Which one of the following is NOT a current of Pacific Ocean?
- (a)Oyashio current
- (b)Alaska current
- (c)Agulhas current
- (d)California current
Correct — C, Agulhas current. The Agulhas Current is a warm western-boundary current of the INDIAN Ocean, flowing south-westward down the east coast of Africa — so it is not a Pacific current. The Oyashio, Alaska and California currents all flow within the Pacific Ocean.
- (a)Oyashio current — A cold current of the north-west Pacific, flowing south past the Kuril Islands and Japan — a Pacific current.
- (b)Alaska current — A warm current of the north-east Pacific, curving into the Gulf of Alaska — a Pacific current.
- (d)California current — A cold eastern-boundary current of the north-east Pacific, flowing south along the US west coast — a Pacific current.
Ocean currents belong to gyres within each ocean basin. The Pacific hosts the Kuroshio, Oyashio, Alaska, California and Peru (Humboldt) currents, plus the North and South Equatorial currents. The Agulhas Current belongs to the Indian Ocean gyre, hugging the south-east coast of Africa; its retroflection south of Africa is a famous feature.
Sort each current by its ocean. Three of the four (Oyashio, Alaska, California) are Pacific; only the Agulhas is an Indian Ocean current, so it is the odd one out.
- The Agulhas Current is a warm current of the Indian Ocean off south-east Africa.
- Oyashio (cold) and Alaska (warm) are north Pacific currents.
- The California Current is a cold eastern-boundary current of the north Pacific.
- Warm western-boundary currents (Agulhas, Kuroshio, Gulf Stream) flow polewards along the east coasts of continents.
Only the Agulhas belongs to the Indian Ocean; the other three are Pacific currents.
- Assuming any current near a big ocean is 'Pacific' — check the basin.
- Confusing warm vs cold with the ocean a current belongs to.
Asked as 'which is NOT a current of the Pacific/Indian Ocean', or by matching currents to oceans and to warm or cold type.
In the given map, which one of the following pairs of ocean currents is shown?
- (a) Benguela and Falkland
- (b) Canary and Humboldt
- (c) Agulhas and Guinea
- (d) Benguela and Guinea
Answer(d) Benguela and Guinea
Same concept — identifying named ocean currents and their basins. UPSC asks which pair of currents a map shows; this NDA item asks which named current does not belong to the Pacific (the Agulhas).
Which of the following is/are warm ocean current(s)? 1. Alaska Current 2. Agulhas Current 3. Falkland Current 4. West Australian Current Select the answer using the code given below:
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 1 and 2
- (c) 3 and 4
- (d) 4 only
Answer(b) 1 and 2
Same concept — classifying the same currents (Alaska, Agulhas). That NDA item sorts them into warm and cold; this one asks which is not a Pacific current (the Agulhas, an Indian-Ocean current).
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Agulhas Current is associated with which ocean?
- (a)Atlantic Ocean
- (b)Pacific Ocean
- (c)Indian Ocean
- (d)Arctic Ocean
Answer(c) Indian Ocean — a warm current off south-east Africa.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which one of the following is a cold current of the Pacific Ocean?
- (a)Alaska Current
- (b)Kuroshio Current
- (c)California Current
- (d)Agulhas Current
Answer(c) California Current — a cold eastern-boundary current.