Which of the following are the factors that cause variation in the amount of insolation on the Earth ? 1. Rotation of the earth on its axis 2. Length of the day 3. Distribution of land and water on the earth Select the answer using the code given below:
- A.1 only
- B.1 and 2 only
- C.2 and 3 only
- D.1, 2 and 3
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, 1 and 2 only. The rotation of the Earth and the length of the day change how much sunlight a place receives, while the spread of land and water changes only how that energy heats the surface.
Insolation is the incoming solar radiation received at the Earth's surface. The standard factors that make it vary are the rotation of the Earth on its tilted axis, the angle at which the sun's rays fall, the length of the day, the transparency of the atmosphere and the aspect of the land. The distribution of land and water is a factor of temperature, not of insolation: land heats and cools faster than water, but both receive the same sunlight.
A is wrong because the length of the day is also a factor: longer days mean more insolation. C is wrong because it includes land and water and leaves out rotation. D is wrong because statement 3 does not change the amount of insolation.
Exam tip: insolation depends on the sun's angle, day length and the atmosphere; land and water distribution affects temperature.
Practice Questions
View allWhich one of the following is a west-flowing river?
- A.Mahanadi
- B.Godavari
- C.Krishna
- D.Narmada
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The Narmada flows west through a rift valley and falls into the Arabian Sea. The Narmada rises at Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh and flows west for about 1,300 km between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges, along a rift valley formed by faulting.
Read the full explanation →The major part of Central Asia is dominated by which one of the following language families?
- A.Indo-European
- B.Sino-Tibetan
- C.Austric
- D.Altaic
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Most of Central Asia speaks Turkic languages, which are traditionally grouped in the Altaic family. Kazakh, Uzbek, Kyrgyz and Turkmen, the main languages of four of the five Central Asian republics, are Turkic.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following pairs of Isolines and its properties are correctly matched ? 1. Isonif : Snowfall 2. Isohel : Sunshine 3. Isohaline : Salinity 4. Isohypse : Cloudiness Select the correct answer using the code given below :
- A.1, 2 and 3
- B.2, 3 and 4
- C.1 and 3 only
- D.1, 2 and 4
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Isonif, isohel and isohaline are matched correctly; an isohypse joins places of equal height, not equal cloudiness. An isoline joins points on a map that have the same value of something.
Read the full explanation →On which among the following is National Waterway No. 2 situated?
- A.The Ganga, Haldia-Prayagraj
- B.West Coast Canal, Kottapuram-Kollam
- C.The Brahmaputra, Sadiya-Dhubri
- D.Godavari and Krishna, Kakinada-Puducherry
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National Waterway 2 is the 891 km stretch of the Brahmaputra between Sadiya and Dhubri in Assam. It was declared a national waterway in 1988 and is managed by the Inland Waterways Authority of India, set up in 1986 with its headquarters at Noida.
Read the full explanation →Which among the following tribes inhabit the Andaman and Nicobar Islands ? 1. Onge 2. Jarawas 3. Sentinelese Select the answer using the codes given below :
- A.1 and 2 only
- B.2 and 3 only
- C.1, 2 and 3
- D.1 and 3 only
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The Onge, the Jarawa and the Sentinelese are all native tribes of the Andaman Islands.
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