Consider the following statements: Statement-I. The temperature contrast between continents and oceans is greater during summer than in winter. Statement-II. The specific heat of water is more than that of land surface. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

(a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I

(b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I

(c) Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect

Prelims · Geography · 27 questions

Climate & atmosphere

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UPSC syllabus: “Indian and World Geography-Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.” See the full syllabus →

Prelims 2023 · Q62

Medium

With reference to the Earth's atmosphere, which one of the following statements is correct?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) Infrared waves are largely absorbed by water vapour that is concentrated in the lower atmosphere.

Statement (c) is correct: water vapour, ozone and other gases in the lower atmosphere (the troposphere) absorb much of the near-infrared radiation passing through. The other options misstate insolation values or the nature of infrared light.

✓ (c) NCERT says water vapour, ozone and other gases within the troposphere absorb much of the near-infrared radiation. Water vapour is concentrated in the lower atmosphere.
✗ (a) NCERT gives insolation at the surface as about 320 W/m2 in the tropics and about 70 W/m2 at the poles, a ratio of under five, and it says the equator receives less than the tropics. Ten times is far too high.
✗ (d) Infrared waves lie just beyond the visible spectrum; the human eye cannot see them. They are not part of the visible spectrum.

Remember · In the troposphere, water vapour, ozone and other gases absorb much of the near-infrared radiation. Insolation is about 320 W/m2 in the tropics and 70 W/m2 at the poles.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Ch 8 (practise this chapter) · Class 11 Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Ch 8 (practise this chapter)

Sources

NCERT Class 11 · Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Chapter 8 “Within the troposphere water vapour, ozone and other gases absorb much of the near infrared radiation.”
NCERT Class 11 · Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Chapter 8 “The insolation received at the surface varies from about 320 Watt/m2 in the tropics to about 70 Watt/m2 in the poles.”
Infrared Waves (NASA Science, Electromagnetic Spectrum) ↗ “the human eye cannot see it, but humans can detect it as heat. A remote control uses light waves just beyond the visible spectrum of light—infrared light waves—to change channels on your TV.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2023, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2023 · Q64

Medium

Consider the following statements:

Statement-I: The temperature contrast between continents and oceans is greater during summer than in winter.
Statement-II: The specific heat of water is more than that of land surface.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (d) Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct

The land-ocean temperature contrast is sharper in winter than in summer, so Statement-I is wrong. Statement-II is right: water has a higher specific heat than land and therefore heats up and cools down slowly.

✗ Statement-I In January the isotherms bend north over the warm oceans and south over the cold continents, and the departure from the latitudinal pattern is stronger in January than in July. The contrast is therefore greater in winter.
✓ Statement-II Water needs more heat than land to rise by one degree, so it heats up and cools down more slowly than the landmass. This is why continents swing more in temperature than oceans.

Remember · Higher specific heat makes water heat and cool slowly, so continents swing more. The land-ocean contrast is sharpest in northern winter (January), when isotherms bend most.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Ch 8 (practise this chapter) · Class 11 India: Physical Environment, Ch 4 (practise this chapter)

Sources

NCERT Class 11 · Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Chapter 8 “The deviation from this general trend is more pronounced in January than in July, especially in the northern hemisphere.”
NCERT Class 11 · India: Physical Environment, Chapter 4 “As compared to the landmass, water heats up or cools down slowly.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2023, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

The same topic in Mains

World physical geographyGS 1 syllabus
Geophysical phenomena & changing featuresGS 1 syllabus

Read it in NCERT

Class 11 Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Chapter 8cited in 3 explanations
Class 11 India: Physical Environment, Chapter 4cited in 1 explanation

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