The shortest day length that occurs in the Northern hemisphere is on
- A.21st March
- B.23rd September
- C.22nd November
- D.22nd December
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is D, 22nd December. On the winter solstice the Sun is overhead at the Tropic of Capricorn, so the Northern Hemisphere has its shortest day and longest night.
The Earth's axis is tilted at about 23.5 degrees, so as the Earth goes round the Sun the overhead Sun moves between the two tropics. Around 22 December the North Pole is tilted farthest away from the Sun; places north of the equator get the fewest hours of daylight and the Arctic Circle has darkness all day. At the same time the Southern Hemisphere has its longest day and its summer. The reverse happens around 21 June, the summer solstice, when the Sun is overhead at the Tropic of Cancer.
A is wrong because 21 March is the spring equinox, when day and night are nearly equal everywhere. B is wrong because 23 September is the autumn equinox, again with equal day and night. C is wrong because 22 November is not a solstice and days are still shortening then.
Exam tip: 21 June Cancer and longest northern day; 22 December Capricorn and shortest northern day.
Practice Questions
View allBagram Air Base is located in
- A.Turkey
- B.Pakistan
- C.Afghanistan
- D.Israel
Show answer
Bagram Air Base lies in Parwan province of Afghanistan, about 60 km north of the capital Kabul.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following statements is not correct?
- A.Position of the Sun, Earth and Moon in a straight line of 180° angle is known as syzygy.
- B.Syzygy conjunction causes solar eclipse.
- C.Syzygy opposition causes lunar eclipse.
- D.Syzygy conjunction occurs at the time of perihelion only.
Show answer
This statement is not correct, because conjunction happens at every new moon, about once a month, and has nothing to do with the Earth's closest point to the Sun.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following about sugar industry of Peninsular India is not correct?
- A.High yield per hectare of sugarcane
- B.Higher sucrose content
- C.Long crushing season
- D.Most of the mills in the Peninsula are located mainly along the east coast
Show answer
This statement is not correct, because the peninsular sugar mills are concentrated mainly in Maharashtra and Karnataka, in the west and the interior of the plateau.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following statements is/are correct?
1. Visakhapatnam Port is a land-locked harbour.
2. Deendayal Port is a tidal port.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.Both 1 and 2
- D.Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Both statements describe the two ports correctly. Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh is India's deepest land-locked and protected port on the east coast.
Read the full explanation →Weathering, mass wasting, erosion and transportation are indicators of which one of the following processes?
- A.Denudation
- B.Endogenetic process
- C.Diastrophism
- D.Mountain building
Show answer
Weathering, mass wasting, erosion and transportation together wear down and strip away the earth's surface, and this combined work is called denudation.
Read the full explanation →