Winds MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for Winds - Download Free PDF

The correct answer is Land breeze.

Key Points

• Land Breeze:
  • It blows during the night from land to sea as the land cools faster than the sea. The air above the sea becomes less dense therefore it rises and the cooler air from the land moves in to take its place.

Additional Information

• Sea Breeze
  • It  blows in the day, during day time sun heats the land and sea as land becomes hot quickly the air at the land rises quickly which creates low pressure at the land and the sea which is less hot than land, the cooler air from the sea quickly move toward the low-pressure region over the land, which blows sea breeze during the day. 

Concept:

Permanent wind:

• The trade winds, westerlies and easterlies are the permanent winds.
• These blow constantly throughout the year in a particular direction.

Explanation:

Westerlies Winds:

• The easterlies from either side of the equator converge in the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ).
• Such circulations from the surface upwards and vice-versa are called cells.
• In the middle latitudes, the circulation is that of sinking cold air that comes from the poles and the rising warm air that blows from the subtropical high.
• At the surface, these winds are called westerlies.
• Sailors used to call westerlies "roaring forties" because they created a very noisy atmosphere and were unsuitable for them.
• Such winds are noticed mostly in Southern Hemisphere.

Thus, westerlies winds are also known as 'Roaring Forties'.

Additional InformationEasterlies:

• Easterlies are wind patterns that blow from east to west.
• Polar easterlies blow from east to west and it's dry and cold.

Doldrums:

• The equatorial low-pressure band is often identified as the 'Doldrums,' which interprets as 'the zone with no winds.'
• Because of the heat of the Sun, there is often little surface wind in the region.

The correct answer is option 3.

Key Points

• Geostrophic winds occur when the pressure gradient force (which moves air from high to low pressure) is exactly balanced by the Coriolis force (due to Earth's rotation). Hence, option 3 is correct.
• This balance causes the wind to flow parallel to the isobars (lines of constant pressure) rather than directly from high to low pressure.
• Geostrophic winds are typically found in the upper atmosphere where friction is negligible.

Additional Information

• Polar Winds:
  • Definition: Cold, dry winds that blow from the polar high-pressure areas towards lower latitudes.
  • Origin: These winds originate in the polar regions and flow towards the sub-polar low-pressure zones.
  • Characteristics:
    • Generally cold and dense.
    • Flow from high to low pressure but are deflected by Coriolis force, contributing to the polar easterlies.
  • Not a result of balanced Coriolis and pressure gradient forces, but influenced by them.
• Prevailing Winds:
  • Definition: Winds that blow predominantly from a particular direction over a region.
  • Example:
    • Westerlies in mid-latitudes,
    • Trade winds in the tropics.
  • Characteristics:
    • Result of general atmospheric circulation and pressure patterns.
    • Include both geostrophic and ageostrophic components.
  • Not specifically the balance of Coriolis and pressure gradient forces but influenced by them.

The correct answer is option 3.

Key Points

• The Harmattan is a dry, dusty wind blowing from the northeast or east across the Sahara Desert toward the Gulf of Guinea. Hence, option 3 is correct.
• It typically occurs between November and March.
• This wind carries fine dust particles and lowers humidity, leading to cooler temperatures and dry conditions in West Africa.

Additional Information

• Bora: Cold, dry northerly wind in the Adriatic region of Europe.
• Sirocco: Hot, humid wind blowing from the Sahara towards the Mediterranean.
• Mistral: Cold northwesterly wind in southern France.

Key Points

• Sub-tropical high-pressure belts are located between 30° and 35° north and south latitudes.
• These belts are characterized by calm winds, known for their lack of strong horizontal air movement.
• The term "Horse Latitudes" originated from the historic practice of sailors throwing horses overboard to lighten the ship during calm periods.
• These regions are associated with descending air, leading to clear skies and dry weather conditions.

Additional Information

• Doldrums: The doldrums refer to the equatorial regions between 5° north and south latitude, characterized by low pressure and weak winds. These areas are known for their unpredictable weather patterns, including thunderstorms and calm periods.
• Wind Convergence: Wind convergence occurs when winds from different directions meet and rise, leading to cloud formation and precipitation. This phenomenon is common in the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ).
• Frontal Rains: Frontal rains are associated with the meeting of two air masses of different temperatures, leading to the formation of a front. The warm air rises over the cold air, causing precipitation. This type of rain is common in temperate regions.

The correct answer is Chinook.

Key Points

• Chinook is a local wind of USA
• Chinook winds develop in the northwest region of North America.
• Chinook is a beneficial wind
• The Rocky Mountains is the specific regions for the Chinook.
• Foehn is a hot wind of local importance in the Alps.
• Foehn is also a beneficial wind.
• Mistral is a harmful wind.
• Mistral is very cold and dry at a high speed.

The correct answer is Egypt.

Key Points:

• 'Khamsin' wind is a local wind of Egypt.
• 'Khamsin' wind is a hot, and dry wind.
• The capital and largest city of Egypt is Cairo.

Important Points

Important local winds:

The correct answer is El Nino.Key Points

• El Nino is a phenomenon that leads to weakening of trade winds in a region.
• During El Nino, the sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean near the Equator become warmer than usual, which affects the atmospheric circulation and leads to weakening of trade winds.
• Trade winds are the prevailing easterly winds that blow towards the Equator in the tropics, and they are important for navigation and weather patterns.

Additional Information

• Coriolis force is a phenomenon that influences the direction of winds and ocean currents, but it does not directly lead to weakening of trade winds.
• Mango Shower is a meteorological phenomenon that occurs in some parts of India during the pre-monsoon season, and it is not related to trade winds. 
• La Nina is a phenomenon that is opposite to El Nino, and it leads to strengthening of trade winds in a region.
• Hence, the statement "Presence of which phenomenon leads to weakening of trade winds in a region?" is correctly answered by option 3, El Nino.

The Correct answer is 40° to 50° South.

Important Points

• The Roaring Forties are extremely powerful westerly winds that blow in the Southern Hemisphere between latitudes 40° and 50°.
• These gale-force, west-to-east currents are the result of the combination of three variables: warm air movements, the Earth's rotation, and the near absence of relevant landmasses.
• Warm air near the equator rises and tends to move toward the North and South Poles, where temperatures are much lower and less heated by the sun. As it travels south of the equator - and pushed by cooler winds - the wind starts accelerating because it does not encounter obstacles serving as windbreaks.
• With the help of the rotation of the Earth, air deflects south and morphs into high winds that circle the South Pole. They are only interrupted by Tasmania, Central and South New Zealand, and South America's Cape Horn. Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, is also known as "Windy Welly" because it is one of the few cities located in these turbulent latitudes.

The correct answer is Bora.

Key Points

• Bora is a cold and dry wind.
• It blows from Hungary to North Italy.
• It comes from the northeast across the Adriatic Sea, affecting Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia.

Additional Information

• Tropical cyclone:
  • It is a rapidly rotating storm system over tropical oceans, characterized by a low-pressure centre.
  • They are among the most destructive weather phenomena.
  • They have different names depending on their location:
    • ​In the North Atlantic Ocean and eastern North Pacific region, they are called Hurricanes.
    • In the western North Pacific region, they are called typhoons.
    • While in the Southern Pacific and the Indian Ocean, they are simply known as cyclones.
• ​Tornado:
  • It ​is a narrow column of violently rotating air extending from the base of a thunderstorm down to the ground.

The correct answer is During the night.

Key Points:

• Land breeze:
  • It is an offshore wind system that flows from land to water after sunset. It occurs during the night.
  • It is a low-pressure situation that develops over the sea as the temperature above it is higher when compared to the land.
• Sea breeze:
  • It is an onshore wind system that flows from a large body of water body towards the landmass. It occurs during the day time.
  • The temperature over the land surface increases and in turn heats up the surrounding air.

The correct answer is Convection.

Key Points

• Convection is the process of heat transfer by the bulk movement of molecules within fluid such as gases & liquids.
• Type of convection: 
  • Natural convection
  • Forced convection 
• Natural convection:
  • When convection takes place due to buoyant force there is a difference in densities caused by the difference in temperature it is known as natural convection.
• Forced Convection: 
  • An external source such as fans & pumps is used for creating induced convection, known as forced convection.
• One of the common examples of natural convection is Land & sea breeze. 
• This phenomenon occurs during the day as land gets warmer quickly than the sea, the temp above the land rises and heats the surrounding air.
• Warm air is less dense, it expands and starts rising to create a low-pressure area over the land meanwhile there is relatively high pressure over the sea.
• The difference in pressure causes the air to flow from sea to land known as the Sea Breeze and Vice-versa in the night is known as Land breeze.

Additional Information

The Correct answer is Land and Sea Breezes.

Land and sea breezes are also known as 'Doctor'

Important Points

Sea breeze

• Both the sea and the land surface are heated up by the sun. This process takes place for the duration of the day. 
• The sea heats up slower than the land because it has a much higher heat capacity.
• Thus, the temperature over the land surface increases, in turn, heating up the surrounding air.
• Expansion occurs in the less dense warm air and an area over the land having low pressure is developed.
• At the same time on the top of the sea, a high-pressure area develops.
• Due to the difference in pressure and the air flows from the high pressure over the sea to the low pressure over the land.
• This flow of air from the sea to the land is termed the sea breeze.

Land Breeze

• This process takes place for the duration of the night and the above-mentioned process gets reversed.
• Both, the land and the sea start cooling down when the sun sets.
• As the heat capacity of the land is different from the sea it cools down quicker.
• Thus, a low-pressure situation develops over the sea as the temperature above it is higher when compared to the land.
• Due to this, the air flows from the land to the sea which is termed the land breeze.

The correct answer is Polar Easterlies.

Key Points

• Polar easterlies are dry, cold prevailing winds that blow from the east.
• They emanate from the polar highs, areas of high pressure around the North and South Poles.
• Polar easterlies flow to low-pressure areas in sub-polar regions.
• Westerlies are prevailing winds that blow from the west at mid-latitudes.
• These winds are also called trades winds because winds blow from subtropical high-pressure belts towards the equatorial low-pressure.

Additional Information

• Seasonal winds
  • The winds which change their direction in different seasons.
  • For example, the monsoons in India are seasonal winds.   
• Local winds
  • This wind flow are caused by the uneven heat of the Earth's surface within a small area.
  • Local winds form only when strong winds are weak.

The correct answer is Mistral.

• Mistral is a cold and dry strong wind in southern france that blows down from the north along the lower Rhone River valley toward the Mediterranean Sea.

Key Points

• Cold Local Winds:
  • These are dust-laden winds and as they have a temperature below freezing point, they create Cold Wave conditions.
  • Examples of Cold Local winds include Mistral, Bora, Northers, Blizzard, Purga, Lavender, Pampero, Bise, etc.
• Mistral:
  • It is a cold and dry wind that blows in Spain and France from North-west to South-East direction, mostly occur during winter months.
  • Due to the presence of the Rhome River, these winds are channelized into the Rhome valley due to which they become extremely cold.
  • As they pass through the narrow Rhome Valley, they turn into stormy northerly cold winds and their average velocity which is 55-65 km/hr may even reach 128km/hr.
  • Such stormy cold northerly winds cause a sudden drop in temperature to below freezing point.

Additional Information

• Chinook winds:
  • ​These are warm and dry winds blowing on the eastern slopes (leeward side) of the Rocky Mountain.
  • They are the result of adiabatic heating which occurs due to downslope compression on the leeward side, as the mountain barrier creates frictional drag which tends to pull the air from the higher level down on the leeward, and air forced down is heated adiabatically and at the same time, its relative humidity is also lowered.
  • Chinook leads to the melt-down of the water and due to the sudden rise in temperature the water is evaporated, thus there occurs a reduction in the soil moisture, which is a negative aspect of Chinook.
• Santa Ana:
  • ​These are the dry and warm local wind that occurs in the Santa Ana Valley of Southern California and it is almost similar to Chinook or Foehn with regard to thermal and moisture characteristics.
• Loo:
  • It originates from the Thar desert and has north-westerly to a westerly direction.
  • They dominate during early summer in the months of march to may and create heat waves like conditions in Northern India and adjoining parts.
  • They have desiccating effects and are considered environmental hazards.