CBSE Class 7 Social Science Chapter 03 Climates Of India MCQs Set 01

Answer: (A) Climate is the long-term weather pattern of a region observed over several decades, while weather changes day to day

Explanation:
Weather is the day-to-day condition like sunshine, rain or wind, and it keeps changing, whereas climate is the pattern such conditions follow over a long stretch of time, typically decades, and this pattern differs from region to region.

Answer: (C) Six

Explanation:
The chapter lists six traditional ritus: vasanta, grishma, varsha, sharad, hemanta and shishir, each linked to specific festivals like Vasanta Panchami and Sharad Purnima.

Answer: (C) The Deccan Plateau

Explanation:
The central Deccan Plateau is identified as semi-arid, distinguishing it from the fully arid Thar Desert and the wetter coastal strip.

Answer: (B) Sun rays hit the equator almost vertically, concentrating energy on a smaller area, while polar rays are slanted and spread over a larger area

Explanation:
Because the sun's rays strike the equator at a near-perpendicular angle, their energy is concentrated on a smaller surface area; near the poles, the oblique angle spreads the same energy over a wider area and forces the rays through more atmosphere, dissipating heat further.

Answer: (B) Latitude

Explanation:
Kanniyakumari lies close to the Equator at a low latitude, receiving concentrated solar energy, whereas Srinagar is at a much higher latitude where the sun's rays are more spread out and weaker, producing cooler conditions.

Answer: (B) Higher altitude means thinner, less dense air and greater distance from the heated Earth's surface, both of which lower temperature

Explanation:
As altitude rises, air pressure and density fall, making the air cooler, and being farther from the sun-heated ground surface also means less warmth reaches these elevated places — which is why many Himalayan peaks stay snow-covered.

Answer: (C) Mumbai's coastal location lets the sea moderate its temperature, while inland Nagpur experiences more extreme heating and cooling

Explanation:
• The sea absorbs and loses heat slowly, keeping nearby areas mild.
• Mumbai, being coastal, has a narrow range of about 14°C between summer and winter.
• Nagpur, away from the coast, swings between roughly 44°C and 10°C, a range of about 34°C, since land heats and cools much faster than water.

Answer: (B) Winds arriving from deserts stretching from Arabia to Afghanistan bring hot, dry air

Explanation:
These states lie in the path of westerly winds that travel over arid stretches from Arabia towards Afghanistan, picking up dry heat that intensifies summer temperatures and triggers heat waves.

Answer: (B) It shields the subcontinent to some extent from cold winds coming from Central Asia's deserts

Explanation:
Acting as a topographic barrier, these ranges partly protect the subcontinent from cold winds originating in the deserts of Central Asia, unlike the flat Thar Desert which has no such natural shield against hot dry winds.

Answer: (B) A localised climate pattern in a small area that differs from the surroundings, such as an urban heat island

Explanation:
A microclimate is confined to a small geographical area, like an enclosed valley, a forest, or a city dense with concrete and short on vegetation — the latter case being called an urban heat island because it traps heat and stays warmer than nearby regions.

Answer: (B) The land heats up quickly and creates a low-pressure zone that draws in moist air from the higher-pressure ocean

Explanation:
Since air moves from high pressure to low pressure, the intensely heated summer landmass forms a low-pressure system that draws moisture-laden winds in from the cooler, higher-pressure ocean, and this moisture condenses over land as monsoon rain.

Answer: (B) It starts along the southern tip in early June and gradually moves northward, covering India by mid-July

Explanation:
The chapter describes a gradual northward progression, starting from India's southern tip in early June and spreading across the subcontinent by mid-July, with the Western Ghats causing uneven rainfall along the way.

Answer: (B) The Ghats block moisture-laden winds, forcing rain to fall on the windward western side before drier air crosses to the plateau

Explanation:
Acting as a barrier to the moisture-carrying southwest monsoon winds, the Western Ghats cause heavy rain on their western, sea-facing slopes, while the Deccan Plateau to their east receives comparatively less and more irregular rainfall.

Answer: (B) Faster glacier melting and heavy rainfall build up pressure that can break the natural rock-and-ice barriers holding glacial lakes

Explanation:
Glacial lakes are held back by barriers of rock and ice; when glaciers melt unusually fast or heavy rain adds extra water, pressure builds until the barrier gives way, unleashing a sudden and often devastating flood — as happened in Uttarakhand in 2013.

Answer: (B) While natural processes drove climate change over long geological time, human actions like burning fossil fuels and deforestation have become the dominant driver in the last two centuries

Explanation:
Natural forces shaped climate over millions of years, but the chapter notes that since the 1800s, human activities such as burning fossil fuels, cutting forests, harmful industrial practices and wasteful consumption have become the primary force behind climate change, intensifying the greenhouse effect and warming the planet rapidly.

Answer: (A) Season

Explanation:
The chapter notes that 'monsoon' derives from mausim, an Arabic word meaning 'season', and originally referred to seasonal winds over the Indian Ocean region rather than rain itself.

Answer: (B) Its tropical wet climate with heavy monsoon rainfall

Explanation:
Heavy rain during the monsoon months gives this coastal belt a tropical wet climate, and such abundant moisture is exactly what rice and spice crops need to thrive.

Answer: (B) Poor rainfall damages crops and reduces farm work available to labourers

Explanation:
When rains fail, agriculture suffers and water becomes scarce, so farm labourers often have little choice but to migrate to cities in search of work, while rising food prices add to the strain.

Answer: (B) A low-pressure system forms near the sea, surrounding air rushes in bringing moisture, and rotating clouds build around a calm centre

Explanation:
It starts with lower atmospheric pressure over the sea attracting surrounding air inward; this incoming air carries moisture that condenses into rotating clouds, leaving a calm, cloudless 'eye' at the centre when the system intensifies.

Answer: (B) It suggests heavy rainfall is likely

Explanation:
Communities practising this kind of nature observation associate low nest placement with heavier rains, while nests built higher up are taken as a sign of a drier season ahead.

Answer: (B) Deforestation and unplanned construction blocking natural water flow

Explanation:
Beyond natural triggers such as heavy rain or earthquakes, cutting down forests and building without proper safeguards has made hill regions like Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand more prone to landslides.

Answer: (B) It releases excess greenhouse gases that trap additional heat in the atmosphere

Explanation:
Fossil fuels release carbon dioxide and other gases far faster than the natural carbon cycle can balance; this surplus intensifies the greenhouse effect, trapping more heat and driving rapid warming beyond what ecosystems have adapted to.

Answer: (A) Carrying out rescue and evacuation work during disasters like cyclones and floods

Explanation:
The chapter mentions the NDRF as a force trained to handle natural and human-made disasters, noting its role in rescuing and evacuating people during events such as cyclones, landslides and floods. Forecasting rainfall is instead linked to the India Meteorological Department, not the NDRF.

Answer: (B) Their higher altitude reduces air density and slows heat loss

Explanation:
Cities packed with concrete structures and lacking greenery absorb and hold onto heat, making them noticeably hotter than the surrounding region — this is why the chapter classifies them as a type of microclimate. Altitude and sea breezes, by contrast, are shown elsewhere in the chapter to cool places down, not heat them up.

Answer: (A) The overall physical shape of an area's surface, including its mountains, valleys and slopes

Explanation:
As defined in the chapter's glossary note, topography covers all the physical surface features of a region — mountains, hills, valleys, slopes and coasts — and this is exactly why the flat Thar Desert has no natural barrier against hot winds, unlike the Himalaya-protected north.