating of the atmosphere: Statement-I: the atmosphere is heated more by incoming solar radiation than by terrestrial radiation. Statement-II: carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are good absorbers of long-wave radiation. Which is correct?
Explanation: In reality, the atmosphere is heated predominantly by outgoing long-wave terrestrial radiation, not directly by incoming shortwave solar radiation, making Statement-I false; greenhouse gases like CO2 do strongly absorb long-wave radiation, so Statement-II is true.
QUESTION 2 OF 5
[UPSC Prelims 2024] Statement-I: the thickness of the troposphere at the equator is much greater compared to the poles. Statement-II: at the equator, heat is transported to great heights by strong convectional currents. Which is correct?
Explanation: Strong convective heating at the equator carries heat to much greater heights than at the poles, which is precisely why the troposphere there is considerably thicker - so Statement-II correctly explains Statement-I.
QUESTION 3 OF 5
[UPSC Prelims 2024] Consider: (1) pyroclastic debris; (2) ash and dust; (3) nitrogen compounds; (4) sulphur compounds. How many of these are products of volcanic eruptions?
Explanation: Volcanic eruptions typically release pyroclastic debris, ash and dust, and sulphur compounds; nitrogen compounds are not a characteristic volcanic emission, so only three of the four qualify.
QUESTION 4 OF 5
[UPSC Prelims 2024] Regarding isothermal maps for the month of January: (1) isotherms deviate to the north over the ocean and to the south over the continent; (2) the presence of cold ocean currents - the Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Drift - makes the North Atlantic colder, bending the isotherms towards the north. Which is/are correct?
Explanation: In January, isotherms do bend poleward over oceans (warmer than land) and equatorward over continents, so statement 1 holds; however, the Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Drift are warm currents, not cold ones, making statement 2 factually wrong.
QUESTION 5 OF 5
[UPSC Prelims 2024] Which of the following countries are well known as the two largest cocoa producers in the world?
Explanation: Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana together account for over half of the world's cocoa production, making them by far the largest producers globally.
More UPSC Prelims Previous Year Questions (PYQ) topics
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