In the northern hemisphere, the longest day of the year normally occurs in the:
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) Second half of the month of June
The Northern Hemisphere's longest day is the summer solstice, around 21 June, when the North Pole is tilted most towards the Sun and the Sun is overhead at the Tropic of Cancer. 21 June falls in the second half of June.
- ✓ (b) The summer solstice falls on 20, 21 or 22 June; after it, days in the Northern Hemisphere grow shorter and nights longer.
- ✗ (a) Days are still lengthening through the first half of June; the maximum comes only at the solstice around 21 June.
- ✗ (c) July is often the hottest month because of the lag in heating, but day length is already decreasing by then.
Remember · Summer solstice ~21 June: Sun overhead at the Tropic of Cancer, longest day in the Northern Hemisphere; winter solstice ~22 December: shortest day.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 7 Curiosity, Ch 12 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 7 · Curiosity, Chapter 12 “In the Northern Hemisphere, the longest day occurs around 21 June—this is known as summer solstice. After the summer solstice, the duration of a day becomes shorter while that of a night becomes longer.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·