World Climate Types & Climatic Regions – NDA Geography PYQs

Question 1 [NDA 2006-I]
Which one of the following pairs is NOT correctly matched?
(a) Mediterranean climate — Hot dry summer and mild wet winter
(b) Equatorial climate — High temperature and heavy rainfall throughout the year
(c) Monsoon climate — Seasonal reversal of winds
(d) Steppe climate — Rainfall throughout the year

Answer: (d) Steppe climate — Rainfall throughout the year
Steppe climate does NOT have rainfall throughout the year — it has low, unreliable rainfall mostly concentrated in a brief summer period. Total annual rainfall is 250–500 mm. Saying the steppe has rainfall throughout the year is incorrect. The other three pairs are all correctly described.

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Question 2 [NDA 2010-I]
Statement I: North-western Europe has a mild and wet climate.
Statement II: North-western Europe is located on the coast of Atlantic Ocean and is influenced by the North Atlantic Drift.

(a) Both true and II explains I
(b) Both true but II does not explain I
(c) I true but II false
(d) I false but II true

Answer: (a) Both true and II explains I
North-western Europe (UK, France, Netherlands, etc.) has a mild and wet climate year-round — mild winters and cool summers with rainfall throughout the year. This is explained by the North Atlantic Drift — the warm ocean current flowing northeast from the Gulf of Mexico across the Atlantic. It warms the western coasts of Europe, keeping them much milder than places at similar latitudes in North America or Asia.

Question 3 [NDA 2010-II]
Mediterranean type of climate is found in:
(a) Western sides of continents between 30° and 45° latitudes
(b) Eastern sides of continents between 30° and 45° latitudes
(c) Western sides of continents between 45° and 60° latitudes
(d) Eastern sides of continents between 45° and 60° latitudes

Answer: (a) Western sides of continents between 30° and 45° latitudes
Mediterranean climate is characteristically found on the western sides of continents between 30° and 45° latitude. This is because the subtropical high pressure belt (which creates summer drought) and the westerlies (which bring winter rain) both affect these regions. The eastern sides of continents at these latitudes have very different climates — more continental or monsoonal.