Minimalist IAS
Prelims 2021 paper

UPSC CSE Prelims 2021 · GS Paper I · Question 58 · Oceans

निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार कीजिए :

UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2021, General Studies Paper I, Question 58 — Oceans.

Prelims 2021 · Q58

Oceans Medium

निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार कीजिए :

  1. 1.उष्णकटिबंधीय क्षेत्र में, व्यापारिक पवन के प्रभाव के कारण पूर्वी खंडों की तुलना में महासागरों के पश्चिमी खंड अधिक उष्ण होते हैं।
  2. 2.शीतोष्ण क्षेत्र में, पश्चिमी पवन पश्चिमी खंडों की तुलना में महासागरों के पूर्वी खंडों को अधिक उष्ण बनाता है।

उपर्युक्त कथनों में से कौन-सा/कौन-से सही है/हैं?

Read this question in English

Consider the following statements:

1. In the tropical zone, the western sections of the oceans are warmer than the eastern sections owing to the influence of trade winds.

2. In the temperate zone, westerlies make the eastern sections of oceans warmer than the western sections.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only · (b) 2 only · (c) Both 1 and 2 · (d) Neither 1 nor 2

उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English

Answer: (c) 1 और 2 दोनों

Both statements are correct: winds push warm surface water to the western side of tropical oceans, while in the temperate zone the westerlies carry warm water to the eastern side, that is, to the west coasts of continents.

  • ✓ 1. In the tropics the easterly trade winds push warm water west and hold it there, so the western side of an ocean is warmer than the east. This matches warm currents along the east coasts of continents in tropical latitudes and cool waters off their west coasts.
  • ✓ 2. Ocean circulation follows the planet's wind pattern, and in the middle latitudes the surface winds are the westerlies, which carry warm water eastwards, so the eastern side of the ocean is the warm side. NCERT notes that west coasts of continents in middle and higher latitudes are bordered by warm waters, as in north-western Europe.

Remember · Tropics: trade winds pile warm water in the west of the ocean. Temperate zone: westerlies carry warm water to the east, so west coasts of continents there are mild.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Ch 13 (practise this chapter) · Class 11 Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Ch 13 (practise this chapter) · Class 11 Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Ch 13 (practise this chapter) · Class 11 Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Ch 9 (practise this chapter)

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2021, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·

Cite this question: UPSC CSE Prelims 2021, Q58 — minimalistias.com/pyqs/prelims/2021/q58

In the UPSC syllabus: Oceans › Ocean temperature, currents & salinity See it and tick it covered →

Timed · 30 minutes Take Geography · Set 5 as a test This question is in it — with UPSC's marking and an instant score. Start the set Or the whole 2021 paper →

More on Oceans

All Oceans questions →

Same topic in the Mains syllabus