What does BW stand for as per the Koeppen climate classification?
- A.Steppe climate
- B.Desert climate
- C.Tundra climate
- D.Mesothermal climate
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Desert climate. In Koeppen's scheme B marks dry climates, and the letter W, from the German Wüste meaning desert, marks the driest of them.
Wladimir Koeppen divided world climates into five main groups by temperature and rainfall: A (tropical humid), B (dry), C (warm temperate or mesothermal), D (cold snow forest) and E (polar). The dry group B is split into BW, the true desert, where yearly rainfall is less than half of what evaporation could remove, and BS, the semi-arid steppe. A third letter, h or k, shows whether the desert is hot or cold, as in BWh for the Thar and Sahara.
A is wrong because the steppe climate is BS, from the German Steppe. C is wrong because tundra is ET, part of the polar group E. D is wrong because mesothermal, or warm temperate, climates form group C.
Exam tip: BW desert, BS steppe, ET tundra, EF ice cap; in India, western Rajasthan is BWh.
Practice Questions
View allWhich one of the following lakes in India has a large quantity of a substance found in the Moon?
- A.Lonar Lake, Maharashtra
- B.Pangong Lake, Ladakh
- C.Chilika Lake, Odisha.
- D.Loktak Lake, Manipur
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Lonar was formed by a meteorite impact, and its rocks contain maskelynite, a natural glass that forms only under such high-velocity impacts and is also found in lunar rocks.
Read the full explanation →Extrusive volcanoes are not found in which one of the following mountains?
- A.Alaska
- B.Rocky
- C.Andes
- D.Himalayas
Show answer
The Himalayas were formed by the collision of two continental plates, the Indian and the Eurasian, and such a collision does not produce volcanoes.
Read the full explanation →Indus river basin is extended up to
- A.Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab
- B.Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana
- C.Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan
- D.Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan
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The Indian part of the Indus basin covers all six, along with Chandigarh. The Indus rises near Lake Mansarovar in Tibet and enters India in Ladakh.
Read the full explanation →Which peninsular river has a tributary named Kabini?
- A.Godavari
- B.Krishna
- C.Mahanadi
- D.Kaveri
Show answer
The Kabini rises in the Wayanad district of Kerala and flows into Karnataka, where it joins the Kaveri near Tirumakudalu Narasipura.
Read the full explanation →Which one among the following states was NOT impacted by the Land Boundary Agreement Treaty between India and Bangladesh (2015)?
- A.West Bengal
- B.Assam
- C.Tripura
- D.Arunachal Pradesh
Show answer
Arunachal Pradesh does not share a border with Bangladesh, so the 2015 land boundary settlement did not touch it.
Read the full explanation →