Comprehension: (Que No. 1 - 5) Read the following passage carefully and answer…
2024
Comprehension: (Que No. 1 - 5)
Read the following passage carefully and answer the given set of questions.
Since the Pre-Vedic era, the 'Idea of India has been defined by the Monsoons, a season which brings torrential rains to the plains and mountains of the sub-continent. Awaited anxiously by millions, the Monsoons turn India into a soothing, green vision year after year, even as they fertilize its sprawling farms and orchards. No wonder then that India's agriculture, art, music, dance, literature and religious texts are replete with magical vignettes of rain. Indeed, the Monsoon is likened to Prana, the life-force of fecundity in India's ornate culture. Practically everyone in India has some personal signal that the monsoon is coming: The delicious summer mangoes from Lucknow, southeast of New Delhi, lose their tartness. The large, black Indian ants become frantic in their search for food, massing over the scorched earth with a collective desperation. A locust-type insect swarms over light fixtures. The late afternoon sky turns a dirty yellow and the midnight heavens thunder impotently, like a god with a hacking dry cough. India is the only country in the world which has the mighty barrier of the Himalayas to block the passage of rain-bearing clouds that bring a magical rain-dance to India in a specific season every year. India is endowed with the largest water-bearing cloud system in the world. It is estimated to be the size of the entire continent of Europe. It feeds innumerable rivers and their huge network of tributaries to fertilize the subcontinent which is called Bharat Varsha or the Monsoon Island of the Bharatas in religious literature. It is no wonder then, that the Idea of India' has been illuminated by the literature, art, culture, music, religion and way of life inspired by the Monsoon tradition. The Indian Monsoon turns large parts of India from a kind of semi-desert into green lands.lt is therefore crucial for farmers to have the right timing for putting the seeds on the fields, as it is essential to use all the rain that is available for growing crops.
Question:
What is the role of the Himalayas in Indian monsoon?
- A.
The Himalayas prevent the cold continental air masses of central Asia from entering into India.
- B.
Intercept the summer monsoons coming from the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea and cause precipitation.
- C.
The Himalayan ranges are the source of almost all the great rivers of India.
- D.
The Himalayas provide enormous quantities of alluvium to the rivers and tributaries descending from it.
Attempted by 6 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Answer: The Himalayas intercept moisture-laden summer monsoon winds and cause heavy rainfall over India.
Moist winds from the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea travel toward the Indian subcontinent during the summer.
When these moisture-laden winds meet the Himalayas, they are forced to rise (orographic lift).
Rising air cools and its moisture condenses into clouds and precipitation, producing the heavy monsoon rains over India.
By blocking northward movement of rain-bearing clouds and influencing wind patterns, the Himalayas help concentrate the monsoon over the subcontinent, making them crucial for India’s seasonal rainfall.