Understanding the Weather — Quiz

Q1. What an atmosphere is. Which option BEST describes it?

• A. A thick liquid layer that covers the oceans of a planet.
• B. The narrow band where almost all weather phenomena take place.
• C. The rocky outer crust on which all land-based plants and animals live.
• D. A layer of gases that surrounds some planets; on Earth, these gases are called 'air'.

Q2. The troposphere is less thick at the poles and thicker over the tropical zone. The BEST explanation for this difference is

• A. Cold air at the poles contracts, while warmer air in the tropical zone expands.
• B. The Sun does not reach the poles at all during the year.
• C. The atmosphere is heavier at the equator because of gravity.
• D. Storms in the tropics push the troposphere upwards.

Q3. Why does the weather sometimes feel 'heavy' before a thunderstorm?

• A. Because rain has already fallen and saturated the soil.
• B. Because humidity has fallen below 20 per cent.
• C. Because the temperature has dropped sharply in the last hour.
• D. Because of changes in atmospheric pressure — the weight of the air above us, felt on the Earth's surface.

Q4. Wind. Which option BEST captures both parts of that definition?

• A. Wind is the rotation of the Earth, which pushes air across the surface.
• B. Wind is the change in temperature that creates air currents.
• C. Wind is any breeze that can lift seeds and dust from the ground.
• D. Wind is the movement of air from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure, described by speed and direction.

Q5. The 'loo' as an example of a dominant weather element. Which element of weather is the loo an example of?

• A. Precipitation
• B. Humidity
• C. Wind
• D. Atmospheric pressure

Q6. A barometer on the Odisha coast records an atmospheric pressure of 992 mb. Based the BEST conclusion meteorologists would draw is that the area is

• A. Experiencing a normal pressure system, with no special warning required.
• B. About to have a heat wave, as pressure rises sharply in hot weather.
• C. Reading a faulty barometer, since 992 mb is impossible at sea level.
• D. Showing a depression — a low-pressure system that can develop into a storm or cyclone.

Q7. A wind vane is described as a rotating arm with a pointer at one end and a tail at the other. When the wind blows, what happens?

• A. The tail is pushed by the wind, and the pointer turns in the direction the wind is coming from.
• B. The pointer is pushed by the wind, and the tail shows the direction the wind is moving towards.
• C. Both ends rotate at equal speed, so the vane shows only wind speed, not direction.
• D. The arm stays fixed, and only the tail flutters to show how strong the wind is.

Q8. A hygrometer in a city shows a relative humidity of 30 per cent. According to, which option BEST describes this weather?

• A. Saturated weather, since 30 per cent is closer to 0 than to 100.
• B. Impossible reading, since natural air can never have a humidity below 50 per cent.
• C. Humid weather, since humid weather has a relative humidity between 60 and 80 per cent.
• D. Dry weather, since dry weather has a relative humidity between 20 and 40 per cent.

Q9. An Automated Weather Station (AWS). Which option BEST explains what an AWS does?

• A. It uses one large sensor to record only the day's maximum temperature.
• B. It is a manually operated weather hut that two officials visit every morning.
• C. It is a phone app that asks farmers to send daily rainfall readings to a central office.
• D. It is a self-operating system that uses various sensors to measure data such as temperature, humidity, wind, precipitation and atmospheric pressure.

Q10. Meteorology is defined as

• A. The art of reading the behaviour of ants, frogs and pine cones to predict weather.
• B. The branch of geography that studies the long-term climate of a region.
• C. The technique of gathering and analysing statistics to detect patterns in any subject.
• D. The systematic study of weather and its evolution, which is the basis for weather forecasting.

Q11. Why pine cones open and close. Why do pine cones CLOSE in humid conditions and OPEN in dry conditions?

• A. To protect their seeds in humid weather and release them in dry weather, so the seeds spread in favourable conditions.
• B. To attract bees that pollinate them only in dry weather.
• C. To keep their seeds warm during winter and cool during summer.
• D. To act as an alarm to other plants in the forest about a coming storm.

Q12. How accurate weather predictions help local governments. If a cyclone is expected on the coast of Andhra Pradesh, the BEST use of an IMD forecast is to

• A. Warn fishermen not to venture out in their boats and, if needed, evacuate the coastal area.
• B. Change the time of the school summer holidays in inland districts.
• C. Stop trains running in Rajasthan, where the cyclone is not expected.
• D. Increase the price of fish in city markets the next morning.

Q13. On 03.03.2025, the table shows a city's maximum temperature as 32 °C and minimum as 18 °C. According to definition, the 'mean daily temperature' for that day is

• A. 14 °C
• B. 50 °C
• C. 32 °C
• D. 25 °C

Q14. Atmospheric pressure at Khardung La in Ladakh (over 5600 metres) is about 650 millibars, while the sea coast is around 1013 mb. The BEST explanation for this difference is

• A. Khardung La has more clouds, which trap the air below.
• B. Mountains are colder, and cold air weighs more than warm air.
• C. At a higher altitude, the air gets thinner, so there is less weight of air pressing down.
• D. Pressure is always 650 mb in the army areas of India.

Q15. Priya is reading the IMD weather warning map of 19 May 2024. A state shaded RED on the map means people there should

• A. Take no action — there is no warning.
• B. Stay updated, as the IMD is only watching the situation.
• C. Be prepared, as the IMD has issued an alert.
• D. Take action, as the IMD has issued a warning.