Which areas of India receive rainfall from North-East Monsoon ? A. Tamil Nadu Coast B. Gujarat Coast C. Southern Andhra Pradesh D. South-East Karnataka Code :

Correct — option (2), A, C & D.

NCERT's Class XI textbook India: Physical Environment describes this rain directly. During October and November, it says, the northeast monsoon picks up moisture while crossing the Bay of Bengal 'and causes torrential rainfall over the Tamil Nadu coast, southern Andhra Pradesh, southeast Karnataka and southeast Kerala.'

That list covers A (Tamil Nadu Coast), C (Southern Andhra Pradesh) and D (South-East Karnataka).

B, the Gujarat Coast, is not on it. Gujarat lies on the west coast, away from the Bay of Bengal. NCERT ties its rain to the southwest monsoon: a branch of the Arabian Sea monsoon strikes the Saurashtra Peninsula and Kachchh.

So the code is option (2), A, C & D.

The idea to remember: northeast monsoon = Bay of Bengal moisture onto the south-east of the Peninsula, in October and November.

Why the others are wrong

• (1)
  A, B, C & D — This code adds B, the Gujarat Coast. NCERT's list of areas that get northeast monsoon rain is the Tamil Nadu coast, southern Andhra Pradesh, southeast Karnataka and southeast Kerala, and Gujarat is not among them.

  NCERT ties the Gujarat coast's rain to the southwest monsoon: it describes a branch of the Arabian Sea monsoon striking the Saurashtra Peninsula and Kachchh.

• (3)
  B, C & D — This code drops A and adds B. The Tamil Nadu coast is the first area NCERT names for northeast monsoon rain.

  NCERT also explains why that coast stays dry in the southwest monsoon: it lies parallel to the Bay of Bengal branch and in the rain shadow of the Arabian Sea branch. In the eastern Peninsula, it adds, October and November are the rainiest months of the year.

• (4)
  A, B & C — This code drops D and adds B. NCERT names southeast Karnataka among the areas where the northeast monsoon brings torrential rain in October and November.

  The Gujarat Coast, which this code includes, is on the Arabian Sea side, and NCERT ties its rain to the southwest monsoon rather than to winds from the Bay of Bengal.

India's monsoon winds reverse with the seasons. NCERT describes the southwest monsoon of June to September arriving in two branches, one from the Arabian Sea and one from the Bay of Bengal.

After the southwest monsoon withdraws, the flow reverses. Winds from the north-east pick up moisture over the Bay of Bengal in October and November and bring rain to the south-eastern part of the Peninsula.

NCERT also ties rain in the eastern Peninsula in this season to cyclonic depressions that form over the Andaman Sea and cross the coast. It says a bulk of the rainfall of the Coromandel coast comes from these depressions and cyclones.

Key facts

• NCERT: in October and November the northeast monsoon picks up moisture over the Bay of Bengal and brings torrential rain to the Tamil Nadu coast.
• The areas NCERT names for that rain: the Tamil Nadu coast, southern Andhra Pradesh, southeast Karnataka and southeast Kerala.
• NCERT: the Tamil Nadu coast stays dry in the southwest monsoon, lying parallel to the Bay of Bengal branch and in the Arabian Sea branch's rain shadow.
• NCERT: one branch of the Arabian Sea monsoon strikes the Saurashtra Peninsula and Kachchh, then gives scanty rain over west Rajasthan.
• NCERT: in the eastern Peninsula, October and November are the rainiest months of the year.

Common traps

• Choosing the Gujarat coast because it is a coast: NCERT ties its rain to the Arabian Sea branch of the southwest monsoon, not to winds crossing the Bay of Bengal.
• Assuming the Tamil Nadu coast is wet in June–September like the west coast: NCERT explains why it stays dry then, and places its heavy rain in October–November.
• Confusing the northeast monsoon with western disturbances: RPSC's key to RAS Prelims 2013 ties mawat to western disturbances, not to the northeast monsoon.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  According to NCERT, why does the Tamil Nadu coast remain dry during the southwest monsoon season? 1. It is situated parallel to the Bay of Bengal branch of the southwest monsoon. 2. It lies in the rain-shadow area of the Arabian Sea branch of the southwest monsoon. 3. It lies in the path of the western disturbances. Select the correct answer using the code below:

  • (a)1 and 2
  • (b)2 and 3
  • (c)1 and 3
  • (d)1, 2 and 3
  Answer(1) — NCERT gives reasons 1 and 2. Reason 3 is not among the reasons NCERT gives, so options (2), (3) and (4), which each include it, are wrong.
• practice — not a real PYQ

  In which months, according to NCERT, does the northeast monsoon cause torrential rainfall over the Tamil Nadu coast?

  • (a)June and July
  • (b)August and September
  • (c)October and November
  • (d)January and February
  Answer(3) — NCERT dates this rain to October and November. Options (1) and (2) fall in the southwest monsoon season, when NCERT says the Tamil Nadu coast remains dry; option (4) is not the period NCERT gives.