Theme T30 · Physical Geography & Hazards
Monsoon, El Niño & drought
5PYQs
4GS1
1GS3
2014–20234 distinct years
What UPSC asks
UPSC asks about monsoon mechanism and culture, monsoon Asia feeding half the world, changing monsoon due to human landscapes, El Niño's effects, and drought preparedness.
Prepare these
- Monsoon mechanism: differential heating, ITCZ, jet streams, Tibetan plateau
- El Niño, La Niña, IOD and Indian rainfall
- Human-induced changes: land use, aerosols, urbanisation
- Drought as disaster: NDMA guidelines, monitoring, contingency crop plans
- Monsoon and culture (e.g. Purvaiya in Bhojpur)
Answer writing
- Link the physical process to agriculture and food security in your conclusion
Directive words in these PYQs: Discuss (2), Do you agree (2), Why (1), How far (1), Explain (1).
Linked themes
Comes back later in
Later themes that take this one further.
Step 64: Disaster management frameworks: DM Act, Sendai, resilience, community, dam safetyStep 93: Irrigation & water-use efficiencyStep 125: Desertification, land degradation & land-use changeStep 137: Climate change impacts on India: food security, Himalayan & coastal states
On the map
Map module 3: Climate, monsoon & soilsMap module 4: World physical frameworkMap module 5: Hazard zonesPractise in the sketch lab: GS1 2023Practise in the sketch lab: GS1 2015Practise in the sketch lab: GS3 2014
Syllabus lines covered
- GS1-L10 — Salient features of world's physical geography.
- GS1-L12 — Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location- changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.
- GS3-L15 — Disaster and disaster management.
All 5 PYQs, newest first
- GS1202310 marks · 150 wordsGS1-GEO-02-M2023-Q07
- GS12017GS1-GEO-02-M2017-S01
- GS12015GS1-GEO-02-M2015-S02
- GS12014GS1-GEO-02-M2014-S01
- GS32014GS3-DM-01-M2014-S01