RAS Pre 2023, held on 1 October 2023. Question text as printed in RPSC's booklet; answer as per RPSC's final answer key.

Which of the following group of districts are correctly arranged in descending order as per the amount of monsoon rainfall they receive ?

Q: What is the answer to RAS Pre 2023 Q3?

(1). Correct — option (1), Dholpur, Rajsamand, Jalore. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) gives each district a normal rainfall for the South-West Monsoon season, June to September. Its Meteorological Centre Jaipur measured the 2022 monsoon against normals based on 1971–2020 data, in its Rajasthan Monsoon Report 2022. For the three districts in option (1): Dholpur 584.1 mm, Rajsamand 538.1 mm, Jalore 417.8 mm. Each figure is lower than the one before it, so Dholpur, Rajsamand, Jalore is in descending order. The older normals, based on 1961–2010 data and used in the centre's 2021 report, give the same order: Dholpur 605.2 mm, Rajsamand 506 mm, Jalore 385.7 mm. The broad pattern behind it: monsoon rain in Rajasthan generally falls away towards the west. Jalore is in IMD's West Rajasthan subdivision, whose normal is 283.6 mm, against 626.6 mm for East Rajasthan. A normal is a long-term average, and one season can depart widely from it. In the 2022 monsoon Jalore received 626.4 mm against its normal of 417.8 mm. Check every step of the order, not just the first district.

(1)Dholpur, Rajsamand, Jalore
(2)Bhilwara, Baran, Sikar
(3)Rajsamand, Jalore, Dholpur
(4)Pali, Jaipur, Bharatpur

Answer

(1)

Why

Correct — option (1), Dholpur, Rajsamand, Jalore.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) gives each district a normal rainfall for the South-West Monsoon season, June to September. Its Meteorological Centre Jaipur measured the 2022 monsoon against normals based on 1971–2020 data, in its Rajasthan Monsoon Report 2022.

For the three districts in option (1): Dholpur 584.1 mm, Rajsamand 538.1 mm, Jalore 417.8 mm. Each figure is lower than the one before it, so Dholpur, Rajsamand, Jalore is in descending order.

The older normals, based on 1961–2010 data and used in the centre's 2021 report, give the same order: Dholpur 605.2 mm, Rajsamand 506 mm, Jalore 385.7 mm.

The broad pattern behind it: monsoon rain in Rajasthan generally falls away towards the west. Jalore is in IMD's West Rajasthan subdivision, whose normal is 283.6 mm, against 626.6 mm for East Rajasthan.

A normal is a long-term average, and one season can depart widely from it. In the 2022 monsoon Jalore received 626.4 mm against its normal of 417.8 mm.

Check every step of the order, not just the first district.

Why the others are wrong

(2)
Bhilwara, Baran, Sikar — The first step fails. Bhilwara's monsoon normal is 604.5 mm and Baran's is 832 mm, so Baran is wetter than Bhilwara.
Sikar, at 407.1 mm, is the driest of the three. The same districts in descending order would be Baran, Bhilwara, Sikar.
(3)
Rajsamand, Jalore, Dholpur — These are the same three districts as the answer, in the wrong order. Dholpur (584.1 mm) is the wettest of the three but is placed last, after Jalore (417.8 mm).
Arranged by falling rainfall, this set becomes Dholpur, Rajsamand, Jalore — option (1).
(4)
Pali, Jaipur, Bharatpur — This group is in ascending order, not descending. Pali has a normal of 491.6 mm, Jaipur 524.3 mm and Bharatpur 543.3 mm, so each figure is higher than the one before.
Reversed, as Bharatpur, Jaipur, Pali, it would be in descending order.

Concept

A district's normal rainfall is its average over a long base period. IMD's Meteorological Centre Jaipur used 1971–2020 data for the June–September normals in its Rajasthan Monsoon Report 2022; its 2021 report had used 1961–2010 data.

On the 1971–2020 base, Rajasthan's monsoon normal as a whole is 435.6 mm. IMD divides the state into two subdivisions: East Rajasthan, with a normal of 626.6 mm, and West Rajasthan, with 283.6 mm.

In the report's 33-district table, Jaisalmer has the lowest monsoon normal (176.9 mm) and Pratapgarh the highest (914.2 mm).

RPSC's 2023 Prelims syllabus lists "Climatic characteristics" under the Geography of Rajasthan. The spread of monsoon rain across the state's districts falls under that head.

The monsoon's spread matters for kharif farming and for drought. A dry west and a wetter south and south-east is the broad map, but neighbouring figures can be close: Rajsamand and Jaipur differ by under 15 mm.

A normal also belongs to its base period and its district map. IMD's 2022 report uses 1971–2020 data and tabulates 33 districts.

Key facts

IMD's June–September normal for Rajasthan as a whole is 435.6 mm, based on 1971–2020 data (Rajasthan Monsoon Report 2022).
IMD's monsoon normals for the answer's districts: Dholpur 584.1 mm, Rajsamand 538.1 mm, Jalore 417.8 mm.
IMD's East Rajasthan subdivision has a monsoon normal of 626.6 mm, against 283.6 mm for West Rajasthan.
In IMD's 33-district table, Jaisalmer has the lowest monsoon normal (176.9 mm) and Pratapgarh the highest (914.2 mm).
On IMD's older 1961–2010 normals (Rajasthan Monsoon Report 2021), Dholpur 605.2 mm, Rajsamand 506 mm and Jalore 385.7 mm keep the same order.

IMD monsoon normals (June–September, 1971–2020 data)

Baran→832 mm

Bhilwara→604.5 mm

Dholpur→584.1 mm — option (1), first

Bharatpur→543.3 mm

Rajsamand→538.1 mm — option (1), second

Jaipur→524.3 mm

Pali→491.6 mm

Jalore→417.8 mm — option (1), third

Sikar→407.1 mm

All nine districts from the options, highest normal first. Source: IMD Meteorological Centre Jaipur, Rajasthan Monsoon Report 2022.

Study next

East Rajasthan and West Rajasthan meteorological subdivisionsKoeppen climate types of RajasthanWinter rain in Rajasthan from western disturbances (Mawat)Onset and withdrawal dates of the monsoon over RajasthanRainfall and the kharif crops of Rajasthan

Common traps

Option (3) uses the same three districts as the answer. Knowing which districts are wet or dry is not enough; the order has to be checked.
Option (4) is correctly ordered, but ascending. Confirm whether the stem asks for descending or ascending before comparing figures.
Some normals sit very close together: Bharatpur (543.3 mm) is barely above Rajsamand (538.1 mm), and Jaipur (524.3 mm) is just below.

A question can give groups of three districts and ask which group is in descending or ascending order of monsoon rainfall, as this one does.

A question can also ask for the wettest or driest district among four, or compare the East and West Rajasthan subdivisions.

Related PYQs

RPSC_2024_PRE_GS_Q32024Open & attempt →

Which of the following group of districts of Rajasthan is correctly arranged in ascending order as per average rainfall during South-West Monsoon ?

(1) Jalore, Jaipur, Kota
(2) Jaisalmer, Banswara, Rajsamand
(3) Nagaur, Dhaulpur, Ajmer
(4) Churu, Baran, Bhilwara

Answer(1)

Same district rainfall ordering, reversed direction. That item asks which group is in ascending order of average South-West Monsoon rainfall (RPSC's key: option (1), Jalore, Jaipur, Kota); this one asks for descending order.

Practice

practice — not a real PYQ
Which of the following groups of districts of Rajasthan is correctly arranged in ascending order of normal South-West Monsoon rainfall ?
- (a)Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Kota
- (b)Churu, Barmer, Udaipur
- (c)Nagaur, Ajmer, Sikar
- (d)Tonk, Dausa, Alwar
Answer(1) — IMD normals: Jaisalmer 176.9 mm, Jodhpur 292.6 mm, Kota 732.2 mm, each higher than the last. Option (2) fails first: Churu (334 mm) is wetter than Barmer (272.7 mm). Option (3) fails next: Ajmer (458.3 mm) beats Sikar (407.1 mm). Option (4) too: Dausa (594.5 mm) beats Alwar (545.9 mm).
practice — not a real PYQ
According to IMD's normals based on 1971–2020 data, which of these districts has the highest South-West Monsoon rainfall normal ?
- (a)Banswara
- (b)Pratapgarh
- (c)Jhalawar
- (d)Sirohi
Answer(2) — Pratapgarh's normal is 914.2 mm, the highest in IMD's 33-district table. The others are close behind: option (1), Banswara, 886 mm; option (3), Jhalawar, 884.3 mm; option (4), Sirohi, 873 mm.

The booklet also prints a fifth choice under this question: “(5) Question not attempted”. Options (1)–(4) above are the four answer options.