UPSC CSE Prelims
Question 69
Consider the following statements :
Statement I : In January, in the Northern Hemisphere, the isotherms bend equatorward while crossing the landmasses, and poleward while crossing the oceans.
Statement II : In January, the air over the oceans is warmer than that over the landmasses in the Northern Hemisphere.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
View correct answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Correct Option: A (Both Statement I and Statement II are correct and Statement II explains Statement I)
Explanation: During Northern Hemisphere winter, land cools faster than oceans, causing January isotherms to dip toward lower latitudes over continents and arch poleward over relatively warm oceans.
Statement / Pair / Item-wise Analysis:
I: True-winter isotherms bend equatorward across colder land and poleward across warmer seas.
II: True-oceans retain more heat in winter; this thermal contrast directly explains I.
Option-wise Analysis:
A. Correct-this matches the facts and the item-wise assessment above.
B. Incorrect-this does not reflect the actual truth values or explanation relationship of the statements.
C. Incorrect-this contradicts the specific facts evaluated in the analysis above.
D. Incorrect-this contradicts the specific facts evaluated in the analysis above.