Which one of the following is not a cold current ?
- (a)Western Australian Current
- (b)Eastern Australian Current
- (c)Benguela Current
- (d)Peru Current
Correct — B, Eastern Australian Current. Cold currents flow from higher, cooler latitudes towards the equator, usually along western coasts of continents. The Western Australian Current, the Benguela Current (off south-west Africa) and the Peru (Humboldt) Current (off western South America) are all cold currents. The Eastern Australian Current is the exception: it flows poleward down the east coast of Australia, carrying warm tropical water, so it is a warm current — the one that is not cold.
- (a)Western Australian Current — This is a cold current — it flows equatorward along the west coast of Australia as part of the Indian Ocean gyre, so it is not the exception.
- (c)Benguela Current — The Benguela is a classic cold current, flowing northward up the south-west coast of Africa from the Southern Ocean — cold, so not the answer.
- (d)Peru Current — The Peru (Humboldt) Current is a cold current flowing north along the western coast of South America; it cools that coast and supports rich fisheries — so it is cold, not the exception.
Ocean currents are warm or cold depending on where they come from. Warm currents carry tropical water polewards, typically along eastern coasts of continents; cold currents carry cooler water equatorwards, typically along western coasts. On the eastern side of Australia the current is a poleward, warm current, unlike the cold currents on western margins.
Use the west-cold, east-warm rule for continental coasts. The three western-margin currents here (Western Australian, Benguela, Peru) are cold; the Eastern Australian Current, running down Australia's east coast, is warm — so it is the odd one out.
- Cold currents generally flow equatorward along western coasts (e.g. Benguela, Peru/Humboldt, Western Australian, Canary, California).
- Warm currents generally flow poleward along eastern coasts (e.g. East Australian, Gulf Stream, Kuroshio, Brazil, Agulhas).
- The East Australian Current carries warm tropical water southward down Australia's east coast.
- The Peru (Humboldt) Current's cold upwelling supports one of the world's richest fisheries.
- Assuming every current near Australia is the same — the west-coast one is cold, the east-coast one is warm.
- Reversing the flow directions — cold currents move towards the equator, while warm currents move towards the poles.
A 'which is not a cold/warm current' item lists several named currents — apply the west-cold, east-warm rule and recall the well-known warm currents (Gulf Stream, Kuroshio, East Australian).
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
Tests recognition of specific named currents (the cold Benguela and warm Guinea) — the same warm-versus-cold identification needed to spot the odd current here.
Consider the following statements: 1. Ocean currents are the slow surface movement of water in the ocean. 2. Ocean currents assist in maintaining the Earth's heat balance. 3. Ocean currents are set in motion primarily by prevailing winds. 4. Ocean currents are affected by the configuration of the ocean floor. Which of these statements are correct?
- (a) 1 and 2
- (b) 2, 3 and 4
- (c) 1, 3 and 4
- (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Covers what ocean currents are and how they redistribute heat — the broader context for why warm and cold currents such as the East Australian matter.
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
The mirror-image skill — sorting named currents into warm and cold, including the cold West Australian Current that also appears in this question.
Which one of the following ocean currents is a cold current?
- (a) South Atlantic Drift
- (b) Mozambique Current
- (c) East Australian Current
- (d) Caribbean Current
Answer(a) South Atlantic Drift
Lists the East Australian Current among the warm distractors — confirming it is a warm current, exactly the point that makes it the 'not cold' answer here.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which one of the following is a warm ocean current?
- (a)Canary Current
- (b)Benguela Current
- (c)Gulf Stream
- (d)California Current
Answer(c) Gulf Stream — a warm current flowing poleward along the eastern coast of North America; the others are cold.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The cold current flowing along the western coast of South America is the:
- (a)Brazil Current
- (b)Peru (Humboldt) Current
- (c)Agulhas Current
- (d)Kuroshio Current
Answer(b) Peru (Humboldt) Current — a cold current that cools the coast and supports rich fisheries.