Consider the following statements:
- Statement-I: The amount of dust particles in the atmosphere is more in subtropical and temperate areas than in equatorial and polar regions.
- Statement-II: Subtropical and temperate areas have less dry winds.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) Statement I is correct but Statement II is not correct
Dust is indeed more concentrated over subtropical and temperate belts, but the reason is that these regions have more dry winds, not fewer. Dry winds lift fine soil from arid and semi-arid land, while rain in equatorial regions and ice cover near the poles keep dust down, so Statement II gets the cause backwards.
- ✓ Statement-I The atmosphere holds more dust over subtropical and temperate regions than over equatorial and polar regions; the dust mostly stays in the lower layers.
- ✗ Statement-II These regions have plenty of dry winds, which is exactly why they carry more dust; saying they have 'less dry winds' is false.
Remember · Dust concentration is highest in subtropical and temperate regions because of dry winds; dust and salt particles act as hygroscopic nuclei for cloud formation.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Ch 7 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 11 · Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Chapter 7 “The higher concentration of dust particles is found in subtropical and temperate regions due to dry winds in comparison to equatorial and polar regions.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2025, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·